New York Giants Mock Draft: Defensive Help Projected at No. 11
It's that time of year again--the time when mock drafts start popping up all over the internet.
At the risk of adding yet another to your reading list, here is our first-round only Mock draft, in which the Draft Network’s mock draft simulator was used to pick for the 31 other teams. The Giants pick was made manually and based on the best player available that fit a need.
The pick: Edge Gregory Rousseau, Miami (Fla.).
This past season, the Giants were looking for youngsters Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines to take the next steps forward in their respective development; for Leonard Williams to have a breakout season; and for edge Kyler Fackrell to following in Markus Golden's lead by getting back to a double-digit sack season.
Only one of those expectations--Williams and the breakout season--came to fruition. Meanwhile, Fackrell only recorded four sacks, losing a few games while on injured reserve, while the young tandem of Carter and Ximines saw their respective seasons end early due to injury.
Despite all that, Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham designed schemes that resulted in 40 sacks (tied for 10th most with Indianapolis). So imagine what he might be able to do with some more pass-rushing firepower.
That's where Gregory Rousseau comes into play. With receivers Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith off the board, Rousseau's potential value at this spot seemed too good to pass up.
Rosseau, who opted out of this season due to COVID-19 concerns, should fit in a scheme that runs multiple fronts. He uses his long arms to keep blockers off him and is a solid tackler.
In two seasons at Miami, Rousseau recorded 35 total tackles (19.5 TFL) and 15.5 sacks, the bulk of that production coming in 2019.
As intriguing of a prospect as Rosseau is, there are some question marks. First, will the Giants want to spend on a draft pick who hasn't played in a game since 2019?
And will they want to take a player who is still relatively new to the edge-rushing position (Rosseau was a wide receiver and safety in high school, so he's only had two years as a pass rusher.)
These are just several questions that general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Joe Judge need to answer when they start their draft meetings.
You can see the full mock draft we ran by scrolling through the gallery below. (Note: The mock was run before the results of Sunday's Wild Card games were finalized.)
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