One Surprise for New York Giants in Latest NFL.com Mock Draft

NFL.com’s Peter Schrager released his latest first-round mock draft this week, a mock that he emphasized was based on what he was hearing from sources around the league rather than what he would do.

For the Giants, Schrager, like just about every other mock draft out there, went offense and defense, but it was his specific choices that were of interest.

Let’s break those down.

No. 5: OT Ekem Ekwonu, North Carolina State

If the Giants don’t come out of Day 1 of the draft with an offensive tackle, then they need to reconsider what it is they’re doing.

That said, if Schrager's mock draft—and all the other mocks that have been put out so far—is any indication, Giants fans won’t have to worry about general manager Joe Schoen getting too cute with the very first pick in his first draft as the head man.

Notes Schrager of the Ekwonu pick:

The Giants are starting a new era in East Rutherford, and if Ickey falls to No. 5, there'd be a lot of happiness in Big Blue land. The 6-4, 310-pound road paver came to N.C. State as the lesser-recruited Ekwonu brother (his twin went to Notre Dame, where he currently plays) and has emerged as a potential top-five pick.

In Schrager’s scenario, Ekwonu would be the second offensive tackle off the board after Alabama’s Evan Neal, whom he has going to the Texans at No. 3. Ekwonu is a mauler who brings a nastiness to the offensive line play that the Giants have missed for multiple years.

It also goes without saying that the Giants desperately need to complete an initial rebuild of their offensive line, and that right tackle is currently the biggest hole on the team.

Interestingly, NFL.com’s Lance Zerlein, in his scouting profile of Ekwonu, quoted an unnamed NFC area scout that compared Ekwonu to—wait for it—former St. Louis Rams first-round bust Greg Robinson, the second overall pick in the 2014 draft:

It's like watching Greg Robinson all over again when he was coming out of Auburn. He's got that same rawness in protection and power in the running game. (Ekwonu) is a more thoughtful player and more likely to get his issues fixed.

But don’t let that comparison sour you on Ekwonu. If the young man is as coachable as has been reported, any flaws in his game coming out of college should be easily ironed out as he goes through his NFL career. He should fit in nicely with an offensive line that already has a budding superstar in left tackle Andrew Thomas.

No. 7: Edge Travon Walker, Georgia

For the second of the Giants’ two first-round picks, Schrager believes they’ll dip into the Georgia Bulldogs’ loaded defense and pluck Travon Walker seventh overall. If that prediction comes to fruition, it will be the third time in the last four drafts (cornerback DeAndre Baker in 2019 and tackle Andrew Thomas in 2020 being the others) the Giants added a Bulldog in the first round.

Notes Schrager of the pick:

Walker could go first overall in this draft, as no prospect has seen his stock rise as fast as this Georgia product's has risen over the last few months. His combine performance was legendary. And yet, there's this notion that, for all his athletic ability and great football IQ (he apparently has been wonderful in the room during meetings with teams), the production simply doesn't show up on tape. The Giants have gone to the UGA well before in recent years, with Andrew Thomas (No. 4 overall, 2020) and Azeez Ojulari (No. 50, 2021). I can see them going right back to it if Walker falls to No. 7, as he does here.

While Walker would be a solid pick, it’s interesting that Schrager’s intel doesn’t have them addressing defensive back with this pick. Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton was still on the board with this pick, as was LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., who went 11th (Washington) and 12th (Vikings), respectively.

The Giants cut Logan Ryan last month in a move believed to have been brought on by the veteran leader not being a good fit for the system defensive coordinator Wink Martindale intends to run.

Meanwhile, the Giants have been rumored for months to be shopping cornerback James Bradberry's contract but are believed to have not had as robust of a market as first thought. There is still very much a possibility that the Giants engineer a trade of Bradberry during the draft weekend, but with cornerback thought to be deep in this year's class, their chances of getting comparable value in return would seem to be slim to none.

There is also the growing possibility they just keep Bradberry for the year after doing a restructure. Lopping Bradberry's $13.4 million base salary off the books would certainly help the Giants and their dire cap situation, but as a last resort, general manager Joe Schoen could also extend his deal to lower the number.

The latter move probably wouldn't yield enough cap savings. As New York currently needs about $12.5 million just to sign its nine-member draft class alone (which is why it would be surprising if the Giants make nine picks this year), not to mention the roughly $3 million it would eventually need for its practice squad and the $5 million for in-season operations.

The Giants could also save about $2 million by trading the fifth or seventh overall pick in the draft, but Schoen would need to weigh that against potentially missing out on the players he wants.

But if he stays put and grabs Walker, as Schrager suggests might be the case, the Giants would be getting a second high-quality edge rusher, something they haven't had in quite some time, to pair with last year's second-round pick Azeez Ojulari up front.

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