Pat's 7-Round, "B-minus" New York Giants Mock Draft
Once upon a time, I didn't believe in doing mock drafts. I thought they were a waste of time and impossible to do, and that I'd be better off just putting up a dartboard and making my picks that way.
Well, I changed my ways, and some might say (though not very many) that I'm getting better with each mock draft I do.
At least, that's the report card grade I received from Pro Football Focus, whose mock draft simulator was my choice for this week's projection and who graded my mock draft as a B-minus.
Graphic via Pro Football Focus
The funny thing is that while I'm okay with doing mock drafts these days, I'm still not able to wrap my head around giving grades to a class that has yet to set foot on an NFL field. But hey, one small step at a time, right?
Anyway, here is my latest Giants mock draft, a B-minus graded draft (and a report card that I probably wouldn't have wanted to bring home to mom and dad). There is a method to my madness in making the picks I did when I did, so pull up a chair, take it all in (and check out all the videos included)--and mock away!
Round 1: OL Rashawn Slater, Northwestern
I've made no secret of the fact that if Florida tight end Kyle Pitts is there, that's my first choice. But being that I don't see Pitts falling to the Giants, then to me, the backup choice (if he's there) is obvious: Rashawn Slater.
I know what Dave Gettleman said about the offensive line, and I have no problem with the youngsters playing to get experience. But what I do have an issue with is the group's overall makeup, where I see only left tackle (Andrew Thomas) and center (Nick Gates) being set in stone.
I still think that Shane Lemieux and Will Hernandez will compete for left guard (Hernandez, by the way, is in the final year of his rookie deal). I am not convinced that the runner-up of that left guard competition moves automatically to right guard.
I think Matt Peart will get the starting nod at the right tackle after competing with Nate Solder (who is also in the final year of his deal). At right guard, I see Zach Fulton (yet another signed to a one-year contract) competing with a rookie draft pick, and I think that pick, if he's there, will be Slater.
Slater, who can also play tackle, gives the Giants options on that right side they don't currently have, and I remain convinced he's the best value there.
I know that there is a temptation to add another receiver at this spot, but I firmly believe if the Giants want to optimize pick No. 11 and don't want to trade down to do it, offensive line has to be the way to go here if Slater is on the board.
Round 2: TE Pat Freiermuth, Penn State
Every mock draft simulation I’ve run—and it doesn’t matter what simulator I use, Freiermuth comes up.
Well, here he is again, so I'm selecting him as my second-round pick. In looking down the line, Levine Toilolo and Evan Engram are both signed through this year.
Unless Engram has a monster season that erases some bad memories, I'm not convinced the Giants will re-sign him after this season.
And since tight end is such an essential part of what this offense does, I'm all for getting a guy who can contribute as both a blocker and receiver.
That guy is Pat Freiermuth of Penn State. Widely regarded as the second-best tight end in this draft, Freiermuth isn't quite as athletic as Engram, so he's not likely going to be a fit for some of the X-receiver duties that Engram is capable of doing. However, he does fight for the contested catches.
Freiermuth is a strong, physical bull out there who, once he has the ball in his hands, is capable of inflicting some damage against smaller defensive backs in the passing game.
Round 3: Edge Chris Rumph II, Duke
Rumph is an interesting prospect. The son of long-time Texans linebackers coach (and current Chicago Bears assistant coach) Chris Rumph Sr, the younger Rumph didn't start playing football until he was in high school--even then, he was more into basketball and baseball.
Ultimately he gravitated toward football, and at Duke, he and Victor Dimukeje were a load to handle, combining for 17 sacks.
Rumph is 6'3", 235 pounds, and comes with an impressive array of pass-rushing tools that he has integrated into pass rushing plans for the Blue Devils.
Showing a relentless motor, he fits the mold of one of those "smaller" but athletic outside linebackers the Giants seem to be favoriting of late.
Rumph probably won't be an every-down player, but as a situational pass rusher, there's enough intrigue there to warrant consideration at this point in the draft.
Round 4: IDL Milton Williams, Louisiana Tech
At 6'3", 284 pounds, Williams isn't your typically sized interior defensive lineman, but he managed to overcome that by working him into one of the C-USA division's best defenders last season.
Williams finished as the school's leader in tackles for loss (10) and had 4.5 sacks nestled into his 44 total tackles over ten starts.
The Giants, in free agency, signed Danny Shelton and re-signed Austin Johnson, both of whom will also rotate with B.J. Hill for Dalvin Tomlinson's snaps.
But it might behoove the Giants to think ahead at this position as, after this season, all three of those guys will be unrestricted free agents, and all three are unlikely to be back.
Round 6: RB Rhamondre Stevenson, Oklahoma
The Giants running back depth is still a little too thin for my taste, so when Stevenson was still on the board, he was my choice here.
Although not as tall as Brandon Jacobs (6'4"), Stevenson is a downhill type of runner like Jacobs was--a guy who can pound the defense into submission and who is a load to bring down.
Stevenson mostly runs low to the ground and has good balance. While not a speed burner, he does have solid change of direction skills and enough of a burst to where if he times things up right, whoever is in his way will likely get knocked over.
Regardless of when (or if) the Giants draft a running back--and it could come from the undrafted free agent pool--picking up a young prospect who can ultimately move into the primary backup role behind Saquon Barkley has to be one of the Giants' top priorities in what's left of the off-season.
Round 6: CB Zech McPhearson, Texas Tech
McPhearson isn't very big--he's listed at 5'11, 195 pounds--but he sure does play bigger for his size. He possesses quick feet and does a solid job of mirroring receivers down the field.
He can flip his hips and run with the best of them, though again on contested catches, that's probably going to work against him, given his height against a bigger receiver. Still, this is a player who was solid in run support in college and who stood out as a man among boys on the field.
The Giants are set on the perimeter with James Bradberry and Adoree' Jackson, and they will have Isaac Yiadom and Darnay Holmes back as well as Sam Beal and Julian Love.
Adding McPhearson to this group at this spot certainly would hurt, as it gives them another option if one or both of Beal and Yiadom don't make the final cut.
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