Crafting the Ideal Giants Draft: Round 5 of 5

Well, we made it to the fifth round of our five-round ideal Giants draft board series. As noted in the first part, I didn't go into all seven rounds given how much of a crapshoot Rounds 6 and 7 tend to be.

(Yes, all of the rounds are crapshoots, but with that said, you can apply a certain degree of logic in the earlier rounds).

So let's get to Round 5, the very same round which last year brought the Giants receiver Darius Slayton and inside linebacker Ryan Connelly.

RELATED: Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4

Fifth Round, Pick 150

Offensive Tackle Hakeem Adeniji, Kansas

Another player who had a really good pre-draft process, Hakeem Adeniji played well at the Reese’s Senior Bowl and went down to the combine and tested through the roof.

Standing at 6-foot-4 and 302 pounds with just under 34” arms, and 10” hands, Adeniji tested in the 96th percentile in the vertical jump, 34”, and 97th percentile in the broad jump, 115.”

Some think he’ll project better as a guard, which I somewhat understand because his pass sets outside aren’t ideal, but I feel like a good offensive line coach could help clean that up.

Adeniji needs to be more of a mauler in the run game, and his hands lack the pop that is desirable in the NFL. Overall, I think he could be a fine developmental piece, who may have versatility if he gets stronger and cleans some technical issues up.

EDGE Alex Highsmith, Charlotte

Highsmith had a very productive 2019 at UNC-Charlotte, recording 75 tackles, 21.5 for a loss, and 15 sacks--very impressive stats, mostly against smaller level opponents.

He had a very good 4.7 40 yard dash and jumped 10 feet and 5 inches on the broad, which is 95th percentile, along with a great 4.31 20 yard shuttle.

Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 248 pounds, Highsmith has some burst, along with some bendability; I like what I see in his hips and feel he could slot in as a 3-4 outside linebacker behind Oshane Ximines and Lorenzo Carter.

He has the upside to see significant snaps in 2019 for the Giants if selected, even though he is still developing. The value and upside here at 150 is too much to pass up.

Linebacker Justin Strnad, Wake Forest

If the Giants miss out on Chase Young, Strnad is a solid athletic linebacker to add on Day 3.

He has quick feet, pursuit, and coverage ability are all in his arsenal. Strnad showed spatial awareness in zone coverage while being athletic enough to cover tight ends and running backs out of the backfield.

He does a solid job putting himself in position to field blocks at the second level, but I wish he handled those blocks with more power and technique.

Strnad gets engulfed a bit too much and turned away from his gap. He also needs to become a more sure tackler; I saw him bouncing off too many tackle attempts on his film.

Strnad's combine numbers were pretty abysmal and surprised me because I saw a player that had solid overall athletic ability on tape, but with that said, I think he should be available at this point in the draft.

I do feel that his ability to move in space, albeit didn’t translate at the combine, is still valuable and merits an investment of a Day 3 pick.

Safety Jaylinn Hawkins, Cal

What? Two Cal safeties on this list? Yes, and with good reason. In the case of Hawkins, he has good overall size (6-foot-1, 208 pounds), solid range, athletic ability, and physicality.

He didn’t run at the combine, and his explosiveness drills left a lot to be desired, but I like his production.

Hawkins has ten career interceptions and seven passes defensed while having added 156 tackles.

He is an upside player that can develop behind Julian Love and Jabrill Peppers. He doesn't have many of the same pros as teammate Ashtyn Davis, Hawkins does have redeeming traits that can translate to the NFL.

These include 26 starts and a good showing in run support. He also has experience playing single-high safety and could be a solid special teamer while he is developed by Giants' defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson.

Wide Receiver Collin Johnson, Texas

A big-bodied receiver who may go after Pittman Jr in the draft, Johnson is 6-foot-6, 222 pounds, and possesses the type of physicality you would expect in an "X" receiver.

Johnson defeats press well at the line of scrimmage but isn’t known for his separation quickness down the field. He is more of a contested-catch player, who wins with body control and boxing smaller defensive backs away from the catch point.

He had only 38 catches, 559 yards, and three touchdowns in 2019, but had a solid Senior Bowl showing. Johnson didn’t test at the combine, which is disappointing, and he could easily slide on draft day due to the depth of the class.

He would fill a role for the Giants as a big body but would be the number four option at the wide receiver position if he were to be selected by the Giants.

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