Linebacker? Cornerback? Receiver? A Case for Each Position for Giants at No. 11

The Giants fist-round draft pick Thursday night could come down to one of three players. Let's take a look at each and who makes the most sense.

Thursday night can't get here soon enough.

That's when all these questions about who the Giants will draft at No. 11 will finally be answered, and we outside of the organization can get on with the business of analyzing just how great--or lousy--of a job general manager Dave Gettleman and the organization did with this year's draft.

This year's draft has been one of the most difficult to call for the Giants, mainly due to the absence of intel that usually comes from the combine and the unorthodox scouting process that remains in effect due to the global pandemic. But in his latest FMIA column, longtime sportswriter Peter King dropped the following tidbit providing insight into how the Giants might be leaning:

Three things I’ve heard: Joe Judge loves DeVonta Smith; the organization likes cornerback Jaycee Horn a lot; and Dave Gettleman loves Parsons.

Position-wise, there are no surprises in King's revelation. The Giants need an all-purpose linebacker who can excel in coverage and rush the passer, and short of landing one of those, they can use another cornerback to give defensive coordinator Patrick Graham more flexibility in the design of his personnel packages.

Heck, even another receiver would be a welcomed addition to a group where the Giants heavily invested salary cap resources.

Let's take each of these three rumored "likes" by members of the organization and break them down further.

LB Micah Parsons, Penn State

The Giants haven't drafted a linebacker in the first round since they plucked Carl Banks out of Michigan State in 1984, and that worked out pretty good for them. But so much about the game has changed to where the Giants over the years seemed to de-emphasize linebackers in their defense in favor of bigger safeties who could run and cover.

In Penn State's Micah Parson, the Giants would be getting an explosive athlete with tremendous range and dynamic play-making ability. Parsons was initially recruited as an edge rusher, so it wouldn't be a stretch for a team to ask him to play with his hand in the dirt on some downs.

• RELATED: 2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: LB Micah Parsons, Penn State

But it's his anticipation and instincts that would go a long way toward helping the Giants defend some of the more athletic quarterbacks that are quickly populating the league.

The only fly in the ointment regarding Parsons has to do with some off-field character concerns stemming from some alleged hazing that reportedly went too far.

Giants head coach Joe Judge personally made the trip to Penn State's pro day, but it's unclear if he got a chance to meet with Parsons in person. 

If the Giants are interested in him, there will have been Zoom video calls (as in multiple calls) for Judge to ascertain the sincerity and commitment of not just Parsons but all the draft prospects.

And Parsons himself addressed the concerns about his character after his pro day.

The biggest concern with Parsons appears to be his attitude. According to the New York Post, which cited an unnamed scout, Parsons comes across as a high-maintenance type who has conjured up memories of receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

The question for the Giants, assuming their interest in Parsons is real, is whether they feel confident enough in the locker room and the culture Judge has built to stem any potential diva-like behavior from any new player.

If the Giants can handle the intangibles, then Parson's pass-rushing talents and play-making abilities would be hard to pass up by a defense that, while good last year, would be even better with a player of Parson's talents.

CB Jaycee Horn, South Carolina

Whispers of the Giants seriously considering cornerback at No. 11 have recently been picking up steam over the last several weeks, and there is logic in going with a cornerback despite the Giants' investment in Adoree' Jackson.

Gettleman might have validated the possibility of adding another cornerback when asked why he invested so much into Jackson.

"He’s got inside-outside flex, he’s a legitimate cover guy, he can run and he’s a very smart football player and he’s got ball skills," he said. "All of that stuff made him worth (the money)."

• RELATED: 2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: CB Jaycee Horn, South Carolina

If the Giants were to add a cornerback at No. 11, Jackson would likely move down to the slot on some snaps (where he could end up sharing snaps with Xavier McKinney), and incumbent Darnay Holmes could become the team's dime back.

The strategy itself isn't a bad one either, as if the Giants don't feel that they can get a stud pass rusher in this draft, then it makes sense to reinforce the backend of the defensive secondary to help the guys they do have upfront with having extra time to get to the quarterback.

WR Devonta Smith, Alabama

Daniel Jones, Daniel Jones, Daniel Jones. At least on offense (and to a degree on defense), every move the Giants have made has been about quarterback Daniel Jones. The Giants, who for the first two years of Jones' NFL career didn't do as good of a job setting up the roster to make the transition from Eli Manning to Jones as smooth as it should have been (see the ongoing offensive line rebuild and the receiver issues).

But in a better late than never moment, the Giants finally are committed to building around Jones. They have a solid group of young offensive line talent that they hope will get better thanks to an excess of coaching added this off-season. 

They've signed a legitimate X-receiver in Kenny Golladay and a speedster in John Ross, and they added tight end Kyle Rudolph as a red zone threat, something that's been missing for some time now.

While there are only so many balls to go around in the passing game, the point is that Judge likes having options because it prevents an opponent from zeroing in on a specific threat. It's also no surprise that Judge would be so high on Smith, who played for one of Judge's mentors (Nick Saban) at Alabama, especially after Saban downplayed any concerns about Smith's size.

• RELATED: 2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama

"I would first off have to say that I think his performance speaks for itself," Saban told reporters last month after Alabama's pro day. "I'll be honest with you. When we recruited DeVonta Smith, he weighed 159 pounds. I wished he was bigger. And now he weighs 170 pounds, and I think people at the next level are probably saying, 'I wish he was bigger.'

"There are bigger people who don't perform anywhere near how he performs. There are people that are bigger than him that don't have the competitive spirit that he has nor the competitive toughness."

At the end of the day, that's what Judge wants: tough, competitive players. And that's why, if indeed accurate, it would make sense that Smith, the Heisman Trophy winner, is highly regarded by the Giants head coach.

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