Mock Draft Monday: Making Sense of the Mock Draft Projections for the Giants at No. 11

Pick a mock draft--any mock draft--and chances are you'll find a different player projected to the Giants at No. 11. Let's look at just a few of the latest mocks and the logic behind them.

Maybe it’s a bad thing that there is no set consensus among the numerous mock draft authors regarding which way the Giants might be leaning—bad because the wide range of players and positions shows just how many holes remain on an upstart Giants roster.

Then again, if you’re a glass half full person, this can be a good thing, considering the Giants' last three No. 1 draft picks were a lot easier to guess. This time there is at least some intrigue to where if another team wanted to jump the Giants for a specific prospect, they probably wouldn’t be able.

Let’s take a look at some of the latest first-round projections made by other site authors.

AJ Schulte, Pro Football Network

Schulte put together a full seven-round mock draft despite the compensatory picks not being released as of this writing. For the Giants, he has LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase dropping to No. 11, noting that Chase is “a stud weapon on the perimeter” whose “ability as a receiver will help mitigate Daniel Jones’ accuracy issues and draw attention away from (Darius) Slayton and (Sterling) Shepard.”

RELATED: 2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: WR Ja'Marr Chase, LSU

This is only the second mock draft I’ve come across that has Chase dropping to the Giants at No. 11. Still, if this scenario were to unfold, I could see the Giants airmailing their draft selection card to Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Chase is ranked as the top receiving prospect on NFL Draft Bible’s receivers prospect board, with Devonta Smith coming in second. Being able to grab Chase at No. 11 not only represents great value, but he’d fill a glaring need.

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Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports

In his new mock draft (March 8), Ryan Wilson has Alabama receiver Jaylen Waddle dropping to the Giants at No. 11. (Interestingly, he has Waddle’s teammate DeVonta Smith falling to the Patriots at No. 15).

Of Waddle, Wilson notes, “The Giants have a lot of needs—edge rusher, cornerback, offensive lineman, tight end—but it's hard to pass up on a dynamic four-down player who can consistently stretch the field vertically.”

The problem, though with the Waddle selection, is if teams view him as an interchangeable piece who can be equally effective on the perimeter as in the slot. According to Pro Football Focus, Waddle played 147 of his 247 snaps from the slot last year, and the year before, 264 of his 293 snaps were in the slot.

If the Giants are planning to add a receiver at No. 11, wouldn’t it make more sense to add a pure X than another slot? 

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Chad Reuter, NFL.com

NFL.com’s Chad Reuter, in his most recent mock draft published March 5, sticks with the idea of the Giants drafting a receiver. Still, he has the Giants taking Devonta Smith, whom he describes as “Exactly the sort of playmaker that GM Dave Gettleman says he wants to support former first-round pick Daniel Jones. His foot quickness will help him win off the line and he plays much bigger than his 170 pounds would indicate.”

There has been some concern about Smith’s size among draft analysts, but as former NFL and NCAA coach Jim Mora Jr explained in the video above, those concerns are more of a yellow flag than a red flag.

Mora's sentiments echo some of what Alabama head coach Nick Saban had to say during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show.

"He makes plays against everybody."

-@AlabamaFTBL head coach Nick Saban took umbrage to those who dare to question @DeVontaSmith_6 size and strength:#NFL #NFLDraft #RollTide pic.twitter.com/WwgowvEK0N

— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) February 12, 2021

"To look at him and say he only weighs 170 pounds as a reason not to pick him, I would say to them: 'The ball weighs 13 ounces; how big do you have to be to carry it?'" Saban said to Eisen.

And as Mora said, Smith is a guy who's so hard to catch that his size shouldn't be a significant reason to knock him down the draft board.

Will the Giants be looking for a taller target of at least 6'3"? Eli Manning benefitted from having some taller receivers like Amani Toomer (6'3") and Plaxico Burress (6'5"). So it wouldn't be too far-fetched to think the Giants might be interested in adding a guy who has the skill set of a Smith but who also has a couple of additional inches height-wise on him.

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Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com

It’s easy to forget that the Giants have a few glaring needs on the defensive side of the ball after defensive coordinator Patrick Graham got the unit playing so well last season.

Daniel Jeremiah takes this into his latest mock draft (March 7) as he has the Giants going with Miami edge rusher Gregory Rousseau, of whom Jeremiah writes:

I know GM Dave Gettleman has let it be known that he wants to add playmakers on offense. At the end of the day, though, he's not able to pass up the big, athletic edge rusher.

Rousseau, who opted out last year, recorded 15.0 sacks in the 2019 season, his one full year as a starter. According to NFL Draft Bible, Rousseau has Pro Bowl potential despite his limited college sample size.

The Giants haven't drafted a pass rusher with a first-round pick since taking Jason Pierre-Paul in 2010.

The Giants' most recent drafted edge rushers include Oshane Ximines (R3, 2019) and Lorenzo Carter (R3, 2019), both of whom remain on the roster and both of whom have flashed potential as edge rushers.

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