Nick Falato's Seven-Round Giants Mock Draft

The Giants came into the new league year with an abundance of cap space and many holes on the roster. The additions of cornerback James Bradberry, linebackers Kyler Fackrell and Blake Martinez, tight end Levine Toilolo, safety Nate Ebner, and quarterback Colt McCoy helped sure up some of the needs. However, the roster is still loaded with question marks.

Through Fanspeak’s “difficult” draft simulator, I did a seven-round Giants mock draft to try and repair the remaining holes on the Giants roster. While putting together my simulation, the goal was to help the Giants be more competitive in 2020.

Round 1, No. 4: Offensive Tackle Tristin Wirfs, Iowa

It was tough to pass on Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons, who was on the board. Ideally, I would love the Giants to trade down in this situation, especially since the first three picks in the simulation were LSU QB Joe Burrow, Ohio State EDGE Chase Young, and Auburn DT Derrick Brown, but I couldn't execute a trade using this simulator.

I suspect there would have been plenty of suitors for the Giants' fourth overall pick with Oregon’s Justin Herbert and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa available. Nevertheless, if Wirfs' name is called for the Giants on the first day of the draft, I’ll be a happy man.

The Giants have a massive need at both tackle positions, and Wirfs can step in and be a starter right away, with the upside to develop into one of the top right tackles in the game.

The Eagles drafted right tackle Lane Johnson out of Oklahoma with the 4th pick of the 2013 NFL Draft, and it worked out as Johnson went on to become a three-time Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro. Wirfs may not project as a left tackle right now, as he has an ample amount of experience playing on the right side. So that might be his best fit at the tackle position.

Either way, Wirfs' natural athletic ability, explosiveness, and movement skills will fit in well with new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett’s gap and power run concepts. The thought of Wirfs working the screen game with Saquon Barkley is also enticing.

I feel the Giants will be more inclined to go offensive tackle at number four, given all the money they just allocated in free agency to the defense.

I wouldn’t close the book on Simmons, but if I’m betting, I’m going with Wirfs, Wills, or Becton, and I wouldn’t be disappointed with any of them if they're the pick.

Round 2, No. 36: E Julian Okwara, Notre Dame

Even though the Giants added Kyler Fackrell in free agency, there’s still a pressing need in the team's pass rush.

Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines are young developing players that the Giants have to rely on, and Fackrell had one double-digit sack season in 2018 (10.5 sacks). Outside of that, the roster's pass rush is scarce.

Okwara is a very bendy, explosive, edge player that has the twitch, cornering ability, and athleticism to thrive on the edge. He must add some weight, which his frame can handle. He also boasts injury history after suffering a broken left fibula late in the 2019 season, but his upside is incredibly high, and not enough people are talking about him. It’s a high upside draft pick, at a position of need, that would have an immediate effect on the football field.

Round 3, No. 99 (comp): LB Akeem Davis-Gaither, Appalachian State

Just because the Giants signed Blake Martinez and brought back David Mayo as their off-ball linebackers, it doesn’t mean they are done bolstering the position.

Davis-Gaither is an athletic linebacker, something the Giants have lacked for many years, and he could be one of the answers, along with cornerback Julian Love, in covering tight ends.

Davis-Gaither has great movement skills, is very fast, has fluid hips, and can tackle well. He opened a lot of people’s eyes at the Reese’s Senior Bowl and would fit into defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s multiple fronts very seamlessly.

Based on tape from last year, Graham loves to employ four to five linebackers and edge players hovering around the line of scrimmage in third-down situations.

Davis-Gaither can do that on the edge and blitz, drop into flat coverage, man the box, blitz the interior gaps, or man up on a tight end. His kind of versatility is hard to find.

Since the Giants lost out on Isaiah Simmons in this mock, Davis-Gaither, while not necessarily comparable to the unique Simmons, is a solid backup plan.

Round 4, No. 110: S Jeremy Chinn, Southern Illinois

I’ll go out on a limb and predict that safety Jeremy Chinn won’t be available in the fourth round, but since he was in this mock draft simulation, we’re rolling with it!

Chinn, like Davis-Gaither, is a freak athlete from a smaller school that made a lot of money down in Mobile. He is a bigger safety at 6-foot 3, 221 pounds, but his burst and speed are still very good.

He ran a 4.45 and recorded a 138” broad jump and a 41” vertical jump. That kind of explosiveness is in the 98th and 94th percentile among safeties, respectively.

Loading up on young athletic talent would be great for the Giants defense, and I don’t see it as a surplus if the Giants do bring in Davis-Gaither and Chinn.

The more, the merrier at this point and Chinn would do excellent as a half-field safety in Cover 2, or a robber in Cover 1, with potential upside to be a single-high safety, due to his athletic ability.

Round 5, No. 150: S K’Von Wallace, Clemson

Another safety? What am I thinking?

I’ll tell you. Antoine Bethea was an admirable player for the Giants in 2019, filling a role that demands a lot of athletic ability and football IQ. Bethea possessed the latter, but at his advanced age, he didn’t have much of the former.

Wallace has the requisite athletic ability and has true deep single-high capabilities that can be developed. Jabrill Peppers' contract and future with the Giants is still up in the air until his fifth-year option is exercised--and even then, it’s not a certainty.

If Wallace develops into a true starting free safety (which he can) and Chinn/Love develop as the Giants hope, then the Giants could avoid paying Peppers if they want to go in a different direction.

Having too much talent at a position that is fluid, used in different ways, and has typically two starting on every play, is not a bad way to construct a roster. Wallace would be an excellent pick for the Giants at 150, even if Chinn ends up as the selection at 110.

Round 6, No. 184: OC Gage Cervenka, Clemson

Cervenka was the starting center for Clemson and a team captain who appeared in 46 career games, with 23 starts from 2018-19.

Revered for his leadership, Cervenka was named a second-team All-ACC in 2019. He’s known for his extraordinary workout strength and is incredibly powerful at the point of attack.

He would be an excellent player to bring in and develop. If his development progresses, maybe he could compete for the starting center job in 2020 as currently, the Giants have Spencer Pulley as the only proven center on the roster (Jon Halapio, who is recovering from an Achilles injury, is unsigned).

Round 7, No. 219: CB Reggie Robinson III, Tulsa

Reggie Robinson III is an explosive athlete who jumped 11 feet in the broad jump at the combine. He is a boundary corner and a solid tackler that plays with a physical nature and has very good ball skills.

He does a good job at the line of scrimmage in press coverage with his longer arms--he had 34 passes defensed and 3 interceptions at Tulsa.

Robinson could compete for a roster spot in a young group of corners that still has a lot to prove.

Round 7, No. 239 ( via Saints in the Eli Apple trade): WR Jeff Thomas, Miami

I know his 4.45 40 -ard dash doesn’t jump off the paper for wide receivers, but if you watch Thomas' film, you’ll see him burst around defenders so effortlessly.

He’s only 5-foot 9 and 170 pounds, so size isn’t his best attributes. I believe he can be used akin to Tavon Austin; Jason Garrett used Austin heavily on trick/gadget plays, and he was a special teams contributor.

If Thomas were to make the team, he could do the same thing for the Giants. Usually, when you’re selected late in the draft, you need a trump card--something that sets you apart from other players--to help you ake the roster.

Thomas’ acceleration, burst, and ability to create yards with the football in his hands is that trump card. In 2019, he had only 31 catches for 379 yards and 3 touchdowns, so he’s under the radar, but he can certainly fill a niche.

Round 7, No. 248: RB J.J. Taylor, Arizona

Much like Tarik Cohen, Taylor is a small, but incredibly shifty running back. He is 5-foot 5, 185 pounds, and didn’t do himself any favors at the combine because he ran a 4.61, but on tape, he plays much faster than that, I assure you.

He’s a threat in space, and I love the thought of Jason Garrett devising plays in 21-personnel with Taylor and Saquon Barkley releasing out into routes.

Taylor makes people miss in space very easily and is a hard player to track down behind the line of scrimmage because of his size. In 2018, he had 255 carries for 1,434 yards (5.6 YPC) and 6 touchdowns, along with 16 catches for 133 yards. In 2019, he had 148 carries for 721 yards and 5 touchdowns, with 32 receptions for 289 yards.

At this point in the draft, you’re looking for players who can carve out a role and compete for a roster spot. Name me the Giant that can play Taylor’s projected role? There currently isn’t one.

Taylor can slide in behind Barkley and be utilized in two running back personnel packages, as a threat opposite of Barkley--that will stress opposing defenses’ linebackers in coverage.

Round 7, No. 256 (MR. IRRELEVANT): OT Terrance Steele, Texas Tech

Steele is a steal right here in the draft. The 6-foot 6, 312-pound tackle has incredible length, 35⅛-inch arms, and the raw athletic ability that intrigues me.

I won’t lie, I haven’t watched the tape on Steele, but he ran just over a five-second 40-yard dash, which was in the 90th percentile and had 27 reps on the bench with those long arms.

He played in Texas Tech’s Air Raid offense, so with development, the potential to unlock some traits that may not have been taught is a possibility.

This late in the draft, selecting a higher upside guy like Steele at a position of need is a good way to cap things off.

Add us as a preferred source on Google