PFF Data Reveals Fan Favorites for Giants in First Three Rounds of Draft

According to mock draft enthusiasts, here is how the New York Giants' first three rounds might unfold.

Quarterback? Receiver? Trade up? Down Stay put?

By Thursday, it will be known what the New York Giants are planning to do in Round 1 of the NFL draft, but if it were up to the vast majority of the fans who have engaged in mock drafts of their own, the Giants would select one of the "big three" receivers (Malik Nabers, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Rome Odunze) with their first-round pick.

So claims the data compiled by Pro Football Focus's Gordon McGuinness, who analyzed the mock drafts conducted by fans using the popular analytics site's mock draft simulator. The data revealed that most fans would stay at No. 6, the Giants' current draft slot, and select Odunze, the receiver from Washington regarded by NFL draft analysts as one of the safest picks in this year's draft.

Surprisingly, not a lot of fans have the Giants moving up to get one of the top quarterbacks in this class, where to do so, the Giants would have to trade away assets to move up to as high as No. 3, where the New England Patriots have indicated they could be enticed to move down a few spots with the right offer.

In favoring receiver for the Giants, which happens to be a glaring need given the team hasn't had a 1,000-yard playmaker since 2018, when Odell Beckham Jr was part of the team, this doesn't mean that the majority of the draft enthusiasts think the Giants will punt on adding a quarterback.

Many mock draft enthusiasts believe the franchise's future signal caller will come in the middle of the second round. According to McGuiness's data, Odunze's college teammate, Michael Penix Jr., seems to be a popular choice here. 

Such a pairing would give the Giants their quarterback and No. 1 receiver duo of the future if it were to happen, though it's doubtful that Penix, whose stock is said to be rising in these final hours before teams go on the clock Thursday night, will drop far into the second round.

Interestingly, the data has the fans double-dipping at receiver for the Giants in the third round instead of addressing more important needs, like cornerback and interior defensive line. 

The likelihood of the Giants taking two receivers within their first three picks is a longshot, as adding a No. 1 to a group that already includes Darius Slayton, Wan'Dale Robinson, and Jalin Hyatt would take that unit from middle of the pack to potentially upper echelon, it would be a risk if the Giants, who only have six picks in this draft, don't manage to gain more asset to where they can afford to double-up at spots. 

The Giants could also use additional depth on their offensive line, specifically at tackle, which is a rich class this year. While the plan is to start Andrew Thomas and Evan Neal at tackle, if Neal flops, the team would likely move Jermaine Eluemunor to right tackle and Neal to guard if he cross-trains there as is expected.

Meanwhile, it would behoove the Giants, who signed Matt Nelson to compete for the swing tackle spot, to add an offensive tackle prospect who could be developed for a future role.  

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