NFL
Taking a wide receiver in the first round of the NFL draft creates headlines and buzz — Look at all those highlight-reel catches!
Selecting a cornerback — valued for the ability to limit the exploits of others — is more subdued.
Both are considered premium draft equity and it just so happens the Giants could use upgrades at both wide receiver and defensive back.
For this Giants Mock Draft 2.0 edition, we used the Pro Football Focus simulator and came away with immediate help for a position at which the Giants might be most lacking, adding a big-play cornerback to provide more options for defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.
And away we go:
Round 1, No. 25 overall: Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi State
Previous pick: WR Zay Flowers, Boston College
Big scoring plays are not only reserved for offense.
Forbes is a playmaker of the highest order, with six career pick-sixes among his 14 interceptions in his three seasons with the Bulldogs.
Yes, at 6-foot-1 and 166 pounds, he is skinny, but he is also rangy, with soft hands and an innate ability to track the ball in the air.
A case can be made that help at cornerback is the Giants’ No. 1 need.
There is Adoree’ Jackson as the top starter and then … who?
Let Forbes come in and compete with Cor’Dale Flott, Aaron Robinson, Nick McCloud, Darnay Holmes and newcomer Armani Oruwariye.
Round 2, No. 57 overall: Joe Tippmann, C, Wisconsin
Previous pick: C John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota
Tippmann is a two-year starter for the Badgers, a program that regularly churns out offensive linemen capable of making NFL contributions.
Tippmann is tall at 6-6, but he can bend and, at 313 pounds, he is big and strong enough to deal with the mayhem in the middle.
Jon Feliciano is now with the 49ers and Nick Gates has moved on to the Commanders, so there is a starting spot at center up for grabs.
Round 3, No. 89 overall: Tyler Scott, WR, Cincinnati
Previous pick: EDGE Andre Carter, Army
General manager Joe Schoen this offseason is adding speed wherever he can and Scott runs a 4.44, so he can fly.
He is not big (5-10, 177 pounds) but he averaged 16.5 yards per catch for the Bearcats and had nine touchdowns in 2022.
Ten of his 14 career TDs went for 30-plus yards.
It is considered to be a so-so draft class at receiver; getting one here makes sense.
Round 4, No. 128 overall: Nick Saldiveri, OL, Old Dominion
Previous pick: RB Kenny McIntosh, Georgia
Brian Daboll insists his players be smart, tough and dependable, and Saldiveri checks all three boxes.
He has NFL size at 6-6, 318 and should be able to compete for playing time at guard, and maybe make a move to center if he is not too tall for that spot.
Round 5, No. 160 overall: Brandon Joseph, S, Notre Dame
Previous pick: CB Riley Moss, Iowa
Former Notre Dame player Julian Love signed with the Seahawks and perhaps Joseph in time can be his replacement, opposite Xavier McKinney, on the back end of the defense.
It is not easy to find ball hawks, and Joseph qualifies as one of them, with 10 college interceptions in a career that started at Northwestern.
The 6-foot, 202-pound Joseph has special teams potential, as well.
Round 5, No.172 overall: Tyler Lacy, DE, Oklahoma State
Previous pick: DL Zacch Pickens, South Carolina
A long, athletic frame and an NFL-ready body are attributes to consider with Lacy, who looks the part at 6-4, 279.
He had 11.5 sacks and 30 tackles for loss in a four-year college career.
Jihad Ward was re-signed at defensive end, and Lacy adds to the depth.
Round 6, No. 209 overall: Mohamed Ibrahim, RB, Minnesota
Previous pick: G Brandon Kipper, Oregon State
Saquon Barkley is back, but (for now) only on the one-year franchise tag.
Matt Breida was re-signed, but adding talent in the backfield is necessary.
Ibrahim came back from a torn ACL to have a big year in 2022 with 1,665 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns.
Plowing into the end zone is what this guy does best, with 53 TDs in 28 games for the Golden Gophers.
Can he be a receiving threat? He had only 22 catches in college.
Round 7, No. 240 overall: DJ Dale, DT, Alabama
Previous pick: CB Arquon Bush, Cincinnati
Anyone who starts or earns considerable playing time for three years under Nick Saban merits a look.
Dale is undersized for the interior of the line at 6-1, 302 pounds, but he had a career-high 14 pressures in 2022, so he may be talented enough to get some push up front.
Round 7, No. 243 overall: Elijah Higgins, WR, Stanford
Previous pick: DT Karl Brooks, Bowling Green
Higgins is a big target, at 6-3, 235 pounds, and might actually transition into a pass-catching tight end role.
He had nice production (104 receptions the past two seasons), but only six receiving touchdowns in 27 college games.
Round 7: No. 254 overall: Christian Braswell, CB, Rutgers
Previous pick: LB/S Marte Mapu, Sacramento State
Braswell, as a redshirt senior transfer from Temple, had three interceptions in 2022 and should be able to compete in the slot and on the perimeter as long as his height (5-10) is not a detriment.
