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The Giants can still go in several directions in the first round of the draft
As the NFL Draft approaches, there is still heavy speculation about what the New York Giants will do with their first-round pick.
When that pick is as low as No. 25, it’s often difficult to predict the player that will be taken because of all the unknowns beforehand. However, even the position the Giants will target is murky.
For a long time, the DraftKings odds favored a wide receiver, the presumed position of greatest need on the team. However, the odds have now shifted, very slightly favoring cornerback (+140) over receiver (+150).
Will the Giants take a cornerback in the first round? They do have a number of options at receiver, even if the room definitely needs one more playmaker. They have fewer solid cornerbacks, which does make it a position of greater need.
On the other hand, after the Giants committed big money to Daniel Jones, the last thing they’d want is for him to end up with too few playmakers around him.
The question might come down to who’s available. The Giants have been mocked anyone from Emmanuel Forbes to Jordan Addison. There have been whispers suggesting a run on receivers despite the fact that many prognosticators see Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the only surefire first-round talent in the draft. Players such as Addison, Quentin Johnston, and Zay Flowers are all often mocked in the first round, as well, and ESPN’s simulator sees a chance that all of them could be off the board by the time the Giants pick.
Then there’s the question of whether the Giants will try to move up. As Ed Valentine reported this morning, there is a suggestion that Joe Schoen could try to move up. Would Schoen make a serious run at Smith-Njigba, even with the teams from picks 12 through 15 seemingly in on him?
If the Giants do select a cornerback, Forbes and Deonte Banks are possibilities. However, there’s some speculation that Banks could rise and become the third corner off the board, which leaves open the possibility that Joey Porter Jr. could fall to 25.
Ironically, NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus mock draft still has the Giants selecting John Michael Schmitz in the first round, although the popularity is just 13%. Schmitz could sneak into the back of the first round, but with the team’s other needs, it seems less likely that they’d spend their first pick on a center. Still, the offensive line odds are at +380, so it’s not an outrageous choice.
Other odds include tight end (+650), defensive line/edge (+700), running back (+2000), safety (+2500), and linebacker (+2500). Quarterback is at +10000.
Receiver or cornerback? Cornerback or receiver? That’s the debate that will rage on until the Giants make their pick on Thursday night. The odds have never been tighter.
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