This mock draft assumes no trades.
ROUND ONE – ERECK FLOWERS, G/T MIAMI.
Reese will again apply his stated preference for drafting playmakers, which in this draft include Winston, Mariota, Williams, Cooper, White, Beasley, and Fowler. But they will all likely be gone by #9, although if one of them falls far enough, Reese might well move up. I hope he doesn’t, except perhaps for Williams. The eighth player on the list is likely to be either Scherff, Dupree, or Gurley.
I think it’s Scherff. My guess is that most teams, including the Giants, have him rated as the top OL. If more than one of these three players goes in the top eight, then one of the other seven would obviously be available for the Giants. And that could easily happen. Both Dupree and Gurley have apparently attracted a lot of interest from teams picking in the top ten. But I think it will be those seven and Scherff, which leaves the Giants with Dupree, Gurley, Flowers, Peat, and Waynes as viable candidates. JonC says the Giants have the OL ranked Scherff, Flowers, Peat, and Collins. We don’t know of course how they have them ranked relative to Dupree, Gurley, and Waynes, but I think the pick will be Flowers. I would take Peat over Flowers because he has the best feet.
Flowers is 6’5”, 330, with 34.5” arms. He’s versatile, and brings a much needed nastiness to the run game. He gets out to the second level very well, is bull strong (37 reps), has long arms, and great length. He needs to get better in pass protection, but is only 20, and not surprisingly, is better run blocking than pass blocking right now. He opened up a lot of huge holes for Duke Johnson. He did have some problems against Gregory and Harold, and can get knocked off balance. His hand placement also needs to be better, but all that can be corrected. Every player has warts, and he has the size and strength the Giants covet for their OL.
ROUND TWO – CARL DAVIS, DT, IOWA.
A mountain of a man. 6’5” 320. Nearly 35” arms. Only 3.5 career sacks, but Hankins only had one sack IIRC his last year at OSU. Engulfs offensive lineman. Commands double teams. He and Hankins together will eat up the sun. Violent hands. Good short area quickness. Dominant at the Senior Bowl. Has a tendency to play too high, and needs to pursue better. There were some reports that he came across as haughty in some interviews, saying he thought he was being used too much, and that he didn’t work hard in practice in order to avoid injury. We can only hope that pushes him down to #40.
ROUND THREE – CHRIS CONLEY, WR, GEORGIA.
6’2” 210. Superman called. He wants his cape back. Holy ridiculous Batman. Blew up the combine. Just 36 catches for 657, but that is 18.2 yards per reception. Georgia was also a run heavy offense with inconsistent quarterbacking. Has run a variety of routes. Willing blocker. Completely unselfish player. Fantastic intangibles. I’m leery about drafting “measurables” players until late on day three, but there is every indication that Conley’s best football is ahead of him.
ROUND FOUR – ADRIAN AMOS, S, PENN STATE.
6’0”. 210. 4.37 40. Good route recognition. Fluid hips. Good in zone coverage. Kick returner. Made defensive calls. Needs to be a better tackler, which could impact his value on ST.
ROUND FIVE – LYNDEN TRAIL, DE, NORFOLK STATE.
6’7”. 270. 35” arms. Reese called Shaq Thompson a “Swiss army knife.” The same can be said for Trail. DE, OLB, and even TE have been mentioned as possible positions. But he has the size and length the Giants crave for a DE, and they have shown interest in him.
ROUND SIX – MARK GLOWINSKI, G, WEST VIRGINIA.
6’4”. 310. 33” arms. 31 reps. Country strong, with the feet of a former tackle. Pulls well. Still learning the position.
ROUND SEVEN (A) – NICK BOYLE, TE, DELAWARE.
6’4”. 270. Seems to be rising, we need help at the TE position, and he’s a team captain.
ROUND SEVEN (B) – CEDRIC THOMPSON, S. MINNESOTA.
6’0”. 200. Great pro day, and the Giants brought him in for a visit. That’s all I know.
...the first 2 picks!
While I also like Davis' skills, for the reasons you mentioned about his personality flags, I'd be surprised if the Giants went there...
Agree on the Boyle kid, would like to see him added late.
In round 1, I would go with Parker or White before any OL but there will be several talented WRs in round 2-4 so I can see us going with OL or DL in round 1.
My ideal round 1 and 2 is DE Odi and DT Davis. I see Odi as one of the best players in the draft.
If its OL in round 1 Id prefer Scherff but Flowers can play instantly too.
The round 4 pick is interesting too. We need a fast coverage S. Although that 4.3 stuff with him is questionable. Didn't he run 4.5+ at combine?
Rounds 1-4 give us a big athletic boost at 4 positions including our 2 biggest holes (OL and S). I'd be happy if rounds 1-4 produced those players for us.
Davis is a beast no doubt. I think he duplicates Hankins role to a degree but the value isn't in doubt and Ellis is only here on a one year deal so there isn't a contract blocking him per se.
I drafted Conley in the BBI Mock Draft and love his combination of tools and ceiling. That Georgia offense under utilizes the position. The sky is the limit with this young mans AA, exemplary character and work ethic.
If we could get your Flowers/Davis/Conley trifecta while acquiring an extra pick I'd do back flips. Standing pat it's still a very good haul but the big RT from Miami is going to have some growing pains along the way.