As the NFL draft draws closer and closer here are some questions that are circulating that pertain to prospects and their draft stock as well as their potential and projected impacts at the next level.
What will the New York Giants do with their two first round picks?
They hold the sixth overall pick and after trading All-Pro star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns last month, they hold the 17th overall selection as well. They had a laundry list of needs all over their roster on both sides of the ball even before trading Beckham Jr. and last year’s sack leader Olivier Vernon to the Browns and let three-time Pro Bowl safety Landon Collins walk in free agency right into the arms of their division rival Washington Redskins.
There has been plenty of debate on what the team and general manager Dave Gettleman, who has come under much scrutiny lately for his recent roster decisions and has had his talent evaluation questioned, should do with their pair of picks in the opening round of the draft. Two of the biggest needs are on defense at pass rusher and finding the heir apparent to Eli Manning.
What they might do at six:
All early indications pointed to the team taking Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, who is viewed as the second-best quarterback in this draft behind Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray, with this pick and those suspicions were reinforced after a large contingent of the team’s front office and coaching staff treated him to dinner the night before his Pro Day.
However, Gettleman and the Giants have been deploying a lot of smoke and mirrors with the draft less than a month away with the GM heaping praise and expressing his personal belief that Manning is still a quality starter. There have also been reports that the team is planning on picking one of the draft’s elite pass rushers with their top 10 selections. A popular edge rusher that is being mocked to them at No.6 overall is defensive end Rashan Gary from Michigan.
What they might do at 17:
Whatever they decide to do with their first pick in the opening round will decide what the team does with the 17th overall selection. If they do not select a quarterback in the top 10 then they could target one of the other passers that are projected to be available in that range. One of which has ties to Manning and his family through his college coach in Duke’s Daniel Jones.
If they do take the next face of their franchise with the sixth overall pick, that could use the 17th pick to address one of their other pressing needs. With Beckham now in Cleveland, the team has a star-shaped hole to fill on their offense at the wide receiver position. This is about the range where some of the top receivers in the draft are expected to come off the board. Ole Miss receiver D.K. Metcalf, who shined at the Combine and possess a rare blend of size and athleticism, could be the prospect that they pick to replace Beckham Jr. and form a good former Rebel to former Rebel connection between Manning and Metcalf.
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