Top 40 NFL Draft 2016 Prospects Who Might Be Giants

The New York Giants had success drafting in the first two rounds of the past three or four drafts: 2014 Rookie of the Year Odell Beckham, Jr., 2015 All-Rookie Team safety Landon Collins, 2015 All-Rookie Honorable Mention Ereck Flowers, 2016 Pro Bowl Snub Weston Richburg, 2013 PFWA All-Rookie Team and Pro Football Focus All-Rookie Honorable Mention tackle Justin Pugh, and 2012 PFWA All-Rookie Team & 2nd Team AP All-NFL returner David Wilson. However, Giants GM Jerry Reese has been criticized for his lack of success in the mid-to-late rounds. Here’s a look at the top NFL Draft 2016 Prospects who have been selected by the Giants in various mock drafts online. Let us know who you think will end up with Big Blue in the comments.

Laquon Treadwell

WR, Ole Miss Rebels
Date of birth: June 14, 1995 (age 20)
Height: 6 feet 2 inches
Weight: 219 pounds

• USA Today All-American (2012)
• SEC Freshman of the Year (2013)
• Ranks 2nd in school history with 196 career receptions
• Ranks 4th in school history with 2,322 receiving yards
• Ranks 4th in school history with 18 touchdown catches
• Tied for second in school history with nine career 100-yard receiving games
• SEC active leader in career receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches
• Caught a pass in all 34 games in which he played (ranks 17th-best among FBS players)

Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated has Laquon going to the G-Men with the 10th pick overall. With the return of Victor Cruz highly questionable and the possible loss of Rueben Randle to free agency, this move makes sense. The one game when the Giants didn’t have Odell Beckham, Jr. against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16, they were supremely inept throwing the ball. Of course, you could say most Giants had mailed and/or phoned it in by that point, as some Vikings have come forward stating as much.

Eli Manning would love to have a fellow Ole Miss alum running routes, but the runnin’ Rebel will be a fresh 21 years of age when he would enter camp. The last super young player the Giants drafted that comes to mind was Damontre Moore. I shouldn’t lump those two together, but it’s hard to ignore the age and what sort of maturity comes with it.

Shaq Lawson

DE, Clemson Tigers
Date of birth: June 17, 1994 (age 21)
Height: 6 feet 3 inches
Weight: 270 pounds

• College All-American (2015)
• Tied William Perry and Ricky Sapp for most sacks by a first-year freshman in school history
• Became a starter his junior year in 2015. As a junior, Lawson played 14 games with 10.5 sacks and a forced fumble on 55 tackles
• First Clemson defender since Anthony Simmons (1995-96) with double figure tackles for loss as a freshman and sophomore
• Ranked as 10th best defensive end in the nation by Lindy’s
• Tied for 5th most sacks in FBS in 2015

DraftSite.com has Lawson going to Big Blue at #10, as does NJ.com and both Rob Rang and Dane Brugler of CBS Sports. The Giants desperately need a couple pass rushers to make a playoff push in 2016. The hope is they’ll aggressively pursue one in free agency, but they should definitely double down on a sack attack in the draft.

Emmanuel Ogbah

DE, Oklahoma State Cowboys
Date of birth: November 6, 1993 (age 22)
Height: 6 feet 4 inches
Weight: 275 pounds

• 2013 Second Team Academic All-Big 12
• 2014 Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year (Coaches)
• 2014 First-Team All-Big 12 (Coaches & Associated Press)
• 2014 Defensive Team MVP
• Named Big-12 Defensive Lineman of the Year after recording 49 tackles and 11 sacks as sophomore in 2014
• Tied for 3rd most sacks in FBS (Division 1-A) in 2015
• 2015 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (tied with Andrew Billings)

Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com predicts the Giants will go with the Nigerian Cowboy at #10. The first pick will be a tough decision for the G-Men if they don’t opt for the best WR in the draft. Do they take Shaq Lawson or Emmanuel Ogbah. Ogbah has the slight size advantage, more combined tackles, more forced fumbles and had to face four of the top 10 offenses in the FBS in his own conference, so I give the nod to him over Shaq.

Ronnie Stanley

OT, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Date of birth: March 18, 1994 (age 21)
Height: 6 feet 5 1⁄2 inches
Weight: 315 pounds

• Consensus All-American (2015)
• Polynesian Player of the Year (2015)
• As a sophomore in 2013, he started all 13 games at right tackle, and was part of an offensive line that allowed just eight sacks and ranked second in the FBS in fewest sacks allowed
• Notre Dame Offensive Lineman of the Year (2014)
• Named first team All-American by The Sporting News in 2015

With Will Beatty missing a lot of games due to injury over the past few years, the Giants should look to bring in another tackle via free agency or the draft. Ereck Flowers played well his rookie season, good enough to earn honorable mention on Mel Kiper’s All-Rookie Team. Unfortunately, while the G-Men need one or two new offensive linemen, drafting one isn’t as high on the priority list as a pass rusher. Big Blue has been known to go with best player available in their first pick, which would mean wide receiver Laquon Treadwell would be the selection, however, with the roster in need of an infusion of talent in need areas, hopefully they buck the trend.

DeForest Buckner

DE/DT, Oregon Ducks

Date of birth: c. 1994 (age 21–22)
Height: 6 feet 7 inches
Weight: 300 pounds

• All-American (2015)
• Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year (2015)
• First-team All-Pac-12 (2015)
• Second-team All-Pac-12 (2014)
• Pac-12 Champion (2014)

WalterFootball.com believes Big Blue will select DeForest with the 10th pick overall. Oregon’s second-leading tackler (83) and team’s defensive Most Outstanding Player became only the school’s second defender since 1983 to be named the Pac-12’s Defensive Player-of-the-Year

One of six finalists for the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s top defensive end was credited with seven or more tackles in each of his last six appearances

Earning first-team All-America accolades by USA Today and second-team honors from the Associated Press and Football Writers Association of America

Leading the league in QB sacks (10.5) and ranking fourth in TFLs (17), he was credited with tackles for loss in 12 of 13 games in addition to posting quarterback sacks in each of his final eight appearances of the season.

Next: OTHER FIRST PICK OPTIONS