Apr 26, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Giant fans react to the pick of David Wilson during the 2012 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall Mandatory Credit: William Perlman/The Star-Ledger via US PRESSWIRE

So, how about we get down to it and open the results envelope, shall we? So, the mock draft prognosticator that picked the New York Giants to take running back, David Wilson, from Virginia Tech, with the 32^nd overall pick in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft was…

Nobody!

Yup, you read that correctly. Not a single mock draft prognosticator that was featured in the many TWIMD I wrote up for GMEN HQ had Wilson going to the Giants. If you were to count them all up there was a total of 22 mock drafts that I covered, and if you include my mock draft, then that number would be 23.

You may not think this but not having a single mock drafter out there mocking Wilson to the Giants is a good thing, as it proves just how useless mock drafts can be. Anything can happen in the world of the NFL and a mock draft for the 2012 NFL Draft from May 2011 is pretty much worthless the moment it’s written. How about we go back to that very first mock draft I covered on May 30, 2011 to see what the crystal ball said the Giants should do but never did?

Before I do that though let me first give Ryan Van Bibber of SBNation.com some credit, as one of his mocks was the only one I could find that had the Giants taking Wilson at 32; some good guesswork there.

Now back to Chad Reuter,  who put together a mock for CBSSports.com in May of last year, where he had the Giants selecting 19^th overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. One strike against him already. Then he mocked a linebacker to the Giants: Vontaze Burfict. Strike two. What’s strike three? That  Burfict, due to off the field issues and a poor combine, went completely undrafted.

That was possibly the worst pick Reuter could have made for the Giants last year and goes to show you why mock drafts don’t mean anything in the world of pro football.  They are only useful when it comes to wasting time reading them or having a little fun trying to play keyboard GM.

We can give Reuter some credit though, since that was his first mock draft, and instead let’s use his most recent seven round mock draft that he put together for NFL.com. In that mock draft he had the Giants selecting TE Coby Fleener, who was a popular choice amongst many mock draft writers, but that didn’t pan out either. Although, Fleener was taken two picks later by the Colts, so that wasn’t such a bad mock guess.

Out of all the mocks I wrote about in TWIMD only one had mocked a running back to the Giants and that was done so by Darius J. Pendergrass from RealHypeSports.com. That running back wasn’t Wilson though. Neither was it a running back that entered the draft this year. It was Arkansas running back Knile Davis, who returned to Arkansas for another season after missing out on his 2011 campaign due to a pre-season season ending injury sustained during a summer practice.

Now Davis might become a Heisman candidate if his season plays out the way most predict it will. That would have been a pretty sweet pick for the Giants, but we would need a time machine of some sorts to make it happen and I don’t think Bill and Ted really care about the NFL enough to alter such course of events.

Some other names thrown around by various mock draft prognosticators when it came to guessing the Giants’ 2012 first round draft plans included Bobby Massie (taken in the 4^th round by the Cardinals), Harrison Smith (29^th overall in the first round to the Vikings), Nick Perry (Packers 1^st round pick, #28 overall), Jonathan Martin (Dolphins 2^nd round pick), Luke Kuechly (Panthers 1^st round pick, #9 overall), Mike Adams (Steelers 2^nd round pick), Kelechi Osemele (Ravens 2^nd round pick), Zach Brown (Titans 2^nd round pick), and Courtney Upshaw (Ravens 2^nd round pick).

A hodgepodge of draft prospects that range from actually being drafted in the top 10 picks of the draft all the way to 4^th round of the draft. Right there shows you everything you need to know about mock drafts and how valuable they are.

Really, the only two mock drafts that are actually worth reading are Mike Silver’s Ultimate Mock Draft, where anybody is free game to be drafted, and that includes current NFL players and Greg Cosell’s mock draft that is based solely on watching game tape; both obviously for different reasons.

Yet, even though we know that people still write mock drafts and we will still continue to read them at a furious pace because mock drafts let us get in on the fun of what it would be like to be an NFL GM who’s in charge of molding the future of their franchise. That’s also the reason why I’ll keep covering mock drafts for GMEN HQ throughout the upcoming season and hopefully someone will already have their 2013 NFL mock draft out so I can get right back into the groove of things and mocking in the free world.

And the only way to do that is by providing you with my very own mock draft of this year’s first round of the 2012 NFL Draft and without further ado here it is…

• 1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
• 2. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
• 3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC
• 4. Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
• 5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
• 6. St. Louis Rams: Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State
• 7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina
• 8. Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M
• 9. Carolina Panthers: Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis
• 10. Buffalo Bills: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
• 11. Kansas City Chiefs: Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College
• 12. Seattle Seahawks: Melvin Ingram, LB, South Carolina
• 13. Arizona Cardinals: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa
• 14. Dallas Cowboys: Mark Barron, Safety, Alabama
• 15. Philadelphia Eagles: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
• 16. New York Jets: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
• 17. Cincinnati Bengals: Courtney Upshaw, LB, Alabama
• 18. San Diego Chargers: Cordy Glenn, OL, Georgia
• 19. Chicago Bears: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
• 20. Tennessee Titans: Michael Brockers, DT, LSU
• 21. Cincinnati Bengals: Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama
• 22. Cleveland Browns: Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State
• 23. Detroit Lions: Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State
• 24. Pittsburgh Steelers: David DeCastro, OG, Stanford
• 25. Denver Broncos: Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State.
• 26. Houston Texans: Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse
• 27. New England Patriots: Dont’a Hightower, LB, Alabama
• 28. Green Bay Packers: Shea McClellin, LB, Boise State
• 29. Baltimore Ravens: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
• 30. San Francisco 49ers: Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech
• 31. New England Patriots: Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall
• 32. New York Giants: Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford

So, that’s what I think the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft might look like but that I’ll probably get wrong. My wish is for the Giants to trade up and draft Kuechly but that would probably cost too much and won’t happen. I went with Fleener instead of other players just because of the immediate need the Giants have at tight end, yes, even with the signing of Martellus Bennett. Doug Martin, the running back out of Boise State is another name I could see going to the Giants after Jacobs’ departure but I have faith in Da’Rel Scott being able to step up this year and take on more of an active role in the running game, which made me lean towards Fleener as my final mock choice for the Giants at the end of the first round. Guess we’ll just have to wait to find out what actually goes down for the Giants and every other NFL team during the draft tomorrow.

If you want to post your own mock draft do so in the comments and I’ll go over the results in a post-mortem This Week In Mock Drafts.

In the meantime if you’re looking for something to do while watching the draft live why not download one of the best second screen sports apps on the market in FanCake and join in the fun that many other draftniks will be having? FanCake is a fun, easy and interactive way to enjoy sports on your second screen where you can make live in-draft predictions and even win prizes! Plus it’s free in the App Store. So come on out and enjoy the party; I’ll be there!

Whatever side of the Peter King spectrum you fall on it’s hard to argue about the man’s football knowledge and every year he puts out one and only one mock draft that tends to arrive in the draft special issue of Sports Illustrated. For those of you GMEN HQ readers out there that don’t subscribe to the magazine you can just head on over to the SI.com’s website to see King’s entire first round mock draft.

For those of you that don’t care about King’s pick other than who he mockingly selected to be the New York Giants’ first round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft then you have no reason to leave this page, as I’m about to reveal that information as soon as Chris Berman has ruined the suspense by announcing it before Commissioner Goodell opens the envelope at the podium…

Oct 30, 2010; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Harrison Smith (22) breaks up a pass intended for Tulsa Golden Hurricanse running back Charles Clay (9) at Notre Dame Stadium. Tulsa defeated Notre Dame 28-27. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

And, with the 32^nd overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, according to Peter King, the New York football Giants select Harrison Smith, safety, out of Notre Dame! That’s a new name for those of you familiar with TWIMD, as a safety has not once been mocked to the Giants ever since I started writing this regular feature for GMEN HQ. All the focus has been placed on offensive linemen and tight ends but safety is usually overlooked.

But it shouldn’t, really. While the position of safety isn’t an immediate need for the Giants it is nonetheless a need because the Giants like to employ a three-man safety committee on the field. The starting safety positions are locked down for the GMEN with Kenny Phillips and Antrel Rolle but that third safety position has a hole to fill after back-up safety Deon Grant wasn’t re-signed by the team. Second-year safety Tyler Sash could fill Grant’s role but that remains to be seen and that makes King’s selection of Smith interesting. Here’s King’s report on Smith:

A mature four-year starter for the Irish, Smith has the speed to play free safety and the tackling ability to play strong. The Giants could go in a lot of directions here, with McClellin and Mike Adams both possible because of positional need. But a 47-game college starter and eager special-teamer will be too much for G.M. Jerry Reese to pass up.

Now, here’s where we get to the part that tends to make King a little infuriating to read and why so many people out there like to take jabs at him: in his mock draft he also has a sidebar about what players each team should pick. If the team should pick that player then why not just mock that player to the team? I guess it has something to do with trying to think what a team will do compared to what they should do, and that’s where our GM hats come into play. Still, if you think a player should draft a specific player just say so and in the case of whom King thinks the Giants should select he goes with Shea McClellin, an OLB from Boise State. I don’t blame King for going with this strategy of trying to predict who the Giants will take and who they should take, as many mock drafts out there go with the same strategy but if you’re going to do a mock draft just mock the draft and be done with it.

But this article is all about Harrison Smith so let’s delve into that pick a little bit more. Over at NFL.com, former Texans GM Charley Casserly, the man responsible for the team selecting Mario Williams over the more highly touted coming out of college Reggie Bush, picked Smith as one of his potential draft day steals and thinks Smith would bring a lot of value in the second round.

Now, with the Giants selecting at the bottom of the first round that basically makes it a second round pick so would Smith still bring value if he was picked 32^nd instead of say 38^th? That’s a debate for another day but let’s see what Casserly had to say about Smith in his article:

Smith has very good size (6-2, 213 pounds) and speed (4.57) for the position. I like his range and instincts against the run and pass. He is aggressive against the run, but must do a better job of breaking down before attempting to tackle a ball carrier. Even though there is some tightness to him, I believe he will be able to cover most tight ends because of his speed.

That all sounds good to me but with any prospect comes with positives and negatives so let’s take a look at the unflattering words Jonathan Bales from The Fifth Down blog over at the New York Times had to say about Smith and where he projects the safety out of Notre Dame:

I’ve seen Smith as high as the late first round in some mock drafts, and I think that’s crazy.  Smith will probably go somewhere in the early to middle portion of the second round, and even that could be too high. For what might turn out to be an undersize linebacker, I wouldn’t spend more than a third-round selection.

So, King has Smith in the first round, Casserly thinks Smith would be a value pick in the second round and Bales wouldn’t touch Smith until the fourth round! That’s just the way mock drafts go and the ultimate value of a player is in the eyes of the 32 general managers around the NFL. Taking a look at another mock draft, this one part of a seven round mock draft special from our good friends at NFL Mocks that’s being put together by Jesse Bartolis has Smith’s name being called in the second round of the draft, at #38 overall, to the Jacksonville Jaguars and here’s what Bartolis has to say about his mocking of Smith to the Jaguars:

While I’m not myself convinced of the first round pick of Melvin Ingram for the Jaguars. Harrison Smith does seem like a Gene Smith type player. Smith is well thought off and could be drafted in the late part of the first round so this is good value here for the big, talented safety. Smith can play FS or SS though I think he’s best suited as a SS. He has great size, good range, and a knack for making big plays.

Another second round grade for Smith, and a blurb about potentially being a late first round pick. Things are looking good again for Smith in the world of Mock Drafts thanks to NFL Mocks. However, like I’ve stressed throughout my mock draft coverage you never know where a player will be selected and even though the Giants are a team that used three safeties quite a bit in coverage last season, as evidenced by the amount of play Deon Grant got during his run with the Giants, would it be wise to use a first round pick on a player that, at least according to Bales would only be, “an effective N.F.L. player”, only if Smith isn’t asked, “to play too much man coverage”? Again, a question I have no answer for because we have no idea what Smith’s true value is and we may never know and in the end only one GM will decide what Smith’s value is; just like very other draft prospect that hopes to hear his name called out during the 2012 NFL Draft.

In the end do we really want the Giants using a first round pick on a player that can’t play man coverage? I don’t think so but what do you GMEN HQ commentators think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

Also, look for my complete first round mock draft closer to Thursday’s draft date and then let’s all come back here on Monday to make fun of how bad my mock draft skills were. Until then enjoy the NFL Draft this week!

Evan Silva’s first mock draft for ProFootballTalk.com, dated March 22, 2012, actually has RG3 going to the Colts and Luck “falling” to the ’Skins. Will that actually happen on draft day? Honestly, I highly doubt it, but more surprising things have happened in the world of football and drafts and who thought that Peyton Manning would be a Denver Bronco right now? I don’t think you could go wrong with either player and Jim Irsay is a bit of wildcard so Silva’s upset prediction for draft day could come true.

Now that we got the mandatory Luck/Griffin talk out of the way let’s move on to who Silva believes the Giants will be taking with the 32^nd overall pick in the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft…

NOV 25, 2011; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Boston College Eagles linebacker Luke Kuechly (40) in a game against the Miami Hurricanes at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

…And the award goes to Boston College inside linebacker Luke Kuechly!

A lot of mock draft talk centered on Kuechly has the former Eagle pegged as a top-15 pick in the draft and most mock drafts I read usually have him going to the Eagles with the 15^th overall pick but with the Eagles trading for DeMeco Ryans their need for linebacking help has diminished and that’s a good thing for the Giants who can use help at the position, especially in the middle!

The 6’3”, 245-pound middle linebacker and former two-time All-American would help fill a big hole for the Giants. Chase Blackburn came back to the Giants during the middle of the season to help solidify the MLB position after Jon Goff’s season ending pre-season injury but there’s a chance neither player will return to the squad next year and that would leave untested Greg Jones atop the depth chart. Ideally undrafted free agent Mark Herzlich would be able to take over the position but he also batted injury problems last year.

If the Giants are able to land Kuechly they would be bringing in the man who replaced Herzlich at Boston College after Herzlich missed all of the 2009 season due to his battle with cancer. Eventually Herzlich returned and the two were able to play with each other.  That camaraderie the two share would not only be a boon to the Giants off the filed but also on it as they have a familiarity playing beside each other. It’s not very often that two dominating college linebackers get to continue their pro careers together and it would make for a nice combo for the Giants’ linebacking rotation.

Kuechly showed off a lot of athleticism at the combine and you can see that in the numbers he posted:

• 4.49 40-yard-dash
• 27 bench-press reps of 225 lbs.
• 38-inch vertical leap
• 4.12 20-yard shuttle time
• 3-cone drill completed in 6.92 seconds
• 10’3” broad jump

Feb 27, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly runs the 40 yard dash during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

Damn, that’s impressive! Quarterbacks would not only be afraid to see Kuechly rush at them from the blindside but they’d also be wary of throwing over the top of his head with that vertical leap; he could easily get an interception as he would a sack on a QB! That’s the type of linebacker the Giants need to get. He also showed during his BC playing days that he’s a beast when it comes to tackling and in his three-year stint with the Eagles he made a total of 532 tackles, which averaged out to 14 tackles/game, 7.9 of those 14 were solo tackles.

Below are the pros and cons from NFLMockDraft.com’s scouting profile on Kuechly so that you can get a little more insight on the man:

Pros–Good size…great instincts…tackling machine…smart kid…team leader…very sharp…performs under pressure…can play sideline to sideline because of instincts and speed… very aggressive against the run…solid in coverage limitations…relentless…extremely productive…making more plays in the backfield this year

Cons–Plays on a terrible team, or not a very good team…up tackles at an alarming rate, but very low percentage come behind the line of scrimmage (in 2010 and also 2011, but less so)…only three career sacks so not a great interior pass rusher, or he is not used in that way a lot.

 

Kuechly isn’t the first linebacker that has been linked to the Giants in mock drafts during the season and he won’t be the last. Previous linebacking names you’ve seen me talk about include Courtney Upshaw from Alabama, Zach Brown out of North Carolina, Oklahoma’s Travis Lewis, Manti Te’o from Notre Dame and Arizona State’s Vontaze Burfict.

Other than Te’o though, who’s staying at Notre Dame for another year, I wasn’t enamored with any of the linebackers that were being mocked to the Giants in previous installments of TWIMD that I had written about. That all changes with Kuechly and he’s one name that I would really like to see play on the Giants next year.

Sure, he might not be able to get to the quarterback a whole lot, with only 2.5 career sacks in three years at BC, but with the bevy of defensive ends the Giants have that won’t matter as much. Kuechly is an athletically gifted player with smarts and that’s something you need from an inside linebacker in the pros. This is what Kuechly said about his play:

“I think I’m a smart player. I think I do a pretty good job preparing myself; that’s something I take pride in. Being prepared, and knowing what each individual guy is responsible for. I can point at different guys, and let them know what they’re doing if they have questions. I take pride in having the ability to do that. And doing that, and knowing what everyone is doing, you can play faster. It allows you to be more successful.”

I don’t know about you but I think Kuechly would fit right into the Giants’ system. The fact that he has BC blood in him doesn’t hurt his chances of being picked by the Giants. What do you Giants fans out there say? Do you like Kuechly? Would you be happy if he lasted till the end of the first round and the Giants took him? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!

It’s funny what being a champion does to you and if Osi were to stick around and be the third player in a three-man defensive end rotation to go along with Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul then the Giants would have the scariest three man D-Line rotation in all of football.

Dec 26, 2009; San Francisco, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans defensive end Nick Perry (8) before the game against the Boston College Eagles in the 2009 Emerald Bowl at AT

However, we can’t predict the future and if a team came calling on or near draft day that saw them offer the Giants a valuable draft pick for the rights to Osi GM Jerry Reese would have to at least listen.

Personally, if I was Reese, I’d keep Osi if he were to play under his remaining contract because there aren’t too many defensive ends out there better than him when he’s healthy, happy and focused. Yet, that’s not always the case with Osi and if you can trade him and get something of value in return you can always draft his potential replacement and that’s just the scenario we have lined out for you in the latest installment of ‘This Week In Mock Drafts.’

While Chris Bach of NFLGridironGab.com doesn’t come out and say outright that Osi will be gone and the Giants will draft his replacement with the 32^nd overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft he does throw out the idea that Osi is “likely leaving” and has mocked to the GMEN DE Nick Perry out of USC to take his spot on the team via the draft.

Based on the scouting report of Perry from our good friends at NFLMocks.com, which you can check out fully by clicking RIGHT HERE, we can tell you that Perry is a 6’3, 250-pound end who recorded 5 sacks and 42 tackles in 9 games for the Trojans last year. For his career he has totaled 18 sacks, 92 tackles, and 4 forced fumbles in 34 career games.

NFLMocks says that Perry has, “elite speed and explosion off stance”, to go along with “surprising strength” but that he, “struggles when run at”, with a history of injury and might need time to develop some moves.

However, Perry earned the nickname of ‘Workout Warrior’ at the 2012 NFL Combine and he now has draft pundits talking him up as a potential top 15 pick based on the following combine numbers:

• 4.64 40-yard run
• Lifted 225 pounds 35 times
• Vertical jump pf 38.5 inches
• Broad jump of 124 inches
• 7.25 3-cone drill
• 4.66 20-yard shuttle

Even if Perry is still there when the Giants are scheduled to go to the podium it’s no guarantee that they’ll be looking at D-Line but you never know who’ll still be available. If a potential top-15 pick slides to the bottom of the first round he might very well be a Giant based on the organization’s strategy of drafting the best overall player available, regardless of need.

Feb 1, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Christian Barrett poses in front of a mock NFL draft set during Play 60 Kids Day at the NFL Experience at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

While deep down inside we knew that there was no way the NFL would cancel the season or miss games the longer the lockout dragged on the more uncertainty it created. That didn’t stop sportswriters from talking about mock drafts and making predictions though and that didn’t stop me from talking about those talking about the mock drafts.

Eventually the lockout ended and we had ourselves a new labor agreement and football was officially back in our lives! The mock drafts that I covered for GMEN HQ at the beginning of the season were all about me preaching how it’s hard to predict what player a team will draft when a season hasn’t even started yet and we don’t know what the team will look like heading into off-season or where we would be drafting in the first round.

Well, now that the season is over we have some questions answered that can help up properly mock the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft. First off, thanks to the Giants winning Super Bowl XLVI, we now know where the Giants will be picking in the draft and, barring trade, the Giants are slated to pick 32^nd and last overall in the first round of the draft.

I’m sure GM Jerry Reese will gladly take the last pick of the draft anytime if it comes along with a Lombardi Trophy attached to it. With the NFL in off-season mode we know which players are free agents and we can speculate as to which players teams will attempt to re-sign, let go or go after in free agency. That helps us mock draft prognosticators or those mocking the mock draft prognosticators pinpoint areas of needs or target positions in the draft for each of the 32 teams.

As of right now, thanks in part to the major injuries suffered to the tight end position in the Super Bowl and the lack of depth at the position, tight end has become the trendy mock draft position pick for the Giants. And that’s exactly the case with today’s installment of ‘This Week In Mock Drafts’ brought to you by the good folks over at The National Football Post.

The third and most recent version of their mock draft has the Giants taking tight end Coby Fleener out of Stanford. Out of the 15 previous TWIMD articles that I wrote for GMEN HQ not a single one of them predicted the Giants would draft a tight end but I have a feeling that will change and we will see the tight end position mentioned a lot more frequently headed towards draft day.

Jan 2, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck (12) throws to tight end Coby Fleener (82) during the second half against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the 2012 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Oklahoma State Cowboys beat the Stanford Cardinal 41-38 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

According to the latest scouting report on Fleener from NFP they say that he’s, “An impressive pass catcher who can win both down the field and underneath vs. man coverage. Has the frame and flexibility to develop into a solid blocker as well and looks like a future starting caliber NFL TE.” That sounds like some pretty lofty praise for Fleener and it also makes it seem like he would be just the type of guy to fit right in on the Giants.

The tight end position has helped revolutionize the way the passing game is now played and while we’re not always going to see a Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez or Jimmy Graham type of player come into the league and light it up right away like they recently did there’s no denying that tight ends can come into the league and make an impact immediately. If the Giants can draft a tight end that starts out as a rookie and makes a difference from Week 1 it would only add to the arsenal of players Manning has at his dispersal.

The Giants have always been a team known for drafting the best available player, no matter the need or the position. It’s worked out well for them in the past and if they were to go that route this year and that best player available did in fact turn out to be a tight end the Giants would be pretty smart to do so since not too many other teams view tight end as a position of need, which would leave the Giants picking whatever tight end they rank the best at the position.

In addition to the 6-6 Fleener, other names to watch out for at the tight end position include Georgia’s Orson Charles, Clemson’s Dwayne Allen, Chase Ford out of Miami and Michael Egnew from Missouri.

Of course, we can’t forget that it’s only February 20 and the draft doesn’t take place until April 26. That’s plenty of time for the Giants to sign a free agent tight end such as Jeremy Shockey, Visanthe Shiancoe or John Carlson as a one year stop gap to fill in for the injured Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum or permanently take over their spots.

All I know is that mock draft season is in full swing and GMEN HQ is happy to be a part of it and that TWIMD should once again become a Mock Monday regular here on the blog.

Today is a new day and part of a new year and with the playoffs in full swing and the 2012 NFL Draft order almost complete we have a new mock draft to talk about, as Steve Wyche of NFL.com took the time out of his busy schedule to give us his thoughts about the draft as of January 17, 2012. Of course, as always, fair warning with mock drafts is always in order, as anything can happen between now and the draft in April…

(more…)

And that’s exactly what I’m doing yet again for you loyal ‘This Week In Mock Drafts’ readers at GMEN HQ. Today’s website featured is one that many of you who have been sticking with me from the beginning are familiar with: WalterFootball.com.

Back on June 20^th I featured Walter himself from Walter Football and his mock draft from June 1 of this year. In that draft he had Notre Dame’s linebacker extraordinaire Manti Te’o going to the Giants at 22^nd overall.

This week we’ll be taking a look at contributing writer Charlie Campbell and his 2012 mock draft that he posted on August 16 of 2011 and later updated the next day.

One thing that’s different about his mock draft is who he has picking first overall. It’s not the Washington Redskins. They’re actually picking 6^th but still wind up with a quarterback: Matt Barkley out of USC. The team picking first, which would be the team that Campbell considers will finish with the worst record in the NFL is the Buffalo Bills and will have won the right to take Andrew Luck.

The Giants meanwhile come in at 26^th in Campbell’s draft, good for a second place finish in the NFC East behind the Eagles and a playoff spot. Today’s edition of  ‘This Week In Mock Drafts’ has a bit of a theme going for it and that theme, boys and girls, is familiarity.

We have a site we’ve featured before, the Redskins taking a QB, the Giants making the playoffs but not winning the NFC East and now we can add one more to that list: another linebacker mocked to the Giants.

(more…)

All the way back on July 18 of this year Chris posted a three round 2012 NFL mock draft where he had the Giants selecting 30^th overall and taking Kelechi Osemele, the left guard from Iowa State, in the first round.

This time he’s posted a two round mock at NFL Mocks and the order of the first round is based on his NFL Mocks 2011 NFL season preview, which you can read right here.

In his latest mock, dated August 8^th, Ransom has the Giants picking 25^th overall, which is good enough for second place in the NFC East, behind the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles. Oh, that’s right, the season hasn’t been played yet. I’ll give Chris credit for not picking the Eagles to win the Super Bowl as a lot of people have already done.

He actually has them at 27^th overall, not even making it to the NFC Conference Finals. His Super Bowl, based on his draft order, would see the Atlanta Falcons defeating the Houston Texans. Man, if that were to happen, Chris would have to be the second coming of Nostradamus.

Back to the mock draft, at 25^th overall, Chris has the Giants selecting a very familiar face to those of you who are devoted hardcore fans of ‘This Week In Mock Drafts.’

(more…)

Knowing what players the Giants have on the roster right now makes predicting the 2012 NFL Draft that much easier for mock draft prognosticators. The draft is still a ways away but having the free agency period underway makes mocking the draft easier as certain teams start to fill needs. Up until now the main positions mock prognosticators have been targeting for the Giants have been linebacker and offensive linemen.

Now that the Giants have started bringing in free agents and locking up drafted and undrafted players the linebacker need has taken a backseat to the needs on the offensive line and this week’s mock draft featured in ‘This Week In Mock Drafts’ at GMEN HQ agrees.

(more…)

It was most definitely a busy week. I guess I should mention there was also some NFL related happenings too. Mainly that the lockout came to an end! Finally.

That’s considered big news around these parts, right? Now that that’s out of the way let’s talk about some NFL mock drafting…

(more…)

So, get out the soda pops, potato chips, and seedless watermelons and dig into this week’s ‘This Week In Mock Drafts.’

The next contestant on ‘This Week In Mock Drafts’ for the week of July 4, 2011, is Reggie McColgan from NFLMocks.com. Just to get this out of the way so no one accuses me of blatant homerism, NFL Mocks is a part of the FanSided network of sports blogs, which is the very same network that GMEN HQ calls home.

The mock draft that I’ll be taking a look that McColgan mocked up is from June 29, so kind of a recent one. Most of the mocks I’ve been featuring here in this column were written all the way back in May; ancient by today’s mock draft musings standards.

The order of McColgan’s 2012 NFL mock draft is based on what he describes as, “upon situation and observation on my part.” He also says to enjoy them, as do I!

(more…)

Nobody has made any complaints whatsoever about this feature so it’s safe to say that every single person who has read it loves it and wants more of it! I can’t say no to such a high public demand.

Let’s get on with it, shall we?

(more…)