Jordan Raanan of NJ.com released his second seven-round mock draft this week. He has the New York Giants selecting Leonard Floyd, the linebacker out of Georgia, in the first round. Some media analysts have argued Floyd would not be a fit for the Giants. In the next two rounds, New York selects Miami’s CB Artie Burns and Michigan’s G Graham Glasgow.
The picks at the top have changed since Raanan’s previous mock draft, but the same name popped up in the fourth round: Keyarris Garrett, the lengthy wide receiver from Tulsa. What’s the draw of this particular wide receiver and how does he fit on the current Giants roster?
Garrett’s physical frame is enticing to the Giants. He’s 6’3” 220 lbs. with long limbs and, for a receiver his size, has decent quickness off the line and the speed of a deep threat. He ran a 4.53 40-yard dash at the combine, much faster than Laquon Treadwell’s at his Pro Day. His senior season was a breakout year. He averaged 122.2 yards over 13 games and earned first-team All-Conference USA accolades.
On paper, Garrett looks to be a speedy receiver with a great frame that would translate to the NFL, but he has had his problems staying on the field. He had an injury-filled freshman year and only played six games. After a breakout sophomore season, he was cut down his junior year by a compound fracture in his left leg. He even suffered a foot injury in this year’s East-West Shrine Game.
Garrett’s been a big fish in a small pond playing in the AAC, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t compete in the NFL. Scouts maintain that he runs a limited route tree, but he runs those routes well. And he does utilize his height by timing his jump balls properly. He came down with two Hail Mary receptions for wins in 2015 against Oklahoma and Memphis.
The Giants were 30th in the NFL in red zone TDs and, according to Raanan, Garrett could be a solution. “Garrett’s size and ability to attack the football in the air is too enticing. He’s a much-needed red-zone target and a nice complement to Odell Beckham Jr..”
In both of Raanan’s mock drafts, the Giants do not draft a wide receiver in the first three rounds. If Jerry Reese were to select Treadwell or Corey Coleman with the tenth pick, the Giants would likely not target Garrett.
When reading the pre-draft analysis on Garrett, it’s hard not to draw comparisons to another former-Giants draft pick Ramses Barden. He was a huge-framed wide receiver from a small school that was billed as an unstoppable red zone threat. Barden was drafted in the third round in 2009 and never really had an impact on the field. He was hampered by injury and eventually released in 2013.
Garrett has a more impressive college career than Barden, but has that same boom or bust quality. Should the Giants take a look at Garrett in the draft?