When Mel Kiper, ESPN’s draft guru, releases a mock draft, it gets attention from fans and analysts alike. His newest mock is a three-rounder where Kiper acts as the GM for each team.
Mel leaves Jaylon Smith out of this projection because “his draft range is all over the place right now based on his medical re-checks.” Some Giants fans were hoping Jerry Reese would take a flier on the injured Notre Dame linebacker who Kiper calls “one of the best players in this draft.”
In the first round, Kiper has the Giants drafting Ole Miss WR Laquon Treadwell. This selection is a departure from his previous mock where Mel has the Giants hell bent on selecting an offensive lineman as they draft Michigan State’s Jack Conklin.
Here’s Kiper’s take:
“I imagine some Giants fans will find this first pick surprising, but as the GM in this scenario I look at my wide receivers and see that my No. 2 is Victor Cruz, who turns 30 this fall and hasn’t played in a regular-season game since October 2014. Eli Manning is 35 and with the value poor at O-line in this slot, I’m going to help him in another way and get the top wide receiver in the draft. Even if you question whether Treadwell is a true No. 1 — does he have to be given that other guy from the Ole Miss-LSU rivalry on this roster at wideout?”
It’s worth noting that both Ronnie Stanley and Conklin are off the board, but Ezekiel Elliot is available in Kiper’s scenario. On the defensive side, Myles Jack is gone, but Vernon Hargreaves and Shaq Lawson are both still available.
Kiper said nothing wrong in his analysis. If Laremy Tunsil, Stanley and Conklin are gone in the first nine picks, Reese will have to shift focus. If he was set on solidifying his offensive line, it’s too early for Ohio State’s Taylor Decker.
Treadwell met with the Giants on Monday and is heading to Chicago on Tuesday. The Giants do have a need for a number two receiver, the Giants can’t depend on Victor Cruz. He’s certainly the top receiver in this class, but some scouts argue this is a weak class. The Giants landed Odell Beckham Jr with the 12th pick, but they won’t get the same value with Treadwell.
In Kiper’s mock, the Giants land a whale. He has Eastern Kentucky’s OLB Noah Spence falling all the way down to the Giants with the 40th pick. Two months ago, Kiper had the Giants selecting Spence in the first round, so it would be a gift the land him 30 picks later.
Spence may slide due to repeatedly failing drug tests and being banned from the Big Ten, but his ability to rush the passer can’t be denied. He’s been compared to Khalil Mack and dominated the competition at the Senior Bowl. At Eastern Kentucky, he dominated the inferior competition earning co-Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Ohio Valley Conference. He finished the season with 11.5 sacks and three forced fumbles.
If Spence ended up falling this far which is unlikely he would be, as Kiper put it, a “no-brainer.”
In the third round, Kiper has the Giants going on offense again selecting Louisiana Tech’s running back Kenneth Dixon. While the Giants have depth at RB, what they lack is star power. Ed Valentine of Big Blue View has a “man-crush” on Dixon as a mid-round RB the same way he crushed on David Johnson a year ago.
Dixon is a well-rounded running back that’s reliable in pass protection and can catch passes out of the backfield. As Dane Brugler of CBS Sports puts it, “Dixon might never be a bell-cow starter in the NFL, but he will be a quality addition to a running back committee with his well-rounded run style.”
The Giants aren’t going to abandon their rotation of running backs any time soon, so Dixon could be a fit with Jennings and Vereen. Although adding Dixon would mean squeezing out Andre Williams, newly-signed Bobby Raines and/or fan favorite Orleans Darkwa.
While Kiper’s selections make perfect sense, it’s hard to imagine adding two offensive playmakers in the first three rounds. The Giants offense ranked 8th overall in 2015 while the defense ranked 30th. Adding Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison and Janoris Jenkins in free agency was an expensive step in correcting the problem, but more quality pieces need to be added in the draft.