New York Giants 7-round mock draft 4.0, post-free agency
By Henry Buggy
No. 69 – Auburn OG Braden Smith
When the Giants decide to transition to another quarterback in the future, one thing will be certain. Their offensive line will be much better.
The Giants found a solution at left guard with Hernandez in the first-round, and now bring in competition for John Jerry at right guard with Braden Smith. Big Blue has done little to address their interior offensive line this offseason.
Losing Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg, while signing Omameh should not be considered an improvement. The Giants have also restructured Jerry’s contract so that he is an unrestricted free agent in 2019, which only makes it more important to bolster the interior offensive line this offseason.
Smith has the potential to be a steal in the mid-rounds. He has drawn comparisons with Cleveland Browns starting guard Kevin Zeitler and earned Pro Football Focus’ third-highest grade of any guard in the upcoming draft.
Auburn G Braden Smith finished last season with the third-highest grade among 2018 NFL Draft guards pic.twitter.com/cBrVJLsR1F
— PFF College (@PFF_College) March 28, 2018
Smith started 41 consecutive games at Auburn and was named a first-team All-American in 2017.
With Solder at left tackle, Hernandez at left guard, Brett Jones at center, Smith at right guard, and either Flowers or Okorafor at right tackle, Big Blue’s offensive line all of a sudden looks formidable.
Combine that with Guice and Gallman in the backfield and OBJ, Shepard, and Engram on the outside, the Giants arguably could have their best offense since 2008.