NY Giants: The ideal 7-round mock draft to improve team
By Matt Clark
RD 7 – Lamar Jackson CB Nebraska
After finishing his ice cream cone, Dave Gettleman hears that he can get Lamar Jackson with a seventh-round pick. While he’s not a hog mollie, Gettleman read somewhere that a lot of experts feel that Lamar Jackson is an MVP caliber player.
Thinking that he has just fleeced the Baltimore Ravens by exchanging the seventh-round compensatory pick of the NY Giants for their superstar quarterback, Gettleman angrily barks at assistant general manager Kevin Abrams to make it happen. He then leans back in his chair and takes a nap after completing a difficult but fruitful draft.
Kevin Abrams lacks the heart to tell Gettleman that the Lamar Jackson that is available for the seventh-round pick is actually a different Lamar Jackson, one that plays cornerback and not quarterback. Thinking maybe Gettleman won’t know the difference, the NY Giants draft Lamar Jackson, a cornerback out of the University of Nebraska.
At 6’3″ and 205-pounds, Jackson has the ideal length for the cornerback position. He is an excellent athlete and a good fundamental tackler. He possesses impressive ball skills and shows good quickness in his recovery. Thriving in man coverage, Jackson represents a weapon to defend the red zone targets on opposing offenses.
In addition to solid cover skills, Jackson is a good run stopper who is willing to get into the backfield and make a hit on a running back. However, his lack of elite speed makes him a mismatch for shorter speedy receivers. He may be a hybrid cornerback/safety depending on specific sub-packages on defense.
He projects as cornerback depth that is ideal in special packages for run-stopping and red zone defense. In addition, he is another excellent athlete for Joe Judge and his staff to fully utilize on special teams.