After another disappointing season, the NY Giants have the fourth-overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft and nine total picks, we examine their ideal draft.
After finishing 4-12 in 2019, the NY Giants have the fourth-overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft and subsequently have a number of needs to fill. They will need to maximize the output from all nine of the picks they possess in the upcoming draft if they hope to dramatically improve upon last year’s results.
The NY Giants will need to upgrade the linebacker position. Currently, Markus Golden, David Mayo, and Deone Bucannon are all unrestricted free agents. Meanwhile, Alec Ogletree and Kareem Martin represent players who are likely to be cap casualties this offseason.
That leaves the team with Lorenzo Carter, Oshane Ximines and Ryan Connelly, who is working his way back from a torn ACL injury, as the only three remaining linebackers on the roster. As a result, the linebacker position will certainly be an area of focus in the draft.
Upgrading the offensive line will also be a priority this offseason. Last season the offensive line of the Giants wildly underperformed. The team could look to move on from Nate Solder and his massive contract. In addition, they could look to upgrade the center position and right tackle Mike Remmers is an unrestricted free agent.
The Giants lack anything that represents an edge rusher on their roster. They are expected to leverage their positive salary cap situation to help address the need for a pass rusher, in a free-agent market that includes superstar pass-rushing options such as Jadeveon Clowney, Yannick Ngakoue, Shaq Barrett and Vic Beasley to name a few. That said, they are likely to add a pass rusher or two in the draft.
Safety is another position of need. With Jabrill Peppers, Julian Love and undrafted free agent Sean Chandler likely to be the only safeties on the roster, the Giants will need to add depth at the position. Veterans Antoine Bethea and Michael Thomas are unlikely to be retained, as Bethea represents a likely cap casualty and Thomas is an unrestricted free agent.
The cornerback position is an additional area that the Giants could look to add depth. After cutting former Pro Bowl corner Janoris Jenkins for making offensive comments on social media, the team has Deandre Baker, Sam Beal, Corey Ballentine and Grant Haley on their roster. Baker, Beal, and Ballentine were all rookies last season and Haley just completed his second season after being signed as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State in 2018.
Wide receiver represents yet another potential area of need for the Giants. Cody Latimer, Russell Shepard, Corey Coleman, and Cody Core all are unrestricted free agents this offseason. Veteran wideout Golden Tate III represents a player who could be cut to add additional cap space. That would leave the Giants with only Sterling Shepard and rookie sensation Darius Slayton as the only two wide receivers on the team.
With so many needs to fill on the roster, it is imperative that the New York Giants maximize their draft picks. With that in mind, here is the ideal seven-round mock draft for the Giants to drastically improve their roster going into next season.
Rd 1: Isaiah Simmons LB Clemson
The NY Giants use a first-round pick to draft a linebacker for the first time since drafting Carl Banks with the third overall pick in the 1984 draft when they select Isaiah Simmons. In doing so they get a dynamic player with a skill set, unlike anything the league has seen before.
This year at Clemson, Simmons played 14% of the time on the defensive line, 18% at safety, 32% at linebacker and an incredible 36% of the time at cornerback. Take a moment to think about that. A man who is 6’4″ and 240-pounds played the highest amount of snaps as a cornerback and did so at a very high level.
By selecting Simmons, the Giants get a versatile hybrid player who projects primarily as a linebacker with sideline-to-sideline range. Simmons reportedly runs a sub-4.50 forty-yard dash and rumors have swirled that he has beaten Clemson running back and teammate Travis Etienne in a foot race and that he once long jumped 25′ in high school. Again, take a long moment to absorb how freakish of an athlete Simmons is.
In addition to his incredible coverage skills, Simmons enjoys delivering bone-jarring hits to ball carriers, blitzing the quarterback with great efficiency, containing run games and long walks in the park. This kid is the total package, he is the type of player NFL teams will build their defenses around in the future.
With Simmons available to be a featured cog in the NY Giants defense, it allows new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham to open up the defensive playbook and get extremely creative with his versatility and unique abilities.
Simmons brings an electric playmaking ability to the Giants that the fans have not seen in a long time and coupled with some key free agent acquisitions would make the young New York defense very dangerous.
RD 2 – Mekhi Becton OT Louisville
In the second round of the draft, Dave Gettleman is full-on frothing at the mouth as he sprints to the podium with utter bliss to announce the selection of perhaps the largest hog mollie in the draft, tackle Mekhi Becton of Louisville.
Miraculously he slips to the early second round with a quarterback frenzy leading the charge early on, followed by a grabbing of defensive playmakers and the selection of a number of other highly rated tackles like Andrew Thomas, Tristan Wirfs, Jedrick Wills, and Austin Jackson.
At 6’7″ and 375-pounds, Becton is an absolute mauler that immediately anchors what has appeared to have been a group of turnstiles on the offensive line. A mauler in pass protection, Becton protects the blind side of Danny Dimes, allowing him to showcase his pinpoint accuracy and to cure his fumble-itis epidemic.
In addition to regularly uprooting would be pass rushers with his gargantuan frame and Herculean strength, Becton serves double duty, acting as a top-notch road grader in the run game. With the impressive athletic ability to shed defenders and get to the second level with ease, Becton should serve as a one-man convoy for Saquon Barkley to follow in the run game.
If that wasn’t enough to leave Giants fans feeling as giddy as a child on Christmas Eve, perhaps knowing that he plays with a mean streak that may rival that of current Giants enforcer Will Hernandez should do the trick. Could this day get any better? Glad you asked…..
RD 3 – Tyler Biadasz C Wisconsin
Still trembling from the excitement over standing next to Mekhi Becton and recognizing he just drafted the king of the hog mollies, Dave Gettleman thought his day couldn’t possibly get any better.
Then he notices that the best center in the draft is available to him when its the NY Giants turn to pick in the third round with the compensatory pick that they received for Gettleman allowing Landon Collins to walk in free agency.
So as he sprints towards the podium to announce the pick of Tyler Biadasz in the third round, he trips, falls, rolls, and pops back up to gleefully high five commissioner Roger Goodell as he finishes announcing the pick.
Undeterred and with a smug look on his face directed towards those who mocked him for letting Collins walk for “nothing” and the others who jeered his decision as foolish to trade a top 65 pick to the Jets in the Leonard Williams deal when the Giants were 2-6. Gettleman knew the joke was on them because he was still able to rebuild the offensive line with two picks.
With the selection of Biadasz, the Giants are able to land a significant upgrade over the current tandem of Jon Halapio and Spencer Pulley. With the pick, they get a major reason for the success of running back Jonathan Taylor, who finished with over 2,000 yards rushing and 21 touchdowns at Wisconsin this season.
At 6’3″ and 325-pounds, Biadasz is a highly athletic and mobile center who has surprising quickness on the offensive line. As a result, he allows Jason Garrett to call a lot of counter and screen plays to allow Saquon Barkley to utilize his freakish athletic talents.
A solid pass protector with good strength and vision, Biadasz is great at identifying the blitz quickly and adjusting to make the necessary blocks. With a line that now features Mekhi Becton, Kevin Zeitler, Will Hernandez, and Nick Gates, new offensive line coach Marc Colombo can get to work trying to shape them into something like the young talented group he had in Dallas and suddenly this offense looks dangerous.
RD 4 – Chase Claypool WR Notre Dame
With a rebuilt offensive line to provide holes for Saquon Barkley to run and one that keeps Daniel Jones upright so that he can throw the ball downfield to Barkley, Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, Evan Engram, and Golden Tate (if the team retains him in the offseason), the NY Giants offense is suddenly difficult for defenses to contend with.
With the selection of Chase Claypool in the fourth round, the offense becomes even more deadly as Danny Dimes now has a legitimate red-zone target. In another draft year, Claypool likely goes in the second or third round of the draft at the latest. However, the 2020 draft is bursting at the seams with high-end talent at wideout, causing the Irish star to slip to the 100th pick.
By selecting Claypool, the Giants get a big body wide receiver with length, athleticism, and strength to haul in passes over defenders. At 6’5″ and 235-pounds, Claypool is a difficult matchup for most cornerbacks because of his size but presents a challenge to linebackers and safeties because of his speed.
With as good of hands and concentration as anyone in the draft, Claypool is the type of wide receiver who makes the difficult catches look routine. In addition, he is a great route runner, which makes him a versatile option in the passing game, as he isn’t the prototypical vertical and post route receiver.
With the plethora of offensive weapons at the disposal of a deadly accurate Daniel Jones, game planning for this offense becomes a nightmare for defensive coordinators. Oh, and as an added bonus, let’s not forget that Jones possesses the ability to tuck the ball and rush at any time as well.
This is going to be epic!
RD 5 – Anfernee Jennings EDGE Alabama
With all of the connections to the University of Alabama coming to the NY Giants since they announced Joe Judge as their new head coach, let’s go ahead and add another. With their fifth-round selection, the New York Giants select Anfernee Jennings of the Crimson Tide.
In Jennings, the NY Giants get a stout edge rusher who represents an excellent bull rusher in the middle of the draft. As a product of Alabama, there is no question about his pedigree or the level of coaching that he has had to this point.
Not the fastest or most athletic edge rusher in the draft by any stretch, Jennings makes his name by effectively hitting the gaps. At 6’3″ and 260-pounds he certainly has the size of a pass rusher. He needs to master some pass-rushing moves if he hopes to take his skill set to the next level.
Even lacking in athleticism and speed, Jennings represents a top-10 pass rusher in the draft and is a solid piece to rotate along this young defensive line in situations that best utilize his abilities. At worst, he is a rotational pass rusher and special teams contributor, at best he develops into a viable bull rusher who can play three downs.
RD 6 – Jordan Fuller S Ohio State
The NY Giants decided to select a developmental project at safety in the sixth round of the draft when they pick Jordan Fuller out of Ohio State University. An incredible athlete with excellent range, good speed, size and strength, Fuller has one major flaw, he is a very poor tackler.
However, with Jabrill Peppers and Julian Love slated to start at safety and the ability to shift Isaiah Simmons to safety as needed, the NY Giants can be patient with Fuller as they work on his tackling skills. With a teacher like Judge at the helm, Fuller represents the ideal developmental project to target late in the draft.
If the Giants can get Fuller to improve upon his tackling skills and the angles he takes to the ball, they have the makings of an absolute stud at the safety position. Until they can get his flaws worked out, he presents an excellent athletic option on special teams for the Giants.
RD 7 – Isaiah Wilson OT Georgia
After making three straight selections that are not hog mollies, Gettleman is piping hot. “How is he going to build a successful team if they are not drafting only hog mollies?” he repeatedly barks at John Mara. Worried about Gettleman’s blood pressure and general wellbeing, Mara caves and allows Gettleman to draft Isaiah Wilson, a tackle out of Georgia.
Gettleman smugly sits and eats an ice cream cone and all is good in the world again. Wilson who is slightly smaller than the king of the hog mollies, Mekhi Becton, is still 6’7″ and 320-pounds, but while he’s 55-pounds lighter than Becton, he represents a much less athletic tackle.
However, he has room to put additional mass and strength on his long frame, which could make him a force opposite Becton on the offensive line. In order to get to a point where he is ready to start at the NFL level, Wilson must do a lot of work to correct his blocking technique.
He is a hard-working, high-intensity player, so it is easy to envision him as someone willing to put in the effort to get better. He is the ideal first project for new offensive line coach Marc Colombo to develop into elite NFL talent.
Wilson represents a developmental project with an extremely high upside. If the NY Giants can get him to improve his technique and he can put on additional muscle mass, the idea of he and Becton anchoring the Giants tackle positions at 6’7″ and over 350-pounds is an idea so tantalizing that the Dave Gettleman might need to carry a defibrillator on him at all times.
RD 7 – Alohi Gilman S Notre Dame
Do you like bone-crushing tackles that dislodge the ball from the ball carrier’s hands? Do you enjoy watching replays of fundamentally sound tackling and picturesque ball stripping moves by defensive players? If you answered yes to these questions, then you are going to love Alohi Gilman roaming in the secondary for the NY Giants.
Gilman doesn’t possess great athletic ability or speed, but he is as fundamentally sound in every facet of the game as any draft prospect at the safety position. With a nose for finding the ball carrier and excitement for making a big hit, Gilman is a playmaker at the back end of the draft.
In addition, he has the build to play a hybrid safety and linebacker role, which allows Patrick Graham to get creative with him. Putting him in a safety group that includes Jabrill Peppers and Gilman’s former college teammate in the Notre Dame defensive backfield, Julian Love gives this team a strong young safety corps.
If Gilman is able to teach Jordan Fuller some of his tackling techniques, there is a good chance that this safety group could be extremely dynamic. With the NFL going to defensive sets that feature more safeties and safety hybrids, having depth at the position is a must.
With leadership, character, and confidence galore, Gilman is a perfect depth player for the NY Giants to utilize on both defense and special teams. His knack for making big plays will quickly endear him in the hearts of NY Giants fans everywhere.
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.
With this homerun mock draft scenario, the NY Giants are able to get a game-changing defensive playmaker, with obscene athleticism, and versatility in Isaiah Simmons, shoring up a major need at linebacker.
They exponentially improve the quality of their offensive line by selecting the tackle with the most upside in the draft in Mekhi Becton, the best center in the draft in Tyler Biadasz and a low-risk high-reward developmental prospect in tackle Isaiah Wilson.
With the addition of these three offensive linemen to a young core of Hernandez, Gates, Zeitler, and George Asafo-Adjei, the Giants have a talented group for the foreseeable future, ending the continuous attrition on the offensive line that has plagued the team for years.
Adding Chase Claypool gives New York a dynamic playmaker and the red zone threat that the team has been missing since Plaxico Burress and Hakeem Nicks. Claypool represents an excellent safety valve option for Daniel Jones that opens up the field for the rest of the offensive weapons.
Anfernee Jennings adds a bull rusher to an anemic Giants pass rush. While he is the only pass rusher selected in this mock draft by the NY Giants, the thought is that they are likely to spend a large percentage of their available money on free agent pass rushers, so it is less of a need at the draft.
The additions of Jordan Fuller, Alohi Gilman and Lamar Jackson give the Giants much-needed depth at the safety and cornerback positions, as well as on special teams. Fuller represents a high upside developmental player. While Gilman is the fundamentally sound grinder with a nose for making plays. Meanwhile, Jackson makes an ideal defensive specialist.
If the Giants could pull off these nine selections and add a few key free-agent signings, this team suddenly looks much more competitive than it did the past few years.
With the addition of more critical young players to the team’s core, the NY Giants would be well on their way to being rebuilt to dominate in the future.