NY Giants mock draft: Defensive playmaker with top-10 pick?
In latest 2021 NY Giants mock draft projection, the NY Giants tab Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft
It has become obvious over the final quarter of the 2020 NFL season that the NY Giants are in dire need of game-altering talent on both sides of the football, if this organization is ever going to round the corner from rebuilding to legitimately contending for championships.
Following Sunday’s systematic dismantling at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, the NY Giants would own the No. 8 overall pick in next spring’s 2021 NFL Draft, another opportunity to add a blue chip caliber player to this rebuilding roster.
In The Athletic‘s latest mock draft projection, analyst Dane Brugler has the NY Giants selecting Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley:
"8. New York Giants – Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia TechWith a top-10 pick, the Giants could go with an offensive playmaker like Jaylen Waddle or the top pass rusher on their draft board, but adding another high-ceiling cornerback to the defense is an appealing option. A high school quarterback, Farley has the size and speed that helps him match up on the outside and he has shown surprisingly natural instincts for a player with his lack of experience at the position."
Farley would be the second cornerback chosen in the first round by the Giants in the past three years, and would likely push to start immediately opposite James Bradberry.
This season, Farley opted out, but he finished his 2019 campaign with 20 total tackles, four interceptions with one returned for a touchdown and 12 pass breakups.
It is difficult to imagine either Isaac Yiadom or Darnay Holmes opening next season opposite Bradberry, and if the Giants decide against drafting a top offensive playmaker to pair with Daniel Jones, cornerback needs to be a top priority.
Expected to be among the first defensive players to come off the board, and given that cornerback is such a glaring deficiency on the Giants’ roster, Farley could make a lot of sense for the Giants if they’re picking in the latter half of the top-10.
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Matt Lombardo is the site expert for GMenHQ, and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday for FanSided. Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL.