The NY Giants have myriad needs to fill through free agency and the 2021 NFL Draft, but most importantly surrounding quarterback Daniel Jones with playmakers in his third season to shepherd the next stage of his development.
After missing the postseason for the fourth consecutive season in 2020, the NY Giants own the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and with holes to fill at edge rusher, cornerback, potentially upgrading at linebacker, perhaps no other needs are more pressing than playmakers at the offensive skill positions.
Here’s a look at our latest Giants 7-round mock draft projection, addressing many of those roster deficiencies:
Round 1, pick No. 11: Kyle Pitts, TE/WR, Florida
Pitts is the ultimate playmaker in the passing game in this year’s class, and viewed by some evaluators across the NFL as a generational talent at tight end.
He is just the type of player the NY Giants must aim to acquire to surround quarterback Daniel Jones with as he enters a pivotal season both in terms of his development, and what the organization hopes is one that breaks a four-year postseason drought.
At 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, Pitts has the speed and explosiveness to run routes like a wide receiver, and the frame to be a matchup nightmare when in-line as a tight end against opposing linebackers and safeties over the middle of the field.
Pitts’ massive catch radius doesn’t just make him an elite prospect, and a reason why PFF gave him an 96.1 receiving grade, but gives him the chance to be a quarterback’s best friend and a driver of a young passer such as Jones’ development.
There’s a chance that Pitts could go off the board sometime in the top-five picks, but if he’s available when the NY Giants are on the clock, it’s difficult to picture him sliding any further.