NFL Draft: League sources believe these 6 players atop NY Giants’ board

The NY Giants have plenty of options with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and the feeling across the NFL is that general manager Dave Gettleman will be looking for either a playmaker to boost quarterback Daniel Jones’ supporting cast or a plug-and-play starter on defense in Round 1.

“Dave Gettleman thinks Kyle Pitts is ‘a different kind of cat,’ but he’s going to be long gone,” an NFC personnel executive tells GMenHQ. “But, I could absolutely see them going cornerback, especially if they believe either Horn or Farley are the No. 1 player at the position and they’re available when they’re on the clock.”

The executive says his sense is Gettleman will try to add a playmaker, but in addition to Pitts, it is likely that one of Alabama’s wide receivers — Jaylen Waddle or DeVonta Smith — will likely be gone by the 11th pick.

Meanwhile, multiple scouts across the league believe that Gettleman is “enamored” by Alabama wide receiver, DeVonta Smith. One AFC scout recently told GMenHQ that Smith “is going to be a Giant.”

Based on league conversations, it would seem that the top of the NY Giants’ NFL Draft board looks something like this:

DeVonta Smith – WR, Alabama

Micah Parsons – LB, Penn State

Jaylen Waddle – WR, Alabama

Jaycee Horn – CB, South Carolina

Rashawn Slater – OT, Northwestern

Caleb Farley – CB, Virginia Tech

“I’d hope they don’t take Slater,” an AFC scouting director tells GMenHQ. “I know Dave, and some other general managers, love offensive linemen … But, someone has to score. The general managers who go offensive line in the first-round often play it safe to avoid scrutiny, because it is hard for fans and media to grade offensive line play.”

However, the scouting director thinks there’s a good chance Gettleman avoids taking an offensive lineman in Round 1 for two years in a row, after choosing Andrew Thomas No. 4 overall last spring.

“If they take either of the top two cornerbacks,” he says. “Surtain or Horn, they’d be legit players for that defense.”

Unlike the past three seasons, when the NY Giants chose No. 2, No. 6, and No. 4 overall, there is a legitimate possibility that none of the players at the very top of Gettleman’s draft board are available when New York goes on the clock.

If that happens, that could increase the chances Gettleman trades back for the first time in his career.

But, if the NY Giants stay put at No. 11, Gettleman has the chance to add an immediate high-impact starting player.

Matt Lombardo is the site expert for GMenHQ, and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday for FanSided. Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL.