New York Giants 7 round mock Draft: wheeling and dealing, including, 2 Trades

Round 1, Pick No. 5: Ikem “Ickey” Ekwonu, OT, North Carolina State

With a couple of EDGE rushers leaving the board early in this New York Giants mock draft, they are faced with a choice between two offensive lineman: Ikem Ekwonu and Charles Cross.

Of course, there’s always a chance they could get both, but they have to pick the more important one for the fifth overall pick. These two are rated No. 5 and No. 6 on the Pro Football Focus Draft Board, but Ekwonu offers more versatility – he’s played both guard and tackle at the college level.

That creates optionality early in his career as head coach Brian Daboll would have options on how to get the best five linemen on the field.

It also means that he could be penciled in as a left guard, but slide out to left tackle if Andrew Thomas falters or in the event of an injury. Every year it seems that more and more key players are suffering injuries in the NFL, so versatility can be highly valuable along the offensive line.

But let’s not sell “Ickey” short, he’s 6-foot-4 and weighs 320 pounds but still runs the 40′ in 4.93 seconds. He’s an absolutely dominant run blocker, and an improving pass blocker with all of the natural talent to be a franchise player.