NFL Mock Draft: New York Giants fill two glaring holes in Round 1

The New York Giants emerge with one of the premier offensive tackles and edge rushers in latest 2022 NFL Mock Draft projection 

The New York Giants have gone shopping in the bargain bin during free agency, as a team up against the cap and at the beginning of an overdue rebuild should be doing, but with two top-10 picks general manager Joe Schoen could add a pair of elite talents during the NFL Draft.

That’s exactly what the Giants manage to do in Pro Football Focus’ latest 2022 NFL Mock Draft projection

Who do New York Giants come away with in latest NFL Mock draft?

No. 5 – Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State

"The run on tackles continues. The Giants are almost assuredly going to take one with how the talent is stacking up in the class. Arguably the most NFL-ready pass-protector in the class, he took massive strides from 2020 to 2021 in that regard allowing only 16 pressures last season."

Cross is the third offensive tackle off the board, but even with Evan Neal and Ikem Ekwonu long gone, it would make a lot of sense for the New York Giants to select Cross to pair him opposite Andrew Thomas.

Thomas and Cross could potentially form the bookends for the New York Giants’ offensive line for the next decade, and help bring a stout pass-protector to one of the NFL’s most porous and inconsistent offensive lines over the past decade.

With Cross in tow, Schoen and the New York Giants bolster arguably the most glaring weakness on the roster with their second selection in the first-round.

No. 7 – Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia

"You won’t find any advanced stats from Walker’s on-field performance that suggest he should be drafted this high. But any analysis of his combine performance puts him as one of the best athletes on the edge of all time. That’s a lot of developmental tools to work with."

Walker is one of the highest-risers up boards during this pre-draft process.

“He’s a special, special athlete,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said during a recent conference call. “When you watch him on tape at Georgia, I know some people will joint to the pressure percentage numbers, the pass production, and be a little disappointed, but when you study him and you see how tight his alignments are there and what he’s asked to do, they don’t loosen him up on the edge and just let him go.”

The Giants could reunite Walker with bourgeoning edge rusher and former Georgia Bulldog Azeez Ojulari, to form a solid foundation in the front-seven.

Last season, Walker produced six sacks for the National Champion Bulldogs.

If the New York Giants can emerge from the draft with one of the premier tackles and one of the top pass-rushers, it will have been a solid start to Schoen’s rebuild.