New York Giants 7 Round Mock Draft: Fleecing division rivals with trades, adding starters

Round 1, Pick No. 14: Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah

Obviously, the board looks quite a bit different here than it does in most first-round Giants mock drafts, which gives us a chance to explore some possibilities if the Giants do in fact trade back.

While he may not fill the biggest positional needs, that’s not the correct way to draft anyway, and I think Lloyd was the best available player.

Lloyd also strikes me as someone who may not be the obvious fit for the Giants at first glance, but makes a ton of sense once you drill down a bit.

It’s not entirely clear which linebacker position Lloyd would play for the Giants in Don Martindale’s defense, but I think he’d be a fantastic scheme fit.

Lloyd is 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, and runs a 4.66-second 40-yard dash.

He’s an athletic linebacker with enough speed to move laterally, the ability to cover slot receivers and tight ends, and enough pass-rushing ability to be useful either moving into the EDGE position from time to time or blitzing. Lloyd had seven sacks last year for the Utes.

Being able to move around like that could be extremely useful for Wink Martindale, who likes to bring pressure from different parts of his defense and have the ability to use players in different roles. If the Giants were to pick up more of a pure edge rusher to use situationally, perhaps Lloyd would line up on the outside on early downs and slide inside on passing downs – while remaining a threat to blitz.