NY Giants 2024 NFL mock draft: Explosive playmaker arrives in the first round

NY Giants fifth-round pick: Ohio State TE Cade Stover

A sneaky need for the Giants this offseason is another tight end. Waller is still an all-world talent on the field, but the injury problems are real concerns. He cannot be relied upon to play 17 games. Daniel Bellinger is a quality backup, but you need more than two tight ends on your roster. 

Cade Stover would fit in seamlessly. Stover was one of Ohio State's captains in 2023 and went viral during the Cotton Bowl when he gave a fiery speech to his teammates to try to fire them up. During his three seasons at OSU, he caught 82 passes for 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Stover plays with his hair on fire, and effort like he showed in that 2022 touchdown would make him a Coach Dabes favorite.

NY Giants sixth-round pick: Michigan LB Michael Barrett

The Giants are set at inside linebacker with Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden, but could use some depth behind them. Isaiah Simmons, the first linebacker off the bench this year, is a free agent, though a return makes sense.

Michael Barrett, a 2024 National Champion and the leader of the Michigan defense, has considerable versatility. While he prominently played in the box, he also played in the slot and on the defensive line this past fall. PFF's metrics love Barrett and gave him an elite 92.3 pass-rush grade.

Over the last two seasons, he recorded 99 tackles. Oh, by the way, he knows how to talk trash and is now the winningest player in the history of Michigan Football, which is pretty insane considering Michigan played their first game in 1879.