2013 NFL Mock Draft: Mel Kiper Jr. gives Giants Desmond Trufant in Mock 4.0

Mel Kiper Jr. selected Washington cornerback Desmond Trufant for the New York Giants in his latest 2013 NFL Mock Draft, which was released on Thursday. The ESPN draft guru chose Trufant for the Giants rather than Florida cornerback Xavier Rhodes or Houston cornerback D.J. Hayden. Kiper also left players like linebackers Manti Te'o (Notre Dame) and Alec Ogletree (Georgia) on the board while selecting Trufant.

Kiper writes:

The Giants certainly can't assume Terrell Thomas is going to be an effective starter in 2013, and even if they could, depth at cornerback would still be a priority. In Trufant, you get a player who will make your secondary better regardless of where the needs are, because Trufant can do it all. Slot or outside, man or zone, you're going to get an effective talent. Needs at linebacker can be addressed further down the board. Trufant makes sense here, and the value fits the slot.

In his prospect profile of Trufant, BBV's Jesse Bartolis wrote that "Nineteen is a little rich for my personal taste for Trufant." Trufant is ranked 38th on the Mocking The Draft Big Board. CBS Sports ranks Trufant No. 21.