2015 NFL mock draft roundup: Consensus? Just confusion for Giants at No. 9

The 2015 NFL Draft is less than three weeks away, and our regular Friday NFL mock draft roundup shows the picture the New York Giants with the ninth overall pick to be as muddled, maybe more muddled, at this point than it has ever been. Consensus? The only consensus is that no one can seem to agree on what GM Jerry Reese and the Giants are going to do in the first round.

Our mock draft roundup this week shows 12 mock drafts, with nine different players being chosen. There are, of course, Brandon Scherff supporters. The Iowa offensive lineman was selected three times, the most of anyone. Washington defensive tackle Danny Shelton was the pick in two mocks. After that? A smorgasbord. You can make an argument for why each of the nine players could be the pick. You can also make arguments in each case why the pick should be someone else.

Five things I think I think

Yep. A little bonus thinking cap time. Let's try to make some sense of not only these mock drafts, but some of what we have been reading and hearing lately in relation to the Giants and the draft.

I think I'm more unsure than ever about what the Giants might do at No. 9. As I said above, you can make a legitimate argument for the Giants to go in a bunch of different directions. One thing I am becoming more and more convinced of is that I think the Giants may swing for a home run if they stay at nine. It is the highest pick the Giants have ever had during the tenure of Jerry Reese as general manager. Forget position. I have a feeling the position the Giants would really like to fill at No. 9 is "difference-maker."

I still think Brandon Scherff is the best offensive lineman. I'm no expert film analyst, but from what I see when I do look at all the top guys I haven't seen anyone better. La'el Collins, Andrus Peat, Ereck Flowers and D.J. Humphries all have their supporters -- and I've communicated with several of those people. None, however, has me convinced that their guy is better than Scherff. Draft boards and most mock drafts would seem to agree. That doesn't mean I believe the Giants will draft Scherff if he's available. If they believe a player like Peat is a future All-Pro left tackle it wouldn't surprise me if they go in that direction.

I think the key to this draft is Rounds 2-4. As much as we focus on the first round what happens on days 2 and 3 is just as important, if not more important. That could be particularly true this year. There is an incredible amount of disagreement among analysts when it comes to the second and third tiers of players in the 2015 draft class. There will be great value available, but invariably some teams are going to get it completely wrong in that section of the draft. The teams who get it right are going to be way ahead of the game.

I think I wouldn't listen to all the safety hype. All of a sudden we are hearing rumors that some teams think Arizona State safety Damarious Randall could be a first-round pick. Everybody wants a safety who can cover and there aren't a lot of them in this draft class. Most likely you will hear a lot of talk like this about safeties over the next couple of weeks as teams try to position for a guy they might believe in. Maybe Randall, who carries a third-round grade, goes much higher. Maybe he doesn't. Just don't believe everything you hear.

I think I like trading down a few spots from No. 9. I seriously doubt that it will happen. It simply isn't the Giants' normal mode of operation, and I think Reese might be loathe to give up the only chance he has ever had to pick in the top 10. We have explored scenarios, though, where the Giants trade down from nine to as low as 14, where the Miami Dolphins pick. Is there really much difference between what you can get at nine and what will be available at 14? Maybe not when you look at how jumbled opinions are about players beyond the first five or six in this draft class. If you can get a pick that remains in the top half of the first half, and add at least one Day 2 pick in a class where it seems like there should be value available there, it has to be tempting.

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