2015 NFL Draft: Giants' first-round options beyond Brandon Scherff

Iowa offensive lineman Brandon Scherff is the "perfect" pick for the New York Giants at No. 9 in the 2015 NFL Draft. At least, that is what veteran analyst Scott Wright of Draft Countdown believes. What, however, if the Giants disagree? Or, if an offensive line-needy team ahead of the Giants grabs Scherff before the Giants get the chance? What will GM Jerry Reese do then?

"I think they could go in another direction than the offensive line. You always can't rule out the defensive line, either tackle or end when it comes to the Giants. They have some question marks there now, so I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them invest there," Wright said during a recent discussion about the Giants and the draft. "I think in the trenches, either offensive line or defensive line is the favorite when it comes to the Giants now. Linebacker, yeah they could upgrade there, but it's just not an area they're inclined to invest in. There's a first time for everything, never say never, but their track record says they're not gonna go linebacker in Round 1."

The first name Wright mentioned is Danny Shelton, the massive defensive tackle from Washington.

"I don't know that he's going to be there at nine, but If he is I think he'd be in the conversation. Or, of course, a pass rusher," said Wright. "You can never rule out the d-line when it comes to the Giants. That's definitely an area they like to prioritize with their premium resources."

Wright said the best pass rusher in the draft is clearly Nebraska defensive end Randy Gregory [prospect profile]. Wright, like most analysts, figures Gregory will be off the board before the Giants pick ninth overall. Wright, though, said he doesn't think it is inconceivable that Gregory could be available for the Giants.

"There are some areas of Randy Gregory's game that are ripe to be picked apart. He's not a perfect prospect by any stretch of the imagination," Wright said. "If he were there at nine I could definitely see the Giants being in the market for him."

If the Giants want an offensive lineman, but don't want or have the option to draft Scherff, Wright believes the other two offensive linemen worthy of top 10 consideration are La'el Collins of LSU and Andrus Peat of Stanford.

Of Collins, Wright said:

"You watch him, you don't necessarily see any big holes in his game, but you don't see anything spectacular, eityher," Wright said. He's just a good all-around blocker.

"He's got question marks about what position he's going to play. He's in the same boat as Scherff."

Wright said Peat is the "most talented offensive lineman in this draft, but his play is inconsistent. I don't think he always plays up to the level of a top 10 overall draft pick even though he's got that type of physical talent and ability."

Another player often mocked to the Giants is Alabama safety Landon Collins. Wright referred to Collins as a "borderline" top 10 talent.

"I'm a big fan of his. I think he's clearly the top safety in this class by a pretty significant margin," Wright said. "very physical, he'll throw his body around. He's also shown the ability to get the job done in coverage and be a play-maker in the back end as well."