2015 NFL Mock Draft: Jesse gives Giants DE Randy Gregory

This draft should be a fun one (they all are), but this one specifically is missing "blue chip" prospects and there are less first-round caliber guys than other drafts have had. What does that mean? That means that outside of the top six or seven players in the draft there is a HUGE collection of guys who could go anywhere from where the New York Giants pick to the end of the first round. I considered a number of players for the Giants and I realized while I was doing this mock draft that I could pluck anyone from the end of the first round, swap them to the early teens and nobody would bat an eye. The disparity of players isn't great so this draft will come down a lot, more so than other years I believe, to positional needs and team fits.

1)		Jameis Winston, QB, FSU	The Buccaneers know they need a quarterback. They know they won't likely have the number one pick again. They know both Winston and Mariota have loads of potential. They'll take one or the other, the favorite is Winston.
2)		Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon	Zach Mettenberger? I'm supposed to believe that the Titans believe so strongly in Zach Mettenberger that they'll go ahead and move forward with him as their starting quarterback. We are talking about an injuryprone sixth-round pick who made Odell Beckham Jr. look human, aren't we? Maybe Ken Whisenhunt will trade for Sam Bradford and a bunch of No. 1 picks and move forward that way, but right now I'll say it's Mariota.
3)		Leonard Williams, DL, USC	I think the Jaguars would be happy with this outcome. Leonard Williams is many people's number one overall player. And while he is NOT as good as Gerald McCoy or Ndamukong Suh were coming out of college he's in their tier and will fit well in the multiple front looks Bradley prefers to run.
4)		Kevin White, WR, West Virginia	Homage to Al Davis. Bypasses the sure thing for the super upside. But Kevin White is no Darrius Heyward Bey. He's a good receiver who also happens to be fast (as opposed to being a guy who's just super fast).
5)		Dante Fowler Jr., EDGE, Florida	I'm personally not convinced that Fowler Jr. has enough pass rush potential (and if you look at his Spider chart you see he lacks in most areas)  to be the top 5 pick it seems like he may be.
6)		Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama	I think the Jets are the team that stands between the Giants and landing Cooper or White. The Raiders look likely to go WR -- the value and needs just match up too perfectly. And then after that most of the other top 8 squads have horses at WR and holes everywhere else. The Jets now have Eric Decker, Brandon Marshall, and Kerley. Do they need a WR? They also have plenty of talent on defense. They could look pass rusher.
7)		Danny Shelton, NT, Washington	Shelton is one of my top preferred options for the Giants at number 9. I recognize he's not a perfect prospect, but I think he makes an immediate and long term impact. If the Bears want to move to a 3-4 they can't be doing it with Will Sutton as their NT (currently listed there by Ourlads.com; Sutton entered the league has a guy who played much better under 300 pounds -- that doesn't scream NT). Big guys who are as productive and have the motor Shelton has don't last long in the draft, but do last long in the NFL.
8)		Shane Ray, EDGE, Missouri	The Falcons added Adrian Clayborn and Brooks Reed in free agency, but they are better run stoppers than pass rushers. Ray has yet to do anything in the pre-draft process (his Pro day is this week), but if he tests out as well as many believe he will he should solidify his top 12 spot and the Falcons make a lot of sense.
9)		Randy Gregory, EDGE, Nebraska	I know there are a lot of reasons to be worried about Gregory in the NFL, chiefly that he doesn't have the weight to put his hand in the dirt consistently, but when a team is drafting in the top 10 in the NFL draft --especially a team that doesn't do it often, get an All-Pro player, not just a starter. He's compared to Dion Jordan, Barkevious Mingo, and Gaines Adams types. The fact that those guys haven't been great NFL players doesn't mean Gregory won't be. Gregory has the potential to change the way offenses play and he can wreck game plans by himself. I know fans are nervous about the "high upside" types, but sometimes those guys end up being great players. Tyron Smith was considered all-upside and now he's an All-Pro player. The Giants will take a play-maker over a guard any time. The Giants will have to be creative with Gregory for him to maximize his potential, but that will be true whether they take Beasley, Gregory, Ray. None of these guys fit the "prototype" for the Giants, but maybe that's not such a bad thing. Greg Cossel said about Gregory "hes a better athlete than Jadevon Clowney".
10)		Davante Parker, WR, Lousiville	Brian Quick and Tavon Austin have been disappointments. Parker adds an explosive element to their offense that they have not been able to harness out there in St. Louis.
11)		Brandon Scherff, OL, Iowa	Here's a dirty secret about the NFL that most Giants fans might find hard to believe -- the Giants offensive line is head and shoulders below a few teams -- but only a few teams. Most teams in the NFL have as many problems, or even more problems, blocking than the Giants do (and you can check out the metrics if you want -- Football Outsiders, Hog Index, PFF -- Giants are middle of the pack). The best athletes in the league play defensive line and finding guys to stop them is very hard. The Vikings add another piece to their offensive line to protect their young investment in Teddy Bridgewater.
12)		Arik Armstead, DL, Oregon	The word "potential" is thrown around a lot with Armstead and I think that does his game a bit of injustice. He has potential to be a much better pass rusher than he has thus far shown, but I think he enters the league as a guy who can set the edge as a 3-4 DE, or be a immovable object as a 4-3 DT. Armstead is a Calais Campbell clone.
13)		Vic Beasley, EDGE, Clemson	This is another player I really considered for the Giants, but again isn't a perfect schematic fit. Beasley is super productive, and super athletic. (Check out his Spiderchart). He is undersized, but he plays with tenacity (and leverage) and should be a good player in the NFL, and in the right system maybe even a great one.
14)		Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State	I really, really contemplated OL here. The Dolphins team had a -102 overall last year based on PFF rating scores, and between pass block and run block they were -103. But they do have young guys there they are hoping step their games up so I went cornerback where Brent Grimes is aging and there is not much behind that. With that addition of Suh to their front 7 and shoring up their secondary with Waynes the Dolphins have the makings of one of the league's better defenses.
15)		Marcus Peters, CB, Washington	Trumaine Brock and Shareece Wright would open the season as starting cornerbacks. I think Peters "character concerns" are over-blown. He is very talented--maybe a top 10 talent in the class. If he does well in the interviews he should be drafted fairly early.
16)		Jordan Phillips, NT, Oklahoma	Like Peters this is another guy who's ultimate draft range depends on how comfortable teams are with things that have nothing to do with on-field ability. Phillips has some questionable medical stuff (which I have no access to) that will decide where his draft range is.
17)		Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford	Chargers offensive line was one of, if not the worst, in the league last year. Peat is a nice complement to D.J. Fluker (if they keep him at RT) or they can put Peat at LT, move Dunlap to RT,  and move Fluker inside where he could be a Pro Bowl guard.
18)		D.J. Humphries, OL, Florida	Andy Reid loves drafting his big bodies up front.
19)		Jalen Strong, WR, Arizona State	The Browns add a nice receiving option to their offense.
20)		Landon Collins, S, Alabama	Landon Collins isn't a great coverage guy, but he's solid in coverage and he's a great open field tackler. He'll be a long-time pro just based on his ability to support in the run game and tackle in the open-field, which, sadly, few guys can do in the NFL.
21)		Alvin 'Bud' Dupree, EDGE, Kentucky	Michael Johnson was cut by the Buccaneers because he doesn't rush the passer enough. Five years from now if Bud Dupree was the best player in the draft I wouldn't be surprised. His spider chart is terrific, and he's a team captain so you know he has a work ethic.
22)		Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest	Johnson could go higher because of positional value. He doesn't run as fast as you'd like based on his weight, but he is a very solid player who should have a nice NFL career.
23)		Malcolm Brown, DT, Texas	If teams think Brown can rush the passer he could be a top 15 pick and I think he's a dark horse candidate for the Giants.
24)		Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin	Gordon disappointed people who were hoping he had Jamaal Charles breakaway speed, which he doesn't but he's very elusive and could easily have a LeSean McCoy type impact in the NFL if he continues to develop more as a pass receiver.
25)		La'el Collins, OT, LSU	Every team could use a guy like La'el Collins (the Giants as well -- just not in the top 10).
26)		Dorial Green Beckham, WR	Dorial Green Beckham gets compared to Calvin Johnson from time to time which I don't understand. He's not nearly as fast or athletic as Johnson and he certainly doesn't have Johnson's All-Pro character, but I absolutely do buy that he could be a Plaxico Burress type in the NFL and the Ravens absolutely need that.
27)		Eddie Goldman, DL, FSU	I actually wanted to get Goldman in earlier. He is an immovable object against the run and has good character.
28)		T.J. Clemmings OL, Florida	This is where Clemmings value should start. He has all the tools, but none of the refinement. And tools in the NFL will only get you so far.
29)		Eric Kendricks, LB, UCLA	Butkus Award winner. Go look up the names of recent Butkus Award winners and you'll cry that the Giants aren't likely to get this guy. He'll be a very good NFL player.
30)		Jalen Collins, CB, LSU	Big, long, talented cornerback who could go even higher.
31)	Seahawks	Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia	Top 5 talent in the draft.
32)	Patriots	Shaq Thompson, Swiss Army Knife, Washington	Is there a more perfect match in the draft then Shaq Thompson and his scheme versatility and the mastermind of game plans and in game adjustments than the Dark Hoodie? I think Thompson would thrive in New England, where his lack of a true position would enhance his value not undermine it.