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2016 NFL Draft: S Karl Joseph to Giants in Round 2 of SB Nation bloggers mock draft

Here's the story of how the pick happened.

Karl Joseph
Karl Joseph
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

West Virginia safety Karl Joseph is the New York Giants' second selection, 40th overall, in the 2016 SB Nation bloggers mock draft. The two picks for the Giants were offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley at No. 10 and Joseph. Here is how the Joseph pick went down.

Valentine: Damn those Jacksonville Jaguars! In the real 2016 NFL Draft there is zero chance Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd falls to the 38th pick. Since he was very nearly my pick for the Giants at 10 in the first round I thought I might have the good fortune of nabbing him at 40. But, no, the Jags had to pick him at 38.

Joseph is, however, a nice consolation prize. He can play center field, can drop down into the box, is a wrecking ball as a tackler and would be a nice complement to Landon Collins. Weird note: Last year, the Giants took an offensive tackle (Ereck Flowers)in the first round and a safety (Collins) in the second. I have now done the same thing here, which is bizarre but feels right.

Analysis (Kadar): The pairing of Collins and Joseph in the back half of New York's defense is dangerous. He's not my top safety in the draft -- he's second behind Vonn Bell of Ohio State --€” but he's a better compliment to Collins. Joseph's biggest asset is tackling with force and playing aggressively. He can come up and stuff the run, but has the range to track in pass coverage. Taking a flier on Jaylon Smith would have been interesting here, but his uncertainty for next season could be a hard sell.

In all honesty, I was flabbergasted that Floyd dropped out of the first round. I don't think there is a chance of that happening in the real 2016 NFL Draft. He may not even last to the Giants' pick at 10 from what I've been told. As indicated, I would have jumped all over him at 40 had the Jaguars not finally selected him at 38. I would have had to think long and hard about Emmanuel Ogbah, as well, had the Tampa Bay Buccaneers not taken him at 39.

I made myself a list of about 20 possible selections at 40, and kept coming back to Joseph, who is No. 64 on our Consensus Big Board.. I know about his ACL injury, and Thursday's medical re-check will be important for him, but I'm working off the belief that he should be fine entering training camp. It's odd to go offensive tackle/safety with the first two picks two years in a row, but after picking Stanley at 10 my hope was to add an impact defensive player in Round 2. If healthy, I felt Joseph was the best available defensive player regardless of position.

Here is what Chris wrote about Joseph in his prospect profile:

Joseph is a fun player. He just flies around the field, committing instantly and fully to his play. He's also a very good tackler, especially considering a lot of the tackling coming out of college lately -- although that is another matter entirely.

Had he not been injured and continued on the course he set for himself in the first third of the season, he very well could be in the conversation as a first-round player.

If he can come back well from his injury, Joseph could be a great value for whichever team picks him.

Joseph could help solidify the back of the Giants' defense. He could also allow the Giants to try either Mykkele Thompson or Bennett Jackson as a nickel corner, another spot they have yet to address this offseason.

Kadar raised the idea of taking Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith in this spot. It doesn't always work out this way, but Giants' GM Jerry Reese always says the organization wants its first three picks to make impacts as rookies. With that in mind, I did not consider Smith here. If Smith can't play at all in 2016 due to his knee injury, my instinct is that the Giants would consider him in Round 3 but not before.

Below are the complete draft results to date, with links to the explanation for why each pick was made.

Complete Draft Results

First round

1. Tennessee TitansLaremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss (Link
2. Cleveland BrownsJared Goff, QB, Cal (Link
3. San Diego ChargersJalen Ramsey, DB, Florida State (Link)
4. Dallas Cowboys - Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State (Link)
5. Jacksonville JaguarsMyles Jack, LB, UCLA (Link)
6. Baltimore RavensJoey Bosa, DE, Ohio State (Link)
7. San Francisco 49ersDeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon (Link)
8. Philadelphia EaglesEzekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State (Link)
9. Tampa Bay BuccaneersNoah Spence, DE, Eastern Kentucky (Link)
10. New York GiantsRonnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame (Link)
11. Chicago Bears - Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida (Link)
12. New Orleans SaintsA'Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama (Link)
13. Miami Dolphins - Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State (Link)
14. Oakland RaidersJack Conklin, OT, Michigan State (Link)
15. Los Angeles RamsMackensie Alexander, CB, Clemson (Link)
16. Detroit LionsTaylor Decker, OT, Ohio State (Link)
17. Atlanta FalconsShaq Lawson, DE, Clemson (Link)
18. Indianapolis ColtsRyan Kelly, C, Alabama (Link)
19. Buffalo BillsReggie Ragland, MLB, Alabama (Link)
20. New York Jets - Darron Lee, LB, Ohio State (Link)
21. Washington - Andrew Billings, DT, Baylor (Link)
22. Houston Texans - Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor (Link)
23. Minnesota VikingsJosh Doctson, WR, TCU (Link)
24. Cincinnati Bengals - Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss (Link)
25. Pittsburgh Steelers - William Jackson, CB, Houston (Link)
26. Seattle SeahawksJonathan Bullard, DL, Florida (Link)
27. Green Bay Packers - Jarran Reed, DT, Alabama (Link)
28. Kansas City ChiefsVernon Butler, DT, Louisiana Tech (Link)
29. Arizona Cardinals - Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Ole Miss (Link)
30. Carolina PanthersKevin Dodd, DE, Clemson (Link)
31. Denver BroncosPaxton Lynch, QB, Memphis (Link)

Second round

32. Cleveland Browns - Michael Thomas, WR, Ohio State (Link)
33. Tennessee Titans - Chris Jones, DT, Mississippi State (Link)
34. Dallas Cowboys - Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville (Link)
35. San Diego Chargers- Cody Whitehair, G, Kansas State (Link)
36. Baltimore Ravens - Kendall Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech (Link)
37. San Francisco 49ers - Jason Spriggs, OT, Indiana (Link)
38. Jacksonville Jaguars - Leonard Floyd, OLB, Georgia (Link)
39. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Emmanuel Ogbah, DE, Oklahoma State (Link)