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Finally, after long last, after weeks of speculation and scouting reports, rumors and smoke screens, it is officially Draft Week!
In just a few days we will finally know for sure who the New York Giants will select in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft. But until that time, we still have some more time for pointless speculation.
InvictusXI, Dan Pizzuta, and I conspired to do a mock draft, rotating our picks and coming to a consensus for the Giants’ selection.
So, without further ado, here’s the mock!
1. Cleveland Browns - InvictusXI - Sam Darnold, QB, USC
2. Buffalo Bills (trade) - Chris - Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
3. New York Jets - Dan - Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
4. Cleveland Browns - InvictusXI - Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn St.
5. Denver Broncos - Chris - Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame
6. Indianapolis Colts - Dan - Derwin James, DB, Florida State
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - InvictusXI - Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State
8. Chicago Bears - Chris - Bradley Chubb, DE, NC State
9. San Francisco 49ers - Dan - Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
10. Oakland Raiders - InvictusXI - Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama
11. Miami Dolphins - Chris - Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
12. New York Giants (trade) - Consensus - Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
13. Washington Redskins - Dan - Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan
14. Green Bay Packers - InvictusXI - Harold Landry, EDGE, Boston College
15. Arizona Cardinals - Chris - Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville
16. Baltimore Ravens - Dan - D.J. Moore, WR, Maryland
17. Los Angeles Chargers - InvictusXI - Vita Vea, DT, Washington
18. Seattle Seahawks - Chris - Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
19. Dallas Cowboys - Dan - Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State
20. Detroit Lions - InvictusXI - Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech
21. Cincinnati Bengals - Chris - Connor Williams, OL, Texas
22. NYG (trade) - Consensus - Marcus Davenport, EDGE, UTSA
23. New England Patriots - Dan - Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA
24. Carolina Panthers - InvictusXI - Isaiah Wynn, OG, Georgia
25. Tennessee Titans - Chris - Josh Sweat, EDGE, FSU
26. Atlanta Falcons - Dan - Taven Bryan, DT, Florida
27. New Orleans Saints - InvictusXI -Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
28. Pittsburgh Steelers - Chris - Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
29. Jacksonville Jaguars - Dan - Will Hernandez, OG, UTEP
30. Minnesota Vikings - InvictusXI - Josh Daniels, OC, Iowa
31. New England Patriots - Chris - Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma St.
32. Philadelphia Eagles - Dan - Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa
Giants’ Picks
Faced with the second-overall pick and Sam Darnold off the board, a trade down appeared on each of our top options, so we took that road. Not only did we want to maximize the value of the pick, but it also allowed us to make multiple picks for the Giants, and force you all to read further.
In exchange for the second-overall pick, the Giants got picks 12, 22, 56, and the Bills’ 2019 first-round pick. It’s possible that the pick could go for more on draft night, but we didn’t want to venture into the territory of being unreasonable.
First Round
Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville - Jackson was a top option for two of us, and was tied with Boston College pass rusher Harold Landry. We decided to take the quarterback and hopefully set the Giants up for life after Eli Manning. Jackson has sky-high potential and is already familiar with NFL concepts from playing in Louisville’s Erhardt-Perkins based offense. Being able to sit for a year or two behind Manning would allow Pat Shurmur and Mike Shula (who is plenty of experience coaching a highly athletic quarterback) to fine-tune his mechanics. Jackson’s quick, compact release, strong arm, and tight spirals are tailor made for playing in the Meadowlands late in the season, and his rare athleticism would give the Giants’ offense a dimension it hasn’t seen since Fran Tarkenton.
Marcus Davenport, EDGE, UTSA - Our patience in passing on Landry paid off quickly, as we were able to land one of the top edge rushers in the draft. Former NFL defensive end, and SB Nation writer Stephen White believes that Davenport is the second-best pass rusher in the draft, behind only Bradley Chubb, and could be at least as good as — if not better than — Chubb in a couple years’ time.
Day Two
*Note: rather than mock out the second and third rounds, we decided to each throw out a player we believe the Giants could, or should, take with each of their four picks on Friday evening
34.
Chris - Frank Ragnow, C/G, Arkansas
Dan - Justin Reid, S, Stanford
Invictus - Braden Smith, OG, Auburn
56.
Chris - Brian O’Neill, OT, Pittsburgh
Dan - Chukwuma Okorafor, OT, Western Michigan
Invictus - Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia
66.
Chris - Terell Edmunds, S, Virginia Tech
Dan - Fred Warner, OLB, BYU
Invictus - Jamarco Jones, OT, Ohio State
69.
Chris - Shaquem Griffin, LB, Central Florida
Dan - Jaylen Samuels, RB, North Carolina State
Invictus - Anthony Miller, WR, Memphis