Mock Draft Tracker: A look at early mock draft choices for New York Giants

Draft season is well underway. We have already had the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl, and the Combine is less than four full weeks away. Chris Pflum is grinding away on prospect profiles, and Chris and Joe DeLeone are giving you their draft thoughts on BBV Radio.

It’s time for us to start tracking what the NFL mock drafts think the Giants should do with the No. 4 overall pick. So, let’s look at some of the recent mock drafts.

Dan Kadar (Mocking The Draft) — Andrew Thomas, OT. Georgia

Go down the checklist for New York: The Giants have a young franchise quarterback in Daniel Jones. This is a very good draft for offensive tackles. The Giants have a bad offensive line. Giants general manager Dave Gettleman adores “hog mollies.” Sometimes you don’t have to complicate things in a mock draft.

Lance Zierlein (NFL.com) — Isaiah Simmons - LB

Rare height, weight, speed and versatility to be deployed in a variety of positions. He’s only scratching the surface of his upside.

Bucky Brooks (NFL.com) — Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama

Dave Gettleman’s affinity for the “hog mollies” could lead the Giants to add an edge blocker to protect their young quarterback.

Daniel Jeremiah (NFL.com) — Mekhi Becton. OT. Louisville

Dave Gettleman loves big, physical football players, and they don’t get any bigger than Becton (listed at 6-foot-7, 369 pounds). He is a mauler in the run game, and he’s shockingly nimble in pass protection.

Mel Kiper (ESPN) — Isaiah Simmons

An off-ball linebacker in the top five? Believe it — Simmons is that good. He is the perfect run-and-cover linebacker for today’s NFL, and he can do anything and play every down. Just look at his incredible stat line from 2019: 104 tackles, eight sacks, three interceptions and 16 total tackles for loss. The Giants have many needs, but Simmons is the type of defender who makes everyone around him better. This is another spot to watch for a rising pass-rusher, but I don’t have another one graded this high. I also thought about offensive line; New York could upgrade at both tackle spots. By the way: The last time the Giants picked No. 4 overall, they ended up with a pretty good player (good luck in retirement, Eli).

Michael Renner (Pro Football Focus) — CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma

While it’s a loaded wide receiver class, chances are you won’t find that No. 1 receiver on the wrap in the second round. Insert CeeDee Lamb, the do-it-all receiver who broke 26 tackles on 62 receptions this season. It’s not like the Sooners were only pumping him screens, either. Lamb’s average depth of target was 13.2 yards downfield this year.

Dane Brugler (The Athletic) — Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama

New head coach (and former Alabama assistant) Joe Judge will receive plenty of intel from his friends in Tuscaloosa on Wills, my top-ranked tackle in the draft.

Vinnie Iyer ( Sporting News) — A.J. Epenesa, EDGE, Iowa

Epenesa (6-6, 280 pounds) is a powerful, explosive, big-bodied player. He can push blockers out of the way to get to the quarterback and also stands up strong against the run. He confirmed his top-10 status with 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble against USC in the Holiday Bowl.

Benjamin Solak (The Draft Network) — Isaiah Simmons, LB, Clemson

Slotting Isaiah Simmons is always a rather impossible task: You don’t know exactly what position he’s going to play or how it’s going to look when he plays it.

Trevor Sikkema (The Draft Network) — Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama

A few years ago New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman educated us on the term “hog mollies” or giant mammoth trench players who dominate games from the point of attack. Gettleman loves his hog mollies, and Jedrick Wills is one of them.

CBS Sports (Trapasso) — Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama