Gil Brandt casts his vote for Giants to select a hog mollie

Put NFL Hall of Fame executive Gil Brandt in the camp of believing that the New York Giants should use their first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, No. 4 overall, on an offensive tackle rather than a defender like Isaiah Simmons.

“I think it’s fine to get a guy that’s got all that versatility, but I do think that it’s harder and has more of an impact on the game right now to get an offensive lineman,” Brandt said on a Sirius XM conference call with former NFL GM Mark Domenik. “If I were the Giants I would take one of those hog mollies.”

As for which one, Brandt said “I don’t think there’s a lot of difference” between the top four offensive tackles — Jedrick Wills, Tristan Wirfs, Mekhi Becton, Andrew Thomas.

If the Giants don’t get an offensive lineman at the top of the draft, Brandt said he likes Ezra Cleveland of Boise State among the second tier of tackles.

“I like Cleveland a lot,” Brandt said. “I think Cleveland is probably a guy that’s a year away from being his best. I think that eventually Cleveland is going to be a very, very good football player.”

With the Giants sitting at No. 4 there has been much discussion of trading down. Brandt and Domenik didn’t seem to believe there would be much interest from the Miami Dolphins at No. 5 or LA Chargers at No. 6 in moving up for quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert. That, of course, could hurt the Giants if they want to move down for additional picks.

“I would not be surprised to see Miami take a position player at that spot,” Brandt said following a discussion in which he expressed doubt about how long Tagavailoa could remain a healthy, viable NFL quarterback.

“I don’t think you have to trade up to get Tua,” Domenik said. “I think they (the Dolphins) probably will take him.”

Domenik opined that Justin Herbert is a first-round pick, but added that “I don’t think it’s a guy that you have to trade up to get.”