:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69180284/1296884610.0.jpg)
As we get down to the mock draft nitty-gritty, with less than a week to go before the 2021 NFL Draft, the clear impression in the draft community is that the best play for the New York Giants at No. 11 is to select a wide receiver.
Of the 74 mock drafts in this week’s tracker, 30 (40.5 percent) have the Giants selecting either of the two Alabama wide receivers, Jaylen Waddle or DeVonta Smith. Waddle was selected 16 times (21.6 percent) and Smith 14 times (18.9 percent).
Offensive lineman Rashawn Slater and Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons were each chosen in 13 mock drafts (17.6 percent).
Asked this week about Smith weighing only 166 pounds and Waddle just 180, Giants GM Dave Gettleman seemed unbothered.
“You evaluate the film and the college film suggests that they’re very good players,” Gettleman said. “There are plenty of smaller guys that have been very successful in this league just like there are plenty of huge guys that have been successful and everyone in the middle.”
2021 Mock Draft Tracker
| Date | Mock Draft | Round 1 | Round 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Mock Draft | Round 1 | Round 2 |
| 4/29 | The Athletic (Brugler) | Kwity Paye, DL, Michigan | |
| 4/29 | ESPN (Kiper) | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/29 | ESPN (McShay) | Kwity Paye, DL, Michigan | |
| 4/29 | NFL.com (Schrager) | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/29 | NFL.com (Casserly) | Kwity Paye, DL, Michigan | |
| 4/29 | NFL.com (Zierlein) | Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State | |
| 4/29 | FOX Sports (Rang) | Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State | Carlos Basham, DE, Wake Forest |
| 4/28 | CBS (Trapasso) | Kwity Paye, DL, Michigan | |
| 4/28 | NFl.com (Jeremiah) | Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State | |
| 4/28 | Tankathon | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/28 | Pro Football Network (Albright) | Kwity Paye, DL, Michigan | |
| 4/28 | Newsday (Klopsis) | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/28 | Tony Pauline (Pro Football Network) | Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State | Wyatt Davis, G, Ohio State |
| 4/28 | CBS (Brinson) | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/28 | Yahoo Sports (Edholm) | Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina | |
| 4/28 | Sporting News (Iyer) | Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern | |
| 4/28 | Pro Football Focus (Renner) | Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern | |
| 4/28 | NFL.com (Davis) | Kwity Paye, DL, Michigan | |
| 4/28 | DraftTek | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/28 | Walter Football (Walt) | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | Azeez Ojulari, Edge, Georgia |
| 4/28 | NFL Trade Rumors | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/28 | Walter Football (Campbell) | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | Azeez Ojulari, Edge, Georgia |
| 4/27 | SI (Breer) | Kwity Paye, DL, Michigan | |
| 4/27 | Draftwire | Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern | |
| 4/27 | Pro Football Focus (Staff) | Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern | |
| 4/27 | CBS (Prisco) | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/27 | Philadelphia Inquirer (Bowen) | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/27 | Pro Football Talk (Florio) | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/27 | ESPN (NFL Nation Staff) | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/27 | Pewter Report (Ledyard) | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/27 | NFL.com (Brooks) | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/26 | SI (Countryman) | Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama | |
| 4/26 | Draft Network (Melo) | Kwity Paye, DL, Michigan | |
| 4/26 | Draft Network (Arians) | Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State | |
| 4/26 | CBS (Jones) | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/26 | Draftwire (Easterling) | Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern | |
| 4/26 | Establish The Run (Silva) | Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern | |
| 4/26 | Touchdown Wire (Farrar) | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/26 | CBS (Wilson) | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/26 | NBC (Peter King) | Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State | |
| 4/26 | USA Today | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/26 | Akron Beacon Journal (Kadar) | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/26 | Sun Sentinel (Kelly) | Penei Sewell, Ot, Oregon | |
| 4/26 | Athlon Sports | Kwity Paye, DL, Michigan | |
| 4/26 | Pro Football Focus | Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota | |
| 4/26 | Penn Live | Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State | |
| 4/25 | NFL.com (Lewis) | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/25 | Draft Kings | Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina | |
| 4/25 | Blogging The Boys | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | Ronnie Perkins, Edge, Oklahoma |
| 4/25 | EDS Football (Hanson) | Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State | Jalen Mayfield, OT, Michigan |
| 4/24 | Pro Football Network (Schulte) | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | Gregory Rousseau, Edge, Miami |
| 4/24 | San Diego Union Tribune (Brown) | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/24 | CBS (Benjamin) | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/23 | FOX Sports (McIntyre) | Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa | |
| 4/23 | Dallas Morning News (Watkins) | Azeez Ojulari, Edge, Georgia | |
| 4/23 | CBS (Edwards) | Kwity Paye, DL, Michigan | Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri |
| 4/23 | Underdog Fantasy (Norris) | Kwity Paye, DL, Michigan | |
| 4/23 | NFL.com (Reuter) | Kwity Paye, DL, Michigan | |
| 4/23 | CBS (Dubin) | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/23 | NJ.com (Giglio) | Jaelan Phillips, Edge, Miami | |
| 4/22 | SI (Fabiano) | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/22 | Houston Chronicle (McClain) | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/22 | Draft Network (Solak) | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/22 | EDS Football (Hanson) | Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State | |
| 4/21 | Pro Football Network (Tanier) | Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern | |
| 4/20 | Sharp Football Analysis | Azeez Ojulari, Edge, Georgia | |
| 4/20 | SI (Vrentas) | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/19 | UPI (Butler) | Kwity Paye, DL, Michigan | |
| 4/19 | Huddle Report (Johannes) | Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern | |
| 4/19 | North Jersey (Stapleton) | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/19 | USA Today (Davis) | Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State | |
| 4/19 | LA Times (Farmer) | Gregory Rousseau, Edge, Miami | |
| 4/19 | Pro Football Focus (Palazzolo) | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/18 | Baltimore Sun | Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State | |
| 4/18 | Walter Football (Campbell) | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | Trey Smith, G, Tennessee |
| 4/17 | Pro Football Network (Farabaugh) | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/17 | Pro Football Network (Hodgkinson) | Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State | |
| 4/16 | Draft Network (Sikkema) | Alijah Vera-Tucker, iOL, USC | |
| 4/16 | Cleveland.com | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/15 | NFL.com (Casserly) | Kwity Paye, DL, Michigan | |
| 4/14 | The Phinsider (Nogle) | Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State | |
| 4/14 | Rotoworld (Daigle) | Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech | |
| 4/14 | Pro Football Network (Williamson) | Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern | |
| 4/14 | Touchdown Wire (Farrar) | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/12 | NFL.com (Jones-Drew) | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/12 | Outkick | Kwity Paye, DL, Michigan | |
| 4/12 | Sharp Football | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/12 | Pro Football Focus (Monson) | Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State | |
| 4/10 | Pro Football Network (Valdovinos) | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama | Joseph Ossai, Edge, Texas |
| 4/10 | NY Post (Serby) | Kwity Paye, DL, Michigan | |
| 4/9 | Pro Football Focus (Erickson) | Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern | |
| 4/8 | Pro Football Focus (Evans) | Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern | |
| 4/8 | Pro Football Network (Rolfe) | Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech | |
| 4/8 | AL.com | Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern | |
| 4/7 | USA Today (Middlehurst-Schwartz) | Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State | |
| 4/5 | NFL Draft Room | Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State | |
| 4/5 | Pro Football Focus (Spielberger) | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/5 | Pro Football Focus (Linsey) | Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern | |
| 4/4 | Pro Football Network (Cummings) | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama | |
| 4/3 | NBC Sports (Winks) | Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern |