7-round Giants mock draft: Examining Chad Reuter’s picks for the Giants

Maybe you like my new 6-round New York Giants mock draft. Maybe you don’t. No matter. If you are reading and debating our Big Blue View draft coverage, it’s all good.

Anyway, here is mock for you to compare mine to. Chad Reuter of NFL.com has issued a 7-round mock draft of his own. Here are his selections for the Giants:

Round 1 (No. 11) — Kwity Paye, Edge, Michigan
Round 2 (No. 42) — Dyami Brown, WR, North Carolina
Round 3 (No. 76) — Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio State
Round 4 (No. 116) — Josh Myers, C, Ohio State
Round 6 (No. 196) — T.J. Slaton, DT, Florida
Round 6 (No. 201) — Sam Cooper, G, Merrimack College

Round 1

Here is what Reuter wrote about the selection of Paye:

Paye dropped to 261 pounds for his pro day, allowing general manager Dave Gettleman to envision the former Wolverine standing up in the Giants’ defense. His agility and strength are perfect for winning and setting the edge.

NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein doesn’t appear to be a fan of picking Paye this early:

The explosive testing will surely get teams and evaluators excited, but it might be hard to bang the table for him based on the tape. Paye’s traits and potential should not be discounted, as he’ll continue to be skilled up in technique and fundamentals. However, he’s a choppy-stepping short-strider who doesn’t play with the feel and instincts of an NFL playmaker. He can overcome his lack of stride length as a rusher with a more focused, upfield attack and better hands at the top of his rush, but he might be better-suited as a reduced rusher on passing downs, where his quickness could overwhelm guards. The traits and explosiveness are enticing but the film says “good” rather than “great” at this time

Valentine’s View: I tend to side with Zierlein. I see good, but I’m not sure I see the upside to be great when I watch Paye. I’m also not certain I see a guy who has the versatility Patrick Graham wants. If the Giants think he can do what Graham wants, I could see them making this pick. There’s certainly a high floor. I just don’t see the high ceiling in the Giants’ defense that I’d like to see.

The rest of the draft

I like Brown and think he will be a good NFL player. It is noteworthy for me that Joe Tryon (selected at 43) and Joseph Ossai (selected at 75) were still on the board. I’m not sure I wouldn’t have been thinking offensive line here.

In Round 3, I love Reuter taking Trey Sermon. I haven’t generally been able to bring myself to take a running back that early. For a guy who draws Derrick Henry comparisons, though, I’m not arguing.

In Round 4, Reuter gives the Giants Ohio State center Josh Myers. I think Myers can also play guard, and I’m cool with this the way Reuter’s mock has unfolded. There aren’t many interior offensive linemen left who can compete quickly for starting roles.

In Round 6, Reuter took defensive tackle T.J. Slaton at No. 196 and offensive tackle Sam Cooper at No. 201. To be frank, I’m not really familiar with either player. I love the idea, though, of taking fliers on big interior players late in the draft.