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The Mockingjay's rebellious approach…

So, I’m trying a new approach with my Mock Addiction lately. A more rebellious approach, just like the Mockingjay. Instead of taking the Giants as my team, I’m taking other teams, and seeing what the Simulator gives to/does with the Giants picks. It’s been pretty interesting, TBH. And it gives me a sense of how sims like the ones at PFN, TDN, PFF, Fanspeak, and First-pick view our needs and tendencies. It also shows me what those engines think we will accept as trades "from the other side." Here are a few results I got from these 2-round Mocks lately:

PFN: I took the role of the Steelers at #20 overall. They clearly need a QB, and though 20th is a little lower than I'd like to fall back to, that just means that they'll have to pay a pretty steep price to get me to do it. The sim gave us Kyle Hamilton at #5 after turning down my trade offers for that pick (from #20). Then they accepted a trade for the #7 pick in exchange for the Steelers #20 & #52, plus 2023s 1st & 3rd Rd picks. Considering we got four picks—two #1s a #4 and a #5—to move from #11 to #20 last year, that package seems reasonable to me. I would not have taken Hamilton at #5, personally, but I’d take that offer for #7 if I’d already taken an OT at #5. (*BTW, the first four to go were: Thibs, Karlaftis, Hutch, Stingley.) I let the sim keep running, and it traded the Giants’ newly-acquired #20 pick, plus pick #67, to Philly for pick #16, with which we took Charles Cross. So, Hamilton & Cross in Rd 1, an extra 2nd Rd pick (#52) and next year’s 1st Rd pick from Pitts. Not bad, I’d say, if we can get two more O-line studs in that 2nd Round.

But no-o-o-o. The sim took Jermaine Johnson at #36, and LSU G Ed Ingram at #52. Ingram is NOT my idea of a plug-and-play starter, btw. I’ve seen him go as low as the 5th Rd in a lot of Mocks lately. I am NOT happy with the 2nd Round, PFN!

TDN: I took WFT at #11 overall, b/c I think they’ll want a crack at a QB, too. The first four players to go were: Neal, Hutch, Thibs, Hamilton. "I" offered us (the Giants) WFTs picks #11, #43 and 2023s #1, for our #5 overall…and was turned down. They even turned it down when I added 2023s 4th Rd pick as well. So I let the sim make the #5 pick—Ekwonu. Then I tried trading for the #7 pick, but again, was turned down when I offered #11, 43 and next year’s 1st Rd pick. The sim then gave the Giants Karlaftis at #7, and Nakobe Dean at #36. I’m not particularly happy with those first two Rounds either, TDN. And I think the sim wanted too much for a four-pick trade down.

PFF: I took the Saints at #18, thinking they will possibly want to trade up for a QB, too. The first four off the board were: Thibs, Neal, Stingley, Hutch. The sim accepted "my" offer of #18, #50, & 2023s 1st Rd pick for our #5 overall. This is a worse offer than TDN turned down to move four spots back to #11 overall! So, obviously, all sims are not created equally. But it is what it is. The sim gave us Karlaftis at #7, Linderbaum at #18, Penn St edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie at #37 (OTs Darian Kinnard & Zion Johnson went 39th & 40th, btw) and Mich St RB Kenneth Walker at #50. I’m REALLY not happy with these first two rounds, PFF! ONE O-lineman with four picks? Seriously?!

The upshot: the rest of the world—the sims, at least—may not see the world the way I (we?) do. They may not see the absolute imperative of drafting 3 or 4 O-linemen before Day 3 even starts. Shame on them!...

Let me know if you try this approach, though. I'm curious what you guys get...and learn, about how the sim world sees the Giants.


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