Todd McShay final mock draft: Cross and Sauce for the Giants

ESPN’s Todd McShay joined the mock draft fun on Thursday with his final mock before Round 1 of the real 2022 NFL Draft begins in a few hours. Let’s see what he did for the New York Giants.

Round 1 (No. 5) — Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State

McShay says:

I’ve heard the Giants and the Panthers both love Cross, who is the best pure pass-protector in the entire class. So New York will likely want to first address the line and land its guy ahead of Carolina before looking at other needs at No. 7. Pairing Cross with Andrew Thomas gives the Giants a solid duo, helping put Daniel Jones in the best possible position to succeed in a make-or-break season for the fourth-year quarterback.

Valentine’s View: How about this? McShay and Mel Kiper agree. I know, some of you will think that means this won’t happen. It is, though, interesting.

McShay’s first four:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars — Travon Walker, Edge, Georgia
2. Detroit Lions — Aidan Hutchinson, Edge, Michigan
3. Houston Texans — Derek Stingley, CB, LSU
4. New York Jets — Ickey Ekwonu, OT, NC State

The surprise is, of course, Stingley at No. 3.

Round 1 (No. 7) — Sauce Gardner, CB, Cincinnati

McShay says:

It’s not often that a team gets good value this high on the board, but the chance to add a true shutdown cornerback might be enough for the Giants to skip out on the pass rush for the time being. And remember, it’s possible that cornerback could become the bigger of the two needs if the team’s salary-cap concerns forces it to move on from James Bradberry. The Giants can pop the champagne early and celebrate adding two high-level young starters before the sun even sets in Las Vegas.

Valentine’s View: My home run scenario! The Texans and Jets leave Gardner on the board, and the Giants pounce.