It is often a fool’s errand to even think about anything draft-related until the initial wave of free-agency calms down. But everyone takes their misguided stabs at the grand prediction game, so why should I be any different? I’m a big boy enough to withstand the inevitable, um, mocking, so here goes the first crack at a Giants Mock Draft board for 2014.
Round 1: Taylor Lewan, Offensive Tackle; Michigan: There are holes pretty much everywhere you look on the team, so the Giants could settle for the best player available. There doesn’t seem to be a clear consensus on who the Giants may go, but Lewan seems to fit the bill for the safest pick, as well as one of the most sensible. Lewan could light a fire under the rear-end of Will Beatty, whose leash grew extremely short last year. With the rebuilding of the offensive line put in motion last year with the selection of Justin Pugh, Lewan would be another excellent building block up front.
Round 2: Ryan Shazier, Outside Linebacker; Ohio State: The one thing that the Giants love to do is to pressure the quarterback. If you’re fast and you can get around the corner, as well as make sure tackles in the run game, the Giants will likely take a good, hard look at you. With Jon Beason potentially looking elsewhere (and representing himself in contract talks), the Giants maybe forced to find yet another quarterback of the defense. Though the Giants aren’t known to draft linebackers high, I think they go against the grain this time around.
Round 3: Carlos Hyde, Running Back; Ohio State: The Giants continue their plucking of the B1G (and second straight Buckeye) to find themselves an insurance policy in the event that David Wilson’s spinal stenosis becomes a very real concern. At 6’0, 240 pounds, Hyde typifies the tough inside-the-tackles runner that are perfect for the cold, late weeks of the NFL grind.
Round 4: Ego Ferguson, Defensive Tackle; LSU: The Giants have Linval Joseph looking for a very big payday that may end up being too rich for their blood. So the Giants have little depth at the position behind Johnathan Hankins, and Ferguson repsents good value at this point considering his pedigree in playing for one of the best defenses in the country over the last few years.
Round 5: Mike Davis, Wide Receiver; Texas: This is clearly about finding a serviceable weapon for Eli Manning since Hakeem Nicks is all but out of the door. Prototypical size (6’2, 200 pounds), but questions about his effort has caused him to slide. Could be a boom pick if the Giants are able to push the right buttons to getting him to maximize his obvious talent.
Round 6: Brandon Linder, Offensive Guard; Miami (FL): With the Giants final pick, the Giants continue fixing the offensive line with the acquisition of Linder. Incumbent guard Chris Snee could be on his last legs (literally) and Kevin Boothe is an annual stop-gap at this point. So the younger they can get up front, the better off Eli, and we, will sleep at night.
In case you forgot, the Giants traded this year’s seventh-rounder to Carolina for Beason.
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