Mock Draft Monday: Full Giants Mock, Post Combine

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen hinted that what the team does in free agency could set the table for when it comes to the draft.

So, in putting together my first 7-round mock draft for the Giants (actually six rounds since the Giants don’t have a seventh-rounder), I went on the assumption (dangerous, I know) that the Giants are going to invest in at least one starting offensive lineman in free agency (probably one with guard/tackle flexibility), and that they will add to the defensive secondary (both cornerback and, if Xavier McKinney leaves, safety) in free agency, and look to add a big-time pass rusher from the veteran corps.

That said, when it came to my mock draft, certain guys were just too tempting to pass up at some of these positions. I used Pro Football Focus’s mock draft simulator, and here is how my mock graded out.

R1, Pick 6: WR Rome Odunze

This was tough because LSU QB Jayden Daniels was on the board (UNC's Drake Maye and USC’s Caleb Williams were not). I am not convinced the Giants will trade up to get a quarterback, not with all the needs this team has and with the likelihood that it will cost them at least both of their second-round picks plus another second-rounder next year.

I went into the combine thinking the Giants would go receiver at No. 6, and nothing that has come from that has changed my mind, as landing a top-notch receiver will give whoever is behind center an extra advantage.

With Marvin Harrison Jr and Malik Nabers off the board, I went with Rome Odunze of Washington. Odunze has size, good hands, and can pick up yards after the catch. While he’s primarily an outside receiver, he also played over 300 snaps in the slot, making him a versatile chess piece.

R2, Pick 39: QB J.J. McCarthy, Michigan

There’s been talk from the combine that McCarthy might have moved up into the top five draft slots, but I’m not quite buying it. It’s not that I think McCarthy is a bad player; I just have questions about why his head coach at Michigan (Jim Harbaugh) didn’t put the ball in his hands more than the 713 career pass attempts he recorded over his college career.

That said, I think McCarthy has an upside. He had the third-best completion percentage (72.1%) of all draftable quarterbacks with at least 300 dropbacks. He might have even had better numbers were it not for his receiving target dropping 20 passes this year, tied for 14th most among draft-eligible quarterbacks.

If he falls to the second round and the Giants can get him with one of their two second-round picks, I think it's a no-brainer. If the Giants draft a quarterback, I still believe that youngster will sit for a year while Daniel Jones (assuming he’s healthy) plays out the string.

McCarthy would benefit from sitting initially while the rest of the offense (particularly the offensive line) solidifies.

R2, Pic 47: ED Jonah Elliss, Utah

I know. I just got through saying that I think the Giants will be big spenders in free agency on an edge rusher. But with Azeez Ojulari entering the final year of his contract, if he gets hurt again, I just don’t see the Giants continuing to invest in him.

I've also strongly believed that a team needs more than two pass rushers. Right now, they technically have two, but again, Ojulari's lack of availability, combined with the dip in his production last year when he was available, said to me at least that adding a veteran and a draft pick on the edge is the way to go.

In Elliss, the Giants would get a guy who more than doubled his sack total from his first two seasons with the Utes (13). He also has flashed the goods to play the run. Elliss could make for a nice situational pass rusher while he grows into the pro game during his rookie season.

R3, Pick 70: IOL Christian Haynes, UConn

The Giants need to find starters at both guard positions. While I believe one starter will come from free agency, I could see competition brewing among the younger prospects like Joshua Ezeudu and Marcus McKethan and a potential draft pick.

In this scenario, I have UConn's Haynes, who played his entire career at right guard. Haynes, who logged a pass-blocking efficiency rating of 98.3 while allowing 48 pressures and eight sacks, could potentially be a developmental candidate who could sit behind a veteran for a year.

R4, Pick 108 TE Cade Stover, Ohio State

Regardless of what might happen with Darren Waller, who was contemplating retiring as of the weekend, the Giants were likely to add to the tight end position anyway. While I think the short-term plan is to add a veteran, it might behoove the Giants to start getting a kid ready for the long term. 

Stover, who turns 24 on his next birthday, is a throwback player who will win his matchups on toughness and physicality. He might not be a gazelle when running, but he can bulldoze a smaller defender.

As a pass catcher, he's also been very productive, catching 82 of 108 pass targets (75.9 percent) for 1,058 yards, 531 after the catch, and ten touchdowns. Stover has dropped just two balls in his college career and has a 50 percent success rate in contested catches.

Stover can block, too, having allowed just five pressures over his college career to finish with a 98.0 pass-blocking efficiency rating. There are some rough spots to his game--every rookie has them regardless of draft pedigree or position--but, there is quite a bit of upside with this prospect who plays a position that's a sneaky need for the Giants.

R5, No 140: RB Trey Benson, Florida State

Regardless of what happens with Sauqon Barkley in free agency, it's hard to imagine the Giants won't look to add to their running back committee in this draft. In Benson, the Giants would be getting a hard-nosed runner who fell just shy of 1,000 yards rushing in his last two seasons (905 and 994 yards, respectively) but who averaged a healthy-looking 3.97 yards after contact over his career.

After spending his first year of college at Oregon, he transferred to Florida State, where in two seasons, he averaged 6.1 yards per carry and ran for 1,896 yards and 23 touchdowns while also adding 33 receptions for 371 yards and one touchdown.

If the Giants are going to more of a committee approach at running back--and that does appear to be the likely scenario, Benson, who has only carried the rock 20 or more times once in his college career, could be a good fit into a rotation that needs a physical presence and a good set of hands out of the backfield.

R6, No. 185: DI Marcus Harris, Auburn

Harris is an undersized defensive lineman, standing 6’2.5” and weighing 286 pounds. But at Auburn, he was versatile enough to play anywhere from 1-shade (lined up to the outside shoulder of the center) to a 5-technique (lined up on the tackle's outside shoulder). 

But he's shown himself to be a disruptor--in five seasons (two at Kansas and three at Auburn). He recorded 59 pressures and 83 stops. Harris would be a developmental project while he learns to better fend off double team blocks and develops his pass-rushing toolbox further. Still, there could be a limited role for him on defense and special teams, the latter of which he has extensive experience playing on multiple units.

• Follow and like us on Facebook.
  
• Submit your questions for our mailbag.
• Follow Patricia Traina on Instagram.
• Check out the Giants Country YouTube Channel.
• Subscribe and like the LockedOn Giants YouTube Channel