2018 Daily Norseman Community Mock Draft: New York Giants, Pick #2

We are now on to the second pick of our 2018 Daily Norseman Community Mock Draft. To the surprise of nobody, the DN Community has mocked USC quarterback Sam Darnold to the Cleveland Browns with the first overall pick, and now we move on to the second pick. That pick. . .at least for the moment. . .belongs to the New York Giants, and they can go in any number of directions.

New York Giants

2017 record: 3-13 (4th place, NFC East)

Offseason acquisitions

LB Kareem Martin (free agent signing), G Patrick Omameh (free agent signing), WR Cody Latimer (free agent signing), DE Josh Mauro (free agent signing), CB Curtis Riley (free agent signing), OT Nate Solder (free agent signing), CB B.W. Webb (free agent signing), DE Kerry Wynn (free agent signing)

Offseason losses

CB Ross Cockrell (signed with Carolina), G D.J. Fluker (signed with Seattle), LB Devon Kennard (signed with Detroit), DE Jason Pierre-Paul (traded to Tampa Bay), G Justin Pugh (signed with Arizona), C Weston Richburg (signed with San Francisco), CB Dominique Rogers-Cromartie (contract terminated)

Team Needs

Defensive end - Jason Pierre-Paul was a stalwart for the Giants on defense for a number of years, but he and his pass rush skills now reside in Tampa Bay after a trade. They’re still solid up front, but they could use another premiere pass rusher to pair with Olivier Vernon.

Quarterback - Eli Manning isn’t getting any younger and, unfortunately for the Giants, he’s not getting any better, either. Things got to the point where Manning wound up getting benched (if only for one game), and the time has come for the Giants to start seriously considering a replacement for him. Much like the situation in Cleveland, no quarterback the Giants would take would have to play right away, but unlike Cleveland, they have to find someone that can not only carry the team, but also handle the New York media.

Offensive line - The Giants’ offensive line was pretty awful in 2017, and while they did score a major plus with the acquisition of offensive tackle Nate Solder, they also lost a couple of solid pieces in Weston Richburg and Justin Pugh. The Giants, much like the Vikings in recent history, need a full-on rebuild up front.

Running back - The Giants don’t have a true #1 running back, though it’s hard to really judge the abilities of the guys they have given how terrible the offensive line was. Still, the Giants need to do something to balance things out on offense, and that would start with a solid running back.

Options

Yeah, I’m going to recycle some of these as we go along, because really, the descriptions aren’t going to change much.

Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming - Allen has all of the physical attributes you want in an elite quarterback, but there are definitely some red flags. He played at a smaller school, and didn’t exactly light it up in his chances against higher competition. Some of that might have been the talent he was surrounded by, but his accuracy numbers from college definitely leave something to be desired. He might be the most “boom or bust” quarterback in this year’s class.

Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State - Barkley is head and shoulders above the rest of the running back class in this year’s draft, and is drawing comparisons to guys like Leonard Fournette and Ezekiel Elliott. Both of those guys have been high draft picks recently, and Barkley has all the tools to be every bit the running back that those two are. He’s not great as a receiver yet, but he’s not awful, either.

Bradley Chubb, DE, North Carolina State - By far the best pass rusher in this year’s class, Chubb is the one player in this class that could likely step in and replace Pierre-Paul right away. He’s the best overall defensive prospect in this class, and though most of the Giants’ needs are on the offensive side of the ball, Chubb is an option that could intrigue them.

Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma - The Heisman Trophy winner from this past season seems to have more variance as far as people view him than any of the “Top 4” quarterbacks. He doesn’t have prototype size (measuring in at 6’), and does have some character red flags as well. Still, he is incredibly accurate, completing 68.5% of his passes in college, and his improvisational skills are outstanding. Comparisons to Johnny Manziel are inevitable for Mayfield, but that comparison is kind of lazy, in my opinion.

Quentin Nelson, G, Notre Dame - Speaking of bests, Nelson might be the best overall prospect in the draft class of 2018, regardless of position. The most dominant offensive lineman in college football in 2017, there has been some talk that Nelson could potentially be a tackle, but that’s crazy talk, in my opinion. Whichever team takes Nelson is going to have a plug-and-play dominant guard for the next decade. But, do you take an interior offensive lineman at #2 overall?

Josh Rosen, QB, California-Los Angeles - Rosen has the dreaded title of “most pro-ready” quarterback in this class, and played in more of a pro-style offense at UCLA. He checks all the boxes you want for a potential franchise guy in terms of size and arm strength. He doesn’t have quite the mobility that seems to be valued at the quarterback position today, but he’s definitely got what it takes to be a successful passer in the NFL.

That’s what we have for the #2 overall pick, ladies and gentlemen. We’ll be back tomorrow with the other New York franchise, the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets!