Giants NFL Mock Draft 4.0: Top pick could create league’s best secondary

The Giants own the No. 11 overall pick in the NFL Draft, but it is actually a more valuable spot than usual, sitting just outside the top 10. At least four and perhaps five quarterbacks will go

The Giants own the No. 11 overall pick in the NFL Draft, but it is actually a more valuable spot than usual, sitting just outside the top 10. At least four and perhaps five quarterbacks will go in the first 10 selections, pushing down players the Giants have assigned high grades, players lasting longer on the board than they would have in other, less quarterback-centric years.

There’s a chance the Giants could have a shot to take their second-rated offensive lineman, their second-rated receiver or their top-rated cornerback. That is not bad, considering No. 11 is often firmly entrenched in the second tier of the first round. That they can go so many different directions ensures that whoever they get will please some of the people but most likely not most of the people.

For this Giants Mock Draft 4.0, we went with the Pro Football Focus simulator, the same one we used for Mock Draft 1.0, after going with the Pro Football Network simulator in Mock Drafts 2.0 and 3.0. Got that? Let’s select.

Round 1 (No. 11 overall) — CB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama

Previous picks: WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama; Edge Azeez Ojulari, Georgia; Waddle

This simulation was not kind to the Giants, in that wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase, Waddle and DeVonta Smith were all gone. Left to sort through are offensive lineman Rashawn Slater and linebacker Micah Parsons, but the Giants go with Surtain, the highest-rated cornerback on most boards. Wait, don’t the Giants have James Bradberry and didn’t they just sign Adoree’ Jackson? Why another cornerback? Well, there are never too many players on a roster capable of covering the other team’s top weapons. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will figure out a way to get Surtain on the field. Other than not possessing top-end, explosive speed, Surtain has it all and adds talent to what might be the best defensive backfield in the league.

Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II is expected to go early in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Round 2 (No. 42 overall) — OL Dillon Radunz, North Dakota State

Previous picks: LB Zaven Collins, Tulsa; WR Kadarius Toney, Florida; Edge Jaelan Phillips, Miami

There are no edge rushers available worthy of this spot in the draft and so the Giants go with a bit of a projection. He might be a little light at 301 pounds to be a right tackle, and needs to bulk up in an NFL weight room and establish strong practice habits. Showing toughness at the point of attack, Radunz had a good week at the Senior Bowl and could eventually make a move inside to guard.

Round 3 (No. 76 overall) — Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky

Previous picks: DL Milton Williams, Louisiana Tech; OL Quinn Meinerz, Wisconsin-Whitewater; OL Spencer Brown, Northern Iowa

This is one of those “we didn’t think he’d be there” picks that makes the scouts happy. Davis has good size and field smarts as an inside ‘backer, has a nose for the ball and can pluck it out of the air if it is in his vicinity. He also can block kicks, which head coach Joe Judge will appreciate.

Round 4 (No. 116 overall) — Amari Rodgers, WR, Clemson

Previous picks: OL Kendrick Green, Illinois; DT Tyler Shelvin, LSU; Green

He is short (5-foot-9) but not small (212 pounds) and is hard to get hold of, a real yards-after-catch demon. He tore his ACL in 2019 and came back in less than six months. That’s toughness. He can also return punts, so that is a plus. Dynamic talent from a football family; he is the son of Tee Martin, the former Tennessee and NFL quarterback and currently the wide receivers coach for the Ravens.

Round 6 (No. 196 overall) — Edge Chauncey Golston, Iowa

Previous picks: Edge Malcolm Koonce, Buffalo; S JaCoby Stevens, LSU; Stevens

Big hands, long wingspan at 6-foot-5, Golston is not an electric pass rusher off the edge, but he showed intriguing interior rush at the Senior Bowl. Needs to get stronger, which is what he will do as an NFL rookie. Worth a shot at a position of need.

Iowa edge rusher Chauncey Golston at the Senior Bowl on Jan. 30, 2021.

Round 6 (No. 201 overall) — LB Isaiah McDuffie, Boston College

Previous picks: LB Ernest Jones, South Carolina; LB Justin Hilliard, Ohio State; CB Tre Brown, Oklahoma

Buffalo native was 2016 New York State Defensive Player of the Year in high school. With 107 tackles in 2020, he is a high-energy defender who will pursue the ball on special teams.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Paul Schwartz