There’s a lot of speculation surrounding the New York Giants and the upcoming NFL Draft. First, there’s who they will take with the fourth overall selection (if they choose to keep it), but there is also a plenty of chatter regarding who their second round choice will be.
The Giants hold the 36th overall pick, or the fourth pick in Round 2, and as always, there will be some primo talent at that spot and maybe even a draft steal in the form of a first round talent who falls into the early second round.
Looking at the draft logistically, there’s only two paths the Giants can go at No. 4. First, they can take the bait on Clemson linebacker/safety Isaiah Simmons or they can do the safe thing and take one of the four stud offensive tackles on the board to protect last year’s top pick, quarterback Daniel Jones.
Scenario No. 1
Using The Draft Network’s mock draft simulator, we selected Simmons at No. 4. Here’s the top three players who were on the board that might interest the Giants at No. 36:
A.J. Epenesa, EDGE, Iowa
An average showing at the Combine could send the 6-foot-6, 275-pound Epenesa tumbling out of the first round, but he won’t fall very far. In 13 starts as a junior in 2019, he was named a Second Team AP All-American and a First Team all-Big 10 Conference defender with 49 tackles (14.5 for loss) and 11.5 sacks along with four forced fumbles.
Grant Delpit, S, LSU
Considered pretty much a “can’t miss” player by many scouts, the 6-foot-2, 213-pound Delpit comes from a long-line of LSU safety royalty (Jamal Adams, LaRon Landry, Tyrann Mathieu, Eric Reid) and should be a first round pick. He won the Jim Thorpe Award in 2019 racking up 65 tackles (4.5 for loss), two sacks, two interceptions and seven pass breakups in 14 starts for the national champs.
Ezra Cleveland, OT, Boise State
It’s very possible Cleveland gets taken in Round One. The 6-foot-6, 310 pounder is a little light in the frame, but is an athletic tackle who might equate as a young Nate Solder in the NFL. He could intrigue the Giants here, especially since the tackle position gets real thin after the early second round.
Scenario No. 2
In this scenario, we chose Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs at No. 4. It could have easily been any of the other three top tackles (Georgia’s Andrew Thomas, Mekhi Becton of Louisville, Alabama’s Jedrick Wills, Jr.), but it doesn’t really matter since none will be there when the Giants select in Round 2.
Here’s who is on the board at No. 36 in this scenario. Epenesa and Cleveland are available as well as these three the Giants could take a look at.
Antoine Winfield Jr., S, Minnesota
If his name sounds familiar it’s because his father of the same name was an NFL Pro Bowl corner for the Bills and Vikings. The son is a bit smallish for a safety (5-foot-10, 195 pounds) but possesses excellent speed and athleticism. Junior was a First Team AP All-American and First Team All-Big 10 selection as a redshirt sophomore in 2019, leading the Gophers with 88 tackles (3.5 for loss, three sacks) and seven interceptions (with one pick-six) and forced two fumbles.
Terrell Lewis, EDGE, Alabama
An extremely overlooked prospect as many Tide players tend to be grouped into products of the”system.” Early spate of injuries cut into his production at Bama but after he got healthy he strutted his stuff. The 6-foot-5, 262-pound Lewis showed what he could do in 2019, making 31 tackles (11.5 for loss) with six sacks and two pass breakups in 11 games. He appears to be a first round talent with injury flags. If he can stay healthy, he should be a productive pro.
Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson
It’s possible Higgins could be here staring the Giants in the face. If he is, the 6-foot-4, 215 pounder with a unique combination of size, speed and football acumen who NFL.com compares to A.J. Green would be hard for Dave Gettleman to pass up. The Giants need both a field-stretcher and a red-zone threat. Higgins would give them that plus he is a player who can win in contested situations.
