The 2021 NFL draft is a little over two months away which means the mock drafts are flying at us at warp speed. In the latest attempt by Luke Easterling of Draft Wire, the offensive-starved New York Giants take three defensive players with their first three selections.
Round 1, Pick 11: Gregory Rousseau, EDGE, Miami
There are some reservations that come with this pick. Rousseau opted out of the 2020 season after a 15.5-sack season in 2019 due to COVID-19 concerns. He hasn’t played a ton of football, but you can’t teach size and ability and the 6-foot-7, 265-pound Rousseau has plenty of both.
The Giants need a dominant edge rusher badly and this could be a gamble that pays off nicely. Easterling has the Giants taking Rousseau over Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II, Michigan edge rusher Kwity Paye and Devonta Smith, the productive Heisman Trophy-winning wideout from Alabama.
Moving onto Round 2…
Round 2, Pick 42: Levi Onwuzurike, defensive line, Washington
This pick only makes sense if the Giants lose Dalvin Tomlinson in free agency.
Onwuzurike would be a nice replacement for Tomlinson. He is a penetrating lineman who can get to the passer and make those valuable tackles for a loss. But he also opted out last year and there’s no recent tape on him, so any team that takes him is flying a bit blind.
Many would like to see the Giants take an offensive playmaker here such as LSU wide receiver Terace Marshall Jr. or Miami tight end Brevin Jordan.
And now, Round 3…
Round 3, Pick 76: Israel Mukuamu, cornerback, South Carolina
The Giants are in the market for an outside corner and this pick might be a bit of reach here in Day 2. Mukuamu is a tall (6-foot-3) corner who plays a physical style and we’ll need to see his 40 times to determine if he’s worth a third round pick.
All in all, this draft fills some needs but it doesn’t help the offense, which was ranked 31st in the NFL last year. The Giants need not only an offensive playmaker, they need a tackle and some running back depth as well.
Giants Twitterverse would go wild if general manager Dave Gettleman made these picks.
