No one knows what lurks in the heart of New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman these days. He says one thing, then does another. He has been unpredictable and many of his moves have left fans scratching their heads.
The 2019 NFL Draft is just three weeks away and the possibilities for the Giants are endless. They have a full roster but are in dire need of depth and upgrades and with 12 picks in this draft, the hope is they are able to inject plenty of both.
Pro Football Focus is one of many services that provide frequent mock drafts. To be fair, everyone has their own draft boards and rankings so the selections made are always going to be debatable.
The Giants have four picks i the first three rounds. Two in Round 1 (Nos. 6 and 17), one in Round 2 (No. 37) and one in Round 3 (No. 95).
Here’s how the PFF crew sees that working out for the Giants:
Round 1, Pick 6: Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida
“Right tackle is the need there for the Giants and right tackle is the pick … The roster basically pencils them into a top five or top 10 pick next year, that’s when you get the quarterback.”
Fans will moan and grown about this pick because they were hoping or either a quarterback (Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins was still on the board) or a defensive stud (LSU linebacker Devin White, also still on the board) or an offensive playmaker (Ole Miss wide receiver D.K. Metcalf), but no one can blame Gettleman for taking a “hog mollie,” especially at a position of such extreme need such as right tackle.
With Alabama’s Jonah Williams selected the pick before by Tampa Bay, the Giants cross off perhaps their biggest need by filling out the remainder of their offensive line. The 6-foot-5, 312-pound Taylor is a “plus” run blocker and the Giants just happen to love to run right with Saquon Barkley. With Taylor being inserted next to new right guard Kevin Zeitler, the offensive line is suddenly a strength on the Giants’ roster again.
Round 1 Pick 17: Jeffery Simmons, DI, Mississippi State
“You get two blue-chip players with Jawaan Taylor and Simmons on the interior in this class so far.”
Normally, Simmons wouldn’t even make it this far, but he tore his ACL in February preparing for the Combine and may not play in 2019. He is a monster of a player who has been compere to Ndamukong Suh and Fletcher Cox and would give the Giants a force in the middle of defensive coordinator James Bettcher’s defensive front.
The issue is that the Giants can’t be in the futures business in Round 1. They need a player here that can hit the ground running. Simmons has other baggage though. He is on video repeatedly punching a woman in a family dispute. Teams will likely steer clear of him early in the draft. I would pass on Simmons here in favor of either Michigan linebacker Devin Bush or Clemson defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence.
Round 2, Pick 37: Will Grier, QB, West Virginia
Grier knocked it out of the park at his pro day. He didn’t do enough to convince teams to take him in the first round, but he apparently he dis enough in front of Pat Shurmur to gain his confidence.
Grier is not particularly big (6-foot-2, 217 pounds) or fast (4.84 40), but has a deceptively strong arm.
Grier is also known as a quality locker room guy and a leader, and boy could the Giants use that. He is also a gamer who has a knack for big plays and making something out of nothing. That would be a refreshing change for Giant fans.
Personally, I wouldn’t take him here. Still on the board for some reason are Iowa tight end Noah Fant, edge rusher Montez Sweat of Mississippi State and Notre Dame cornerback Julian Love. But, if Gettleman and Shurmur believe in Grier, I’d have to defer to their judgement.
Round 3, Pick 95: Xavier Crawford, DB, Central Michigan
A lot of talent flowed past the Giants between their last pick, No. 37, and the pickings are getting slimmer here. The Giants have veteran Janoris Jenkins and redshirted rookie Sam Beal penciled in as their starting corners with Grant Haley as the slot corner. They need more bodies here and missed out on many of the top corners in this class. Crawford may be the best one left on the board.
Crawford has drawn interest from several teams (He’s had visits with Houston and Kansas City) and has the cover skills to play at the pro level. The only drawback is his play against the run. The Giants may not see this as an issue but he’s far from a perfect pick here.
It’s hard to justify taking Campbell here. The two picks on the board were wide receivers Emmanuel Hall of Missouri and Ohio State’s Parris Campbell.
Overall, I give this draft a C grade as it doesn’t do much for 2019. Outside of Taylor, none of these players are going to figure prominently for some time. Simmons and Grier are unlikely to see the field this year and Crawford is a role player at best.
