We’re still some 57 days or so away from the 2021 NFL draft and the speculation is beginning to heat up. A lot must happen first. Franchise tag decisions are due next week and then free agency begins the week after.
Teams will satisfy many of their needs (we think — the lower salary cap will likely tamp the market down) in free agency which could change their draft strategies. The New York Giants are in the market for a few things, primarily offensive playmakers, a No. 2 cornerback, edge rushers, a backup running back and offensive line help. If they can’t secure Leonard Williams and/or Dalvin Tomlinson, they’ll also be seeking to backfill along the defensive line.
Chris Burke of The Athletic chimed in with his latest mock of first round of the 2021 NFL draft. At No. 11 overall he has the Giants selecting linebacker Micah Parsons of Penn State, who is not in any of the groups we mention above. He is the highest-rated player on the board and you know the old adage.
More likely to trade up or down? Up.
GM Dave Gettleman sometimes seems like he’d rather let the clock run out on his selection than trade back. But moving the other way this year could land him a premier receiver. I thought about offensive tackle Rashawn Slater and edge Azeez Ojulari here, but Parsons was too much of a value to pass up here. Give him a year or two to bank some more experience and the Penn State product could be a game-wrecking All-Pro on the second level.
First off, Gettleman make a draft day trade? Don’t lose any sleep thinking about that. He hasn’t in the past and he won’t again this year and he probably shouldn’t as they’ll be player worth the No. 11 pick starring at him when the Giants are on the clock.
In this mock, Burke has the Giants choosing Parsons over the Heisman Trophy winner, Alabama wide receiver Devonta Smith, and Miami defensive end Gregory Rousseau, two players the Giants are reportedly high on.
Parsons is a top 10 talent but reports of some violent off-field behavior have surfaced and some experts believe that could cause him to fall out of the top 10. Burke has the Giants right there to stop the free fall.
In a recent mock draft by Pro Football Focus, Parsons falls all the way to Cleveland at No. 26 but not for the reasons stated above. It’s his work in pass coverage that they see as “raw,” which in today’s NFL is an essential trait for a first round linebacker to possess.
What the Giants have to weigh is Parsons a compliment to Blake Martinez or can he be a force out on the edge. I’m not seeing the fit but with a talent such as his, you find a way to make it fit.
