Most NFL mock drafts are based on what the analyst/writer believes the teams might do in the draft. NFL.com’s Peter Schrager takes a different approach.
“This isn’t what I would do — it’s what I’m hearing from my sources around the league,” says Schrager.
As always, the draft is a convergence of 32 separate philosophies and nothing is cast in stone until teams are ‘on the clock’ on draft night. The New York Giants hold the fifth and seventh selections in the first round and Schrager has culled his intel and believes the Giants will select as follows.
Round 1, Pick 5: Ikem Ekwonu, OL, North Carolina State
The Giants are starting a new era in East Rutherford, and if Ickey falls to No. 5, there’d be a lot of happiness in Big Blue land. The 6-4, 310-pound road paver came to N.C. State as the lesser-recruited Ekwonu brother (his twin went to Notre Dame, where he currently plays) and has emerged as a potential top-five pick.
In this mock, Alabama’s Evan Neal is off the board, as are the drafts’ two top-rated pass rushers (Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux of Oregon) and Cincinnati cornerback “Sauce” Gardner, so the Giants do the right thing and secure Ekwonu, who will start Day 1 for them at right tackle.
Round 1, Pick 7: Travon Walker, DE, Georgia
Walker could very well go first overall in this draft, as no prospect has seen his stock rise as fast as this Georgia product’s has over the last few months. His combine performance was legendary. And yet, there’s this notion that, for all his athletic ability and great football IQ (he apparently has been wonderful in the room during meetings with teams), the production simply doesn’t show up on tape. The Giants have gone to the UGA well before in recent years, with Andrew Thomas (No. 4 overall, 2020) and Azeez Ojulari (No. 50, 2021). I can see them going right back to it if Walker falls to No. 7, as he does here.
Pass rusher is high on the Giants’ list in this draft and Walker has shot up the board during the pre-draft process. They choose him over Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson II after missing out on Thibodeaux, who is believed to be their top pass rushing target.
The two picks make a load of sense for the Giants. They are in rebuilding mode and getting a staple trench player on each side of the ball here is an excellent foundation to build on.
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