Earlier this week, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah released his first mock draft of the new year, so you knew that guys like ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. wouldn’t be very far behind.
Lo-and-behold, Kiper released mock draft 1.0 on Friday during Eli Manning’s retirement press conference, and unlike many others who have tried to sneak in unique names, Kiper went with the most obvious choice for New York: Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons.
4. New York Giants
Isaiah Simmons, OLB, Clemson
An off-ball linebacker in the top five? Believe it — Simmons is that good. He is the perfect run-and-cover linebacker for today’s NFL, and he can do anything and play every down. Just look at his incredible stat line from 2019: 104 tackles, eight sacks, three interceptions and 16 total tackles for loss. The Giants have many needs, but Simmons is the type of defender who makes everyone around him better. This is another spot to watch for a rising pass-rusher, but I don’t have another one graded this high. I also thought about offensive line; New York could upgrade at both tackle spots. By the way: The last time the Giants picked No. 4 overall, they ended up with a pretty good player (good luck in retirement, Eli).
Classy nod to Manning there.
As far as Simmons, we’ve broken down his value more than any other prospect to date, so rather than just rehashing that, here’s a quick blurb from our friends over at Draft Wire:
A rare athlete, Simmons has been deployed by a Tigers at nearly every position on defense, with a high level of success no matter what he’s asked to do. While some may view his skill set as a reason to question his fit at the next level, any NFL defensive coordinator worth his whistle will be able to take advantage of his playmaking ability, no matter where he lines up.
At this point in the process, Simmons makes the most sense for the Giants and there really isn’t a close second.
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