New New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman is about to win the lottery. In spite of plenty of draft prognosticators telling him he should take a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick, he and new head coach Pat Shurmur are surely smart enough to see a rare talent falling right into their lap. In spite of former head coach Ben McAdoo’s screw ups with Eli Manning, he still has three good years left. There’s no reason to reach for a QB when you can nab the best offensive player in the draft without blinking an eye.
Here’s your Giants perfect draft.
Round 1, Pick 2: Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
2017: 217 carries, 1,271 yards, 18 touchdowns, 5.9 yards per carry, 54 catches, 632 yards, three receiving touchdowns (5-11, 230 pounds)
Barkley is an instant offensive game changer for the Giants. The match ups that Shurmur should be able to create with a healthy Odell Beckham Jr., Evan Ingram, Sterling Shepard and healthy Brandon Marshall (if they don’t cut him) and Barkley is all the reason this team needs to pull the trigger. Manning hasn’t had a star running back since Tiki Barber and Barkley will be significantly better than Barber ever was.
Round 2, Pick 34: Chukwuma Okorafor, OT Western Michigan
6-6, 330 pounds
New York smartly added Nate Solder in free agency. Ereck Flowers should be holding down the right side of the line (he’s currently a no-show at offseason workouts for some reason). Still, this is a line that needs bodies and depth. Flowers is in the fourth year of his rookie deal and Solder just signed a four-yea contract. Drafting Okorafor can allow the Giants to move some pieces around and maybe slide Flowers inside to guard, a position he might be better suited to play.
Round 3, Pick 66: Duke Ejiofor, DE, Wake Forest
2017: 43 tackles, 17 for a loss, seven sacks, one pass defended, two forced fumbles (6-4, 275 pounds)
New defensive coordinator James Betcher is switching the Giants to a 3-4 defense like he ran in Arizona. That means he needs to change a few pieces outside of moving Olivier Vernon to outside linebacker. Ejiofor should be a nice addition to the pass rush right out of the gate and supplant Kareem Martin.
Round 3, Pick 69: Arden Key, DE, LSU
2017: 33 tackles, 5.5 for a loss, four sacks, one forced fumble (6-6, 238 pounds)
Completing the defensive line remake, Key should be an upgrade over current penciled in starter at defensive end Josh Mauro. He’s dropped almost 20 pounds since the NCAA preseason and the Giants will probably want to add it back to play him up front.
Round 4, Pick 108: Kyle Lauletta, QB, Richmond
2017: 64.9 completion percentage, 3,737 yards, 28 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, four rushing touchdowns (6-3, 215 pounds)
While New York can skip the quarterback in the first round, that doesn’t mean they won’t select a new passer before the draft wraps up. Lauletta is a project, but should give Shurmur another quarterback to run the offense with outside of Davis Webb.
Round 5, Pick 139: J’Mon Moore, WR, Missouri
2017: 65 catches, 1,082 yards, 10 touchdowns (6-3, 205 pounds)
If the Giants do want the option to move on from Marshall, they’ll need to pick a wideout. Moore was highly productive against SEC competition and rarely played against a defensive back that won’t suit up on Sunday.
