The New York Giants made surprising picks in the latest FOX Sports mock draft, including a pass rusher with the fifth overall selection. This follows their trade of Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals for the tenth overall pick.
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New York Giants make pair of unexpected selections in latest FOX Sports mock
Mock draft season is thankfully almost over as the real NFL draft descends upon us this week in Pittsburgh. Experts have mocked a dozen players to the New York Giants the past few months, from linebackers and safeties to offensive linemen and running backs.
Few, however, predict the Giants will select a pass rusher with the fifth overall pick. That is, before they traded away defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence this past weekend to the Cincinnati Bengals for the tenth overall selection.
With two high picks in their pockets, the Giants can afford to grab the best available player and a player at a position of need.
Dallas Cowboys (home, away)
Washington Commanders (home, away)
The Giants selected a pass rusher with the fifth overall pick, which few experts predicted.
The Giants traded Lawrence to acquire the tenth overall selection in the draft.
The Giants are looking at various positions, including linebackers, safeties, offensive linemen, and running backs.
After the trade, the Giants have two high picks: the fifth and tenth overall selections.
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Dallas Cowboys (home, away)
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FOX Sports' top college football analyst, Joel Klatt, published his final mock draft on Monday, and this is what he sees the Giants doing in Round 1.
Are the Giants trying to package their two top-10 picks to move further up? I don't know about that. But I do know they love one of these offensive players in this draft. I think they're moving around and trying to position themselves into a place where they can target and draft Jordyn Tyson. I don't think they'll need to draft him at No. 5, though. I know pass rusher isn't a specific need for the Giants, but if you can get the best pure pass rusher in the draft, you go and do that. I've also been told the Giants aren't in on Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles.
General manager Joe Schoen insists the Giants will select the best available player on their board when they are on the clock in this draft. If that is the case, the pick here should be Bailey, a polished edge rusher who has been compared to Denver's Nik Bonitto.
Former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi always said that you can't have enough pass rushers, and he knows a few things about that. A pass rush that includes Baliey, Brian Burns, and Abdul Carter in one that could set the NFL on its ear.
This pick makes even more sense if Schoen unloads Kayvon Thibodeaux before the draft.
Truth be told, I had a previous edition of a mock draft ready to go — until the Giants opted to trade defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals for the 10th overall pick. That mock draft will never see the light of day, though, and I now know that they're targeting Tyson, like I said before. Tyson's had some injury history, but he's got great athletic bloodlines and teams have really fallen in love with him. He's rising up draft boards as we get closer to the draft.
The Giants want to get a complementary receiver across from Malik Nabers, and they are reportedly smitten with Tyson, a former college teammate of running back Cam Skattebo.
Tyson and Nabers would make a deadly 1-2 combo for second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart. Throw in the rest of the wide receiver room (Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin III) and the tight ends (Isaiah Likely, Theo Johnson), and opposing defensive coordinators will have many a sleepless night preparing for this Giants' vertical passing offense.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants make pair of unexpected selections in latest FOX Sports mock