The New York Giants have not one, but two picks in the Top 10 of the 2022 NFL Draft and you can expect the new regime in New York to address their two biggest needs on this roster: offensive line and edge rusher.
Luckily, for the G-Men, if there was any year where having two Top picks would benefit building up the trenches, this would be it. But with so many unknowns heading into this draft, who exactly those players are can be difficult to figure out.
With the event in Las Vegas just days away, we try to make sense of the madness with our New York Giants mock draft — to go with our full NFL mock draft — and best bets based on 2022 NFL Draft odds.
Giants draft picks 2022
| 1 | 5 |
| 1 | 7 (from Chicago) |
| 2 | 36 |
| 3 | 67 |
| 3 | 81 (from Miami) |
| 4 | 112 (from Chicago) |
| 5 | 147 |
| 5 | 173 (from Kansas City via Baltimore) |
| 6 | 182 |
Giants team needs
The Giants are coming off a dreadful 4-13 season where their offense became a league-wide punchline. That marked the end of head coach Joe Judge and general manager Dave Gettleman in New York with Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen coming in from Buffalo.
Schoen was part of a Bills front office that built one of the strongest rosters in the NFL and Daboll helped develop Josh Allen into an MVP caliber quarterback, and it sounds like they’ll give Daniel Jones the first shot under center.
But Judge and Gettleman left the cupboards so bare that they can make do with Jones for the time being.
The biggest problem is the offensive line, which finished the season ranked 31st according to Football Outsiders and, as a result, Jones had a miserable season, ranking 22nd in QBR. But the Giants also couldn’t run. The O-line ranked 26th in running back yards and 30th in DVOA. So, grabbing at least one offensive lineman — if not several — this weekend is a must.
But that’s not the only line that was lacking for the G-Men. They are also in desperate need of some explosion off the edge after a season that saw them rank 30th in quarterback pressure percentage and 25th in sack percentage.
Additionally, getting Jones a few more weapons wouldn’t be a bad idea after he threw just 10 touchdown passes. There are no tight ends currently on the Giants roster and with Saquon Barkley’s injury history, they could certainly use some depth at running back.
Giants mock draft
Round 1 (No. 5 overall) – Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State
The way the rumor mill is operating right now, it sounds like the Giants will have at least two of Ekwonu, Evan Neal, and Charles Cross to choose from. This is great news for Jones because it sounds like Daboll wants to give him every opportunity to prove he can be the long-term solution under center for the Giants. Taking Ekwonu to be a bookend tackle opposite Andrew Thomas is a step in the right direction. I have Neal as my No. 1 tackle but there isn’t much separating him and Ekwonu. “Ickey” is a truck with all the tools to be a high-end tackle for many years and has positional versatility to boot.
Round 1 (No. 7 overall) – Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
In my last full mock, I had the Giants taking Travon Walker with their second first-round pick at No. 7. But since then, the chatter around Walker going first overall has been loud and constant. I still don’t know if I agree with it, but either way, an elite edge rusher should be available to the Giants here, and Thibodeaux is about as good a consolation prize as one could imagine. Oregon’s edge rusher is the top player on my board in this class. The noise about Thibodeaux not having a high motor is just that, noise. Go look at the tape. The guy can play and the Giants are getting a steal.
Round 2 (No. 36 overall) – Lewis Cine, S, Georgia
Cine is a do-it-all safety who started for two years on Georgia’s heralded defense. He has good size and plays even bigger. Cine is also a tackling machine, which is something the Giants defense desperately needs. But he can also be a true center fielder at the back end of a defense. He logged most of his time at free safety, but also lined up in the slot and in the box. Cine also tested off the charts at the combine. He can be a playmaker for a Giants defense that only has two safeties on the roster.
Round 3 (No. 67 overall) – Troy Andersen, LB, Montana State
Andersen helps the Giants at the second level and would be an immediate upgrade to their linebacker corps. He’s got elite size and speed for the position with a high football IQ. And while he comes from a small school, Andersen showed he belonged with the big boys by putting on an awesome performance at the Senior Bowl.
Round 3 (No. 81 overall) – Jelani Woods, TE, Virginia
Woods is a physical specimen. As if being listed at 6-foot-7 and 253 pounds isn’t imposing enough, throw in a 4.61-forty time at that size and look out. Oh, and he’s pretty good at catching a football. He hauled in 44 passes for 598 yards (13.6 per) and eight touchdowns in 11 games. There is not one tight end on the Giants roster and Woods could develop into a nice weapon.
Rounds 4-7
Two positions we didn’t address in this process were wide receiver and running back. For Barkley’s backup, look at names like James Cook out of Georgia and Pierre Strong Jr. out of South Dakota State. Meanwhile, some wideouts that could be available in the fourth and beyond include Purdue’s David Bell, Memphis’ Calvin Austin, and Kentucky’s Wan’Dale Robinson.
Best Giants NFL Draft prop bets
- No. 5 overall pick Ikem Ekwonu (+400) & Evan Neal (+600)
- Total number of ACC players drafted in Round 1 – Over 4.5 (-130)
I really think one of either Evan Neal or Ikem Ekwonu will be available to the Giants at the fifth pick. And with the offensive tackle needy Carolina Panthers picking at No. 6, the Giants will have to make their selection then. So, why not sprinkle a little on Ekwonu +400 to be the pick at No. 5 and Neal to get selected at +600. I’m fairly confident you’ll walk away with some profit.
And the Giants will do their part to give the ACC some love with the Icky pick. I would have called Over 4.5 a lock a week ago. Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett, Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson, and Boston College’s Zion Johnson all feel like first-round locks. And so did Clemson’s Andrew Booth Jr., but some injury concerns have popped up around the corner. I think most secondary teams will overlook that at the back end of the first round.
