An interesting rumor came out on Monday surrounding the New York Giants plans for their first-round pick in the 2018 draft.
It was reported by ESPN’s Jordan Raanan that the Giants may consider taking Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson with the second pick in the upcoming draft.
Raanan reported that Giants former vice president of player evaluation Marc Ross who was fired shortly after Dave Gettleman was hired as GM, mentioned three names the Giants may take with the second pick during a segment on ESPN’s NFL Live.
Those three names were USC quarterback Sam Darnold, Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, and Nelson.
Some #Giants whispers (on Quenton Nelson, Pugh, Richburg, Darkwa and more) … https://t.co/Bz0wJRxvjE
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) February 26, 2018
Some believe the Browns may take Darnold with the first pick in the draft, so that would leave just Barkley and Nelson on the board when the Giants are on the clock.
Last week Mel Kiper Jr’s latest mock draft has the Giants taking Barkley with the second pick and it makes sense since the Giants leading rusher from a season ago Orleans Darkwa is a free agent, and Barkley is viewed as the best player in this year’s draft.
The top five in my Mock 2.0:
1. Browns: Josh Allen
2. Giants: Saquon Barkley
3. Colts: Bradley Chubb
4. Browns (from Texans): Minkah Fitzpatrick
5. Denver: Sam DarnoldFull 1-32: https://t.co/3rIWDMFIWM
— Mel Kiper Jr. (@MelKiperESPN) February 21, 2018
Nelson is the best guard in this year’s draft and was an All-American in his final year with the Fighting Irish.
The 6’5 330 pound Nelson does have ties to the area having grown up in Red Bank, New Jersey.
As talented as he is, taking a guard with the second pick in the draft is unusual and not seen as a good value pick. Generally, players taken that high are either quarterbacks, left tackles or pass rushers.
But the Giants do have a need for offensive guards since their best linemen Justin Pugh and D.J. Fluker are free agents. Both will be seeking to cash in on the biggest paydays of their careers since there are not many quality offensive linemen in this year’s free agency class.
Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur have talked extensively that building the offensive line is their top priority. So maybe Nelson could be in play for the Giants.
Nelson and Barkley will participate in their respective drills this Friday at the NFL combine, and how they perform could determine who the Giants draft.
