The college football regular season is over, which means the prospects the New York Giants are after have shaken out.
With the college football regular season over, several future NFL stars have played their final collegiate game. This means the New York Giants and all other 31 teams have to start thinking about those pre-NFL Combine big boards.
As of now, the Giants hold eight 2020 draft picks with potential for more coming as compensation for the Redskins signing away Landon Collins.
At the moment, the Williams deal leaves the Giants with 2020 draft picks in 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th and three in the 7th
— GiantsWFAN (@giantswfan) October 28, 2019
How should the Giants use their 2020 draft picks? Here’s an updated seven-round mock draft with the Giants settled into that current No. 2 hole.
Round 1 (2): Chase Young DE, Ohio State
The Giants have not employed a dominant pass-rusher since the days Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora all played on the same defensive line.
They can finally add that elusive pass-rusher by drafting Chase Young with the second-overall pick in the upcoming draft.
Young took home the Chuck Bednarik Award for the defensive player of the year after recording 16.5 sacks and six forced fumbles. If the Cincinnati Bengals opt to take quarterback Joe Burrow first overall, Young is a no brainer for the Giants with the second pick.
Round 2 (34): Austin Jackson OT, USC
Similar to pass-rusher, the Giants haven’t had offensive tackle that can legitimate pin down the edge in years. The Giants may be able to find that guy in USC’s Austin Jackson in the second round.
Jackson is a 6-foot-6, 310-pound tackle who’s been the mainstay on the Trojans offensive line the last three seasons.
By drafting Jackson, the Giants can add much-needed size to the left tackle position and someone who can eventually replace the struggling Nate Solder in the starting lineup.
Round 4 (98): Gabriel Davis WR, UCF
The Giants have more wide receiver depth than many expected after the Odell Beckham Jr. trade, thanks to of the emergence of rookie Darius Slayton, who has eight touchdown grabs this season.
Despite having Slayton, Golden Tate and Sterling Sheppard, it would not hurt to get young Daniel Jones another weapon at receiver.
That weapon could be Central Florida’s Gabriel Davis. At 6-foot-3, Davis would bring size to a Giants receiver room that is mostly full of speed guys. At UCF this season, Davis hauled in 12 touchdown passes and racked up 1,241 receiving yards on 72 catches.
Round 5 (130): David Woodward LB, Utah State
The Giants rank among the worst run defenses in the NFL this season, as only seven teams have been worse than New York. To help fix this problem, the Giants could draft Utah State’s David Woodward.
In 2018, Woodward recorded an outstanding 134 total tackles with five sacks and two interceptions. He followed that up with another solid season in 2019, recording 93 total tackles and forcing four fumbles.
Round 6 (161): Lamar Jackson CB, Nebraska
With Janoris Jenkins no longer in the picture, the Giants depth at cornerback is extremely thin. They can help beef up this depth with the long Lamar Jackson from Nebraska.
Jackson stands 6-foot-3, making him one of the draft’s taller corners. In four seasons at Nebraska, Jackson improved each season, which led to a monster senior season in 2019 as he defended 12 passes, recorded 40 total tackles, forced two fumbles and grabbed three interceptions.
With current cornerbacks Deandre Baker, Corey Ballentine and Sam Beal all 6-foot-1 or shorter, the Giants would benefit from adding a long corner like Jackson.
Round 7 (193): Reggie Floyd S, Virginia Tech
Like the cornerback position, the Giants lack much depth at safety. Virginia Tech’s Reggie Floyd can help fill that void.
In 2017, Floyd made 72 total tackles, grabbed three interceptions returning one for a touchdown and forced two fumbles. Floyd would follow this up with a 88 total tackle 2018 season while adding two interceptions. Floyd finished his final regular season of college football with a carer high seven defended passes in 2019.
While Floyd may not make an instant impact as a seventh round pick, he could help provide the Giants would much needed depth at the safety position.
Round 7 (218): Khalil Tate QB, Arizona
The Giants are set at quarterback with Jones, but it could never hurt to add another athlete.
With Eli Manning set to retire and Alex Tanney, a journeyman, the Giants very well could be searching for a backup quarterback in 2019. Why not draft the athletic Khalil Tate to try out for that role?
Tate was once considered a Heisman contender due to his incredible speed at the quarterback position. As a sophomore in 2017, Tate ran for 1,411 yards and 12 touchdowns while adding 1,591 passing yards and 14 touchdowns.
While he failed to post those same rushing numbers in his final two college seasons, the athletic ability was there, and for the Giants, he could be worth taking a flyer on to see if he could make some plays in creative packages.
Round 7 (220): Sean McKeon TE, Michigan
With Evan Engram seemingly unable to stay on the field, and Rhett Ellison likely to face a cap casualty spring, the Giants will likely look to add a tight end this offseason.
Michigan’s Sean McKeon could help fill that role. While he only caught six touchdown passes over four college seasons, he did establish himself as one of the best blocking tight ends in the Big Ten the last four seasons.
The Giants lack physicality and McKeon can help bring some.
