The New York Giants will enter the 2022 NFL draft in need of several offensive linemen and a pretty stacked group to choose from. However, mock draft trends have begun to sway leading up to the NFL Combine with many prognosticators suggesting Big Blue will ignore the O-line outright in Round 1.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. is now one of those people.
In Kiper’s first mock draft of the year, he had the Giants selecting NC State offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu at No. 5 overall and Michigan linebacker David Ojabo at No. 7 overall. But in his updated mock, released on Tuesday morning, Kiper now has the Giants going all defense.
5. New York Giants
Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon
If the draft plays out like this and both of the top offensive tackles are off the board before the Giants pick, taking a defender makes the most sense. And if Thibodeaux is available, he’d be a perfect fit for a New York defense that needs to pair a true edge rusher with rookie Azeez Ojulari, who led the team with eight sacks last season. Thibodeaux has to improve his all-around game, but he has outstanding physical tools as a pass-rusher. He had seven sacks last season and put up the second-best pressure rate in the country (17.8%). If he comes close to his ceiling, he’ll make multiple All-Pro teams.
The Giants have some nice pieces to build around for new general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll, but they’re not going to be able to acquire an edge rusher like Thibodeaux anywhere other than the draft. We could look back at this pick in five years and consider it a steal.
As Kiper alludes, the selection of Thibodeaux comes with both Ekwonu and Evan Neal already off the board at No. 1 and No. 3, respectively. Charles Cross remains available, but Kiper found it too difficult to pass on the much-needed edge rusher.
The problem? By passing on Cross, the Giants miss the chance to select him. He goes off the board at No. 7, leaving New York emptyhanded. As a result, they go back to the defensive side of the ball.
7. New York Giants (via CHI)
Devin Lloyd, ILB, Utah
With the Giants’ second top-10 pick, I’m going all-in on improving the front seven of the defense. Lloyd is a middle linebacker, yes, but he does so much more. He had 111 total tackles, eight sacks, 20 tackles for loss, four interceptions and a forced fumble last season. He had 16.5 total sacks over the past three seasons. Lloyd (and No. 5 pick Kayvon Thibodeaux) can add some pass-rush upside to a team that desperately needs it. If New York does take Lloyd here, that probably means Blake Martinez, who tore his ACL in September, will be a salary-cap casualty.
The Giants are going to have to address their offensive line at some point this offseason, and I also thought about center Tyler Linderbaum here.
In this scenario, the Giants are left hoping to land an offensive line gem (or four) on Day 2 and Day 3. And while that’s certainly feasible, any miss would leave them dead in the water once again.
