The New York Giants hit a grand slam in the first round selecting Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal with the 5th and 7th overall picks, but the job is not done piecing together a rather weak roster.
New general manager Joe Shoen has gotten off to a fantastic start, but it’s time to finish and hit on a few talented prospects on Day 2. There are plenty of available players who fit the bill nicely for the Giants, so let’s take a look at the top five remaining on the board.
Top 5 players for the New York Giants in the 2nd round:
1.) CB: Andrew Booth Jr.
If the Giants are preparing to trade or cut cornerback James Bradberry, they will need to find a replacement opposite Adoree’ Jackson.
Andrew Booth Jr. out of Clemson is a perfect fit, featuring in a versatile scheme with Clemson over the past few seasons. Booth has the physical skill set to project as a quality man coverage corner at 6-foot, 196 pounds. This past year, he allowed 329 yards and two touchdowns, picking up three interceptions and a 61.2% completion rate against.
Booth possesses great feet and short burst quickness, but he is a poor tackler, which could be problematic in a man coverage heavy defensive scheme like wink Martindale’s. If he can improve his tackling form, Booth could end up being a very serviceable corner for the Giants.
2.) LB: Nakobe Dean
There’s an argument to be made that filling the linebacker spot next to Blake Martinez should be a priority, which is where Georgia stand-out Nakobe Dean comes into play. Dean is an aggressive dog in the middle of the defense, featuring solid play speed at 5’11”, 231 pounds.
Dean might not be the most physically imposing linebacker, but he’s more than capable of rushing the passer from the weak-side linebacker position. This past year, he recorded 54 tackles and 6.0 sacks and also showed off his versatility in coverage, helping blanket the short portions of the field with his insiticnts.
3.) QB: Malik Willis
If Liberty quarterback Malik Willis is somehow on the board for the Giants at No. 36, there’s an argument to be made that he could serve as Daniel Jones’s insurance policy.
Willis surprisingly fell out of the first round, but he possesses all of the natural traits to become an elite quarterback at the next level. He needs plenty of refinement and time to grow. The Giants signed Tyrod Taylor as a pseudo-bridge quarterback, but if the Giants landed Willis, they wouldn’t have to make a significant move for a quarterback in next year’s draft. They could be sitting pretty for the future. They undoubtedly have the coaching staff to raise a star quarterback, it’s just a matter of if they see the value in Malik.
4.) S: Jalen Pitre
If the Giants want to address the secondary, a versatile safety like Jalin Pitre out of Baylor could be a perfect selection to start the second round. Pitre is an aggressive safety that hunts ball carriers and is terrific in space, often making blockers whiff. Featuring elite short area quickness, Pitre is a bit undersized at 5’11” and 198 pounds, but he plays much bigger.
Pitre played most of his snaps in the slot, featuring there 601 times last year. He enjoyed 122 stops in the box and 153 at the line of scrimmage. The Giants currently have Xavier McKinney manning the free safety position, so they wouldn’t necessarily need Pitre in the deeper portion of the fields.
The Giants may love his unstoppable motor and desire to get to the football, especially in Martindale’s system.
5.) OG: Sean Rhyan
There’s a reasonable argument that drafting an offensive guard to plug LG could be in the works for the Giants. Sean Rhyan out of UCLA could fit the bill, enjoying 862 snaps last year, including 409 in run-blocking and 451 in pass-blocking. Rhyan hosts a tremendous build at 6’5″ and 323 pounds, but he played predominantly tackle in college. He’s expected to kick inside the guard at the NFL level, where he can use his natural athleticism inside to his advantage.
Rhyan was improving almost weekly last season, which is an extremely enticing variable. If the Giants want to inject even more talent into the offensive line to help Daniel Jones, Rhyan could be a good player to target.