The 2021 NFL Draft will take place this week. The New York Giants hold the eleventh overall pick in this year’s draft. This year’s draft class is loaded with talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Many believe that this could be the first draft ever where the first ten selections are all offensive players.
The top talents in this year’s class are being pushed down the board by the loaded quarterback class. Four quarterbacks could go in a row to kick off the first round this year. This is setting it up for talented players to fall right into New York’s lap at eleven.
The Giants cannot go wrong at eleven overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. There is a long list of talented players that will be available for the Giants with their first draft choice. New York will walk away from Thursday night with a stud.
The Giants’ long list of options
At nearly every position of need, there will be valuable talent on the board for the Giants in round one. Two stud wide receivers could potentially be on the board. Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle, both of which are prospects that are considered top-ten talents, are likely to be available at eleven. Either one of these stellar Alabama wideouts would make excellent complementary pieces opposite of Kenny Golladay.
The Giants’ biggest need on defense is at edge rusher. New York is still looking for a stud every-down pass-rusher to line up outside of offensive tackles. Jaelan Phillips out of Miami is a top talent with medical red flags that are pushing him down draft boards. Phillips, like Smith and Waddle, is also a top-ten-talent that will not be selected in the first ten picks. If the Giants are comfortable with Jaelan’s medicals, he could be a grand-slam selection to solve meet their pass-rush needs.
The Giants could also address the offensive line at eleven. Penei Sewell and Rashawn Slater are stud offensive tackle prospects unlikely to make it out of the top ten. But if they fall to eleven, Sewell or Slater might be too good to pass up for the Giants, despite the fact that they went offensive tackle in round one last year. Alijah Vera-Tucker is another offensive line prospect that the Giants could take to fill their need at offensive guard in round one.
Two cornerbacks, Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain, are also intriguing options at eleven. Albeit, cornerback is not a position of great need for the Giants. But these are two talented corners that New York could consider in a “best-player-available” strategy.
Of course, Micah Parsons is now expected to fall outside of the top ten. This time last year, Parson was expected to be a top-five pick in this year’s draft. Some off-the-field question marks have hurt his draft stock, though, causing this draft class’s best defender to be a top candidate for the Giants at eleven.
The list goes on and on. There are so many talented draft prospects that will be available for New York to select on Thursday night that it will be nearly impossible for them to mess the first round up. Giants fans are a tough crowd to please, but it should not be hard to satisfy this fan base in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.