The New York Giants hold the eleventh overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The eleventh pick has a lot of value this year. There are a number of intriguing prospects that the Giants will likely have the opportunity to select in the first round. But, being outside the top ten, there are a few players that are most likely not going to fall to eleven.
The Giants will probably draft one of the better prospects in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. But will they realistically be able to draft one of the best prospects? Could one of those top-three prospects in the class? It is not likely, but there is a possibility, as many analysts continue to point out with their various mock drafts.
There are a few prospects that Giants fans should be hoping and praying will fall to them at eleven. When the Giants are on the clock, there are specific prospects that are too good to pass up on, no matter that the Giants already have on their roster.
Trevor Lawrence
No, Trevor Lawrence will not fall to eleven. But if he does, the Giants have to take him. Daniel Jones has shown some promise, but Lawrence is arguably the greatest quarterback prospect to ever come out of college. If not, he is certainly in that conversation. New York is not that comfortable at quarterback.
Ja’Marr Chase
There are three wide receivers that are being consistently mocked in the top-ten picks of the 2021 NFL Draft. One of these players, though, has been consistently mocked inside the top five for a long time. LSU’s Ja’Marr chase is not likely to fall to eleven, but as draft boards continue to shift as time inches closer to April, there is always going to be that unlikely possibility.
The Giants are likely going to pursue a wide receiver in free agency. They are interested in Kenny Golladay, but he is probably going to be franchise tagged by the Detroit Lions. Now, even if the Giants land Golladay by some divine miracle, they should still draft Ja’Marr Chase if he is on the board at eleven. They cannot pass up on a wide receiver of Chase’s caliber, especially when considering the Giants averaged only 17.5 points per game in 2020. A team can never have enough fire power in today’s NFL.
He opted out of the 2020 season, but in 2019, Ja’Marr Chase was far and away the best wide receiver in the NCAA. He totaled an insane 1,780 receiving yards and 20 receiving touchdowns that season en route to a National Championship victory. Chase’s record-breaking season instantly propelled him to the top of draft charts at the beginning of the process. But now, draft boards are shifting, and some boards have Chase as their third-best receiver in the class. Many are beginning to favor the Alabama boys, Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle.
Given the dominant collegiate career that Ja’Marr Chase had, he is still likely a top-ten pick in 2021. But if he somehow slips, Chase would be the truly dominant outside receiving threat that Daniel Jones needs to unlock the next level of his game.
Penei Sewell
Another player whose draft stock has started to shift is offensive tackle Penei Sewell. The Oregon prospect was, at one time, considered to be a “generational” offensive tackle prospect and a top-three lock. Now, it seems very likely that Sewell falls out of the top three, maybe even out of the top five, and some analysts even have him falling outside of the top ten.
For example, Pro Football Focus’s Anthony Treash has Sewell falling to the eleventh overall pick as a home run selection for the New York Giants in his latest mock draft. NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah also had Sewell as the second offensive tackle selected in his first mock draft of the offseason.
Penei Sewell’s draft stock has started to shift, but it is still very unlikely that he falls outside the top ten. Sewell is still the second overall prospect in this year’s class via The Draft Network. Many still believe Penei is a “generational talent.” But those who do not see him as such will still see him as a prospect that the Giants could not pass up on at eleven overall.