Mock Draft: New York Giants
To conclude our mock draft the New York Giants are now on the clock with the 31st pick.
After winning a championship and pulling off one of the biggest upsets in Superbowl history, the New York Giants are looking to restock their team with the talent that will allow them to make another run at the title. It is really almost impossible to accurately predict what teams will do in the latter part of the first round of the draft, but there are several needy positions on this team. The phenomenal play from the Giants defensive line last season masked an otherwise average secondary, further weakened with the loss of starting safety Gibril Wilson in free agency. Michael Strahan may end up retiring, so drafting a DL here would make some sense as well. On the other hand, they may want to address the linebacking corps, which saw starter Kawika Mitchell and backup Reggie Torbor leave to sign with other teams. Finally, there are rumors that starting TE Jeremy Shockey may be traded. No TE's have been taken yet in our mock draft so the Giants could have their pick of the bunch.
The way our mock draft has gone I see the Giants pick boiling down to three realistic choices: Miami safety Kenny Phillips, Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo, and Purdue TE Dustin Keller. Their backup TE Kevin Boss did fill in nicely for the oft-injured Shockey last year so TE is less of a priority than the other positions. I think the Giants will go defense here, but DL doesn't look to hold great value for them in this slot.
Pick #31: Kenny Phillips, S Miami
As the top-rated safety in this year's draft, the Giants will be ecstatic if he falls to them at the 31st pick. The Eagles are rumored to be pretty high on him too, so if he makes it by them and he's still there at the end of the first round the Giants will pounce on him. Phillips has been compared to fellow Miami alum Ed Reed in terms of his big play ability--he returned four interceptions for touchdowns last year, and added three more on punt returns. Phillips fills a big need at the strong safety spot, and can also pay big dividends in the return game.
