New York Giants two-round 2020 mock draft compilation 3.0 – Mid-February
By Ed Stein
The New York Giants will select fourth overall in the 2020 draft after finishing last year 4-12. Who will Big Blue select? Here is a compilation of 24 mock drafts.
Now through the 2020 NFL Draft in April, Empire Writes Back will compile data from various mock drafts. Rather than our readers chase across the internet for who the New York Giants will pick, EWB gives you the consensus.
The Super Bowl is over and we have ramped up to semi-monthly updates. The sources may change a bit from article to article, but they are credible. This month we used 24 different mock drafts from sources such as CBS Sports, NBC Sports, NFL.com, ESPN – Todd McShay, USA Today Draftwire, Newsday, Tankathon, The Sporting News, The Athletic, San Diego Tribune, Pro Football Focus, Sports Illustrated, Draftsite.com, and Walter Football.
2019 was a big disappointment for the New York Giants. They fell off from a 5-11 record in the previous season to finish 4-12 and capture a top-six pick for the third straight year. This is shaping up to be an excellent draft for Big Blue to get a cornerstone player who can help them where they need it. The question is where do the New York Giants need help the most?
Big Blue had an anemic offense that finished 23rd with 338.5 yards and 18th with 21.3 points-per-game. There were plenty of mitigating factors aside from starting a rookie quarterback, Daniel Jones (and his problems holding on to the ball) for three-quarters of the season. An injury forced star running Back Saquon Barkley to miss four games. Even when he came back it took a few weeks for him to get back up to speed. The receiver corps also battled injury and suspensions which caused Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram, and Golden Tate among others to miss significant time.
All those issues seemed to pale in comparison to the bad play of the Giants offensive line. They had problems all year opening holes for Barkley when he was healthy. Also, pass rushers were often on the “ole plan” while heading to hit the quarterback. Tackles Mike Remmers and Nate Solder, the players who were supposed to anchor the line were the weakest links of it.
The defense was worse than the offense. They gave up 377.3 yards (8th most), and 28.2 points (3rd most) points-per-game. New York’s defense had a double-headed monster terrorizing them all year. The G-Men could nether put pressure on opposing quarterbacks or cover receivers. A bad combination made worse by the departure of top cover cornerback Janoris Jenkins late in the season. Every defensive unit needs an upgrade.
General Manager Dave Gettleman is at the helm (somewhat surprisingly) of his third draft for the New York Giants. They own two high value picks #’s 4 and 36. The team’s third-round pick was traded across MetLife Stadium to NYJ in exchange for defensive end Leonard Williams, who is a pending free agent.