New York Giants Rumors: O.J. Howard Tops Draft Board
New York Giants: Who is atop the Giants 2017 NFL Draft Board: ESPN New York’s Jordan Raanan believes it is Alabama tight end O.J. Howard.
New York Giants rumors are bound to pick up with the 2017 NFL Draft right around the corner. One thing that people will debate about is the Giants draft board. The Giants use the best player available philosophy when drafting, so it is difficult to figure out who they are targeting without some knowledge of their draft board.
ESPN New York’s Jordan Raanan does a weekly Twitter Mailbag. One of the questions that were asked to him was about the Giants draft board. One person gave Raanan six draft prospects and asked him to order them, to the best of his knowledge, where they would be on the Giants draft board.
The person asked how the Giants would rank running back Christian McCaffrey, linebacker Zach Cunningham, offensive lineman Cam Robinson, tight end O.J. Howard, defensive end Taco Charlton, and linebacker Jarrad Davis.
More from New York Giants
- Caesars New York Promo Code: Win $250 Bonus GUARANTEED on ANY Bet!
- When will the New York Giants’ First Win Come?
- New York Giants Look Horrible in Loss to 49ers
- New York Giants to Play an Injured 49ers Team Sunday
- New York Giants: Breaking Down the Devonta Freeman Signing
Raanan makes it clear that he has not seen the Giants draft board. But, based on things he has heard, he puts the pieces together and comes away with Howard being at the top of the Giants draft board.
Following Howard, in Raanan’s order, is McCaffrey, Robinson, Davis, Cunningham, and Charlton. Here is what Raanan had to say about his order.
"Howard is clearly at the top. He’s that well-regarded with his ability to block, run and catch passes. The Giants are also high on McCaffrey. He’s viewed as an offensive weapon. Robinson has his flaws but is the draft’s best offensive lineman. I’ve been going back and forth between Cunningham and Davis, but I think I’m settling on Davis unless there is something more that comes of his health. He struggled with injuries at Florida but looked like a sure-fire first-round pick at his pro day and on tape. The buzz on Charlton is that he’s a good player but doesn’t do anything special."
Howard has been shooting up draft boards since the NFL Combine. He killed his workouts and has been mocked as high as No.4 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. It would be a pretty big surprise to see Howard on the board when the Giants are selecting. If he is, the Giants will be hard-pressed to pass on him.
Hearing the Giants are high on McCaffrey isn’t too surprising. He brings a lot of versatility to a team as he can help in the backfield as a running back or pass catcher. His skills as a return man would also be valuable. But, given the Giants needs at both offensive line and linebacker, it would be difficult to pass on the other players mentioned.
Next: New York Giants Grade For 2017 Free Agency
It will be interesting to see what direction the Giants go in. Their needs are clear heading into the 2017 NFL Draft. The question is, will they be able to fill those needs and find value at the same time?