New York Giants first round – draft roundtable

If the Giants keep the fourth pick, who do you WANT them to pick?

Matthew Travis:

If the New York Giants keep the fourth overall pick, I would really love to see them take Isaiah Simmons, a linebacker who played safety in his first three seasons at Clemson.

I would like the Giants to go for Simmons for several reasons, the first being the fact that I think there’s more of a difference between a linebacker you could get with the fourth pick than a linebacker you could get in the second round than there is with an offensive lineman between the two rounds.

The second reason is how talented Simmons is. In his senior season alone (the only season he was officially listed as a linebacker), Simmons notched eight sacks with 104 tackles, 16.5 for loss, and three interceptions.

This is in his senior season alone, Simmons is an incredible player, and he is also a proven winner as he made the College Football Playoff all four years in college, winning the National Championship twice.

I think if the Giants pass on Simmons for an offensive lineman like Tristan Wirfs or Jedrick Wills, they will highly regret it within three seasons.

Ed Stein:

With the fourth pick, I want the Giants to take Tristan Wirfs. He’s the best tackle on the board. Wirfs can start at right tackle on day one. When GMDG finally gets around to dumping Nate Solder next spring, Wirfs can easily slide in on the left side. Daniel Jones will have his blindside protector for the next half-decade.

Larry Hammonds:

Of course, I really want Chase Young, but I can’t realistically expect him to still be available by the time the Giants are on the clock. I would really be happy if the Giants select Isaiah Simmons.

Simmons has all the tools to make it in the NFL. As I’ve stated many times, we need a player who’s gonna raise the level of the defense and get after the quarterback. Joe Judge said he values versatility, and Simmons is as versatile as they come.

In his final college game, he lined up as a prototypical linebacker, pass-rusher, along the defensive line, as a rotating safety attacking downhill, in the slot, as a deep-lying safety, and as a cornerback patrolling the boundary.

Justin Chaires:

My feelings stay in line with this one. I believe Isaiah Simmons is the correct pick and the second most talented defensive player in the draft. The New York Giants focusing on the offensive line may sound appealing to most, but unfortunately, the Giants aren’t an offensive tackle away from being a good team.

Dan Schmelzer:

In my eyes, Chase Young and Jeffrey Okudah are far and away the best defensive prospects in this class. If either player is on the board at No. 4 and the Giants can find a trade partner, they should take them.

Young won’t be on the board, but Okudah could be available. I know that the Giants have already invested substantial resources in the cornerback position, but Okudah is a special player who is worth making an exception for. Get that guy in your building and figure out the rest from there.

If Okudah is gone, we go to the OT vs. Isaiah Simmons dilemma. Honestly, I don’t think the Giants can really go wrong either way here, but I would lean towards Jedrick Wills Jr., the offensive tackle out of Alabama.

Wills is my top offensive tackle in this class. He is a fantastic natural pass protector and a ferocious run defender. Getting a guy who can help both Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley would not be a bad option for this team.

Sayre Bedinger:

If I had it my way, the Giants would pick Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs. As an Iowa Hawkeyes fan, it would be great to see that Wirfs made the right decision to leave early by becoming a top-five draft pick.

Wirfs is obviously going in round one, so he made the right decision regardless, but it would really validate his choice to leave school early for the NFL to be picked in the top four overall, especially as the top tackle in a deep class at the position.

Alex Trataros:

If possible, the Giants should go with Simmons. As I already mentioned, their defense last season was close to abysmal, and it’s challenging to compete when they can’t prevent opponents from scoring (especially when they’re not an offensive juggernaut).

Understandably, New York Giants fans would want them to go with an offensive lineman to protect Daniel Jones. Yet, it seems more likely to get a quality offensive lineman in the later rounds than a quality edge rusher. As written by Paul Schwartz, Josh Jones, Austin Jackson, and Ezra Cleveland are solid draft options to reinforce the offensive line position.

Results:

If the Giants keep the fourth overall pick in the draft, four of the guys want the G-Men to take Isaiah Simmons out of Clemson, two of them want Tristan Wirfs out of Iowa, and one wants Jeff Okudah out of Ohio State.