New York Giants top-5 second round draft targets
By Ed Stein
Several impact players might be available to the New York Giants when they make the fourth pick in the NFL Draft’s second round.
In round one, Thursday night, General Manager Gettleman selected an offensive tackle fourth overall. Most New York Giants fans don’t have a problem going OT in that spot. Running back Saquon Barkley needs a lineman who can open holes. More importantly, last year’s first-round pick, quarterback Daniel Jones, needs someone to protect his blindside.
The issue is most draft boards had Andrew Thomas as the third or fourth-best tackle available, not the fourth-best player available. Granted, there was a thin margin between the top four OT’s, but Big Blue Nation didn’t exactly wake up gleeful this morning. That can change Friday night when the G-Men make their second-round pick.
It wasn’t that long ago, almost five years when the New York Giants moved up from the eighth pick of round two to the first. A player no one thought would be available, had surprisingly fallen out of the first round. Then Big Blue GM Jerry Reese knew he had to pounce. He sent his second, fourth, and fifth-round picks to the Tennessee Titans for their second-rounder, pick number 33 overall.
Reese took a player with that pick who turned out to be the best second-round selection the New York Giants made since Michael Strahan in 1993. The man Reese traded for was safety Landon Collins. The former Alabama Crimson Tide star defensive back played four seasons for Big Blue.
He was a three-time Pro-Bowl selection (2016-2018) and a one-time All-Pro (2018). Unfortunately, Collins’ journey with Big Blue ended in a bitter divorce last spring. This year, Gettleman has a chance to make an equal impact and may not have to trade up to do it. There are five players available who can make an almost immediate difference, and the G-Men pick fourth.