The New York Giants have been busy this offseason, signing a slew of free agents, including a pair of veteran quarterbacks in Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson. While the latter figures to be the starter with Winston serving as the backup, there is still a lot of smoke tying the Giants to the top prospects in the draft.
New York scheduled a private workout with Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, which could be an indication that they are strongly considering adding to their quarterback room now with a potential long-term solution. Things have changed since the last time that we did this exercise, so let's take a look at how the Giants' full seven-round mock draft could play out as we are just over a week away from the draft in Green Bay.
Round 1, Pick 3 - QB Shedeur Sanders (Colorado)
The fact that the Giants have scheduled a workout with Sanders this close to the draft is a strong indication they are actively considering him with the third overall pick. While it may not make a ton of sense to take Sanders, who doesn't have the highest ceiling in this class, given their offseason moves, it is fair to wonder whether the current regime is being pressured by ownership to deliver a long-term plan at the game's most important position.
There is a solid floor with Sanders, who looks like he can be an NFL starter for a decade with the right personnel around him. Landing in New York would also be beneficial for Sanders, who can learn behind Wilson and Winston before eventually taking over as the starter either late this season or early next season.
Round 2, Pick 34 - WR Jayden Higgins (Iowa State)
If the Giants are set on taking Sanders at No. 3, they have to provide him with the infrastructure to be a successful starter. While Malik Nabers is an excellent No. 1 receiver, New York could use an upgrade opposite him with Darius Slayton serving as the No. 2 at the moment.
Enter Higgins, a big-bodied receiver out of Iowa State with the ability to make some noise after the catch to give Sanders a nice security blanket over the middle of the field. Pairing the bigger Higgins with the more explosive Nabers and the vertical threat of Slayton gives the Giants a well-rounded receiving corps.
Round 3, Pick 65 - DT Alfred Collins (Texas)
After going offense with their first two picks, the Giants address their biggest defensive need by snagging Collins out of Texas. A 6-foot-6 defensive tackle weighing 332 pounds, Collins would be in the mix to start opposite Dexter Lawrence, one of the best defensive tackles in the league.
Scouts are high on Collins' physical tools but he is limited on experience after starting just one year for the Longhorns. Allowing Collins to learn under the wing of Lawrence could allow New York to maximize his talent and develop a bookend pair of run-stuffing defensive tackles with pass-rushing chops that could terrorize the NFC East for the next five years.
Round 3, Pick 99 - RB Jordan James (Oregon)
The Giants got this comp pick after losing Saquon Barkley and use it to help fill his shoes with James, the starting running back for Oregon as they got the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. While Tyrone Tracy showed some strong flashes as a rookie, he doesn't look like a true every-down back, making a complimentary player like James a strong value this late in the third.
James is more of a one-cut runner than Tracy, making him less of a big-play threat but more of a between-the-tackles type player who can handle the load on early downs. A thunder and lightning duo of James and Tracy can help unlock Brian Daboll's offense even more than the earlier picks of Sanders and Higgins will do by themselves.
Round 4, Pick 105 - OG Tate Ratledge (Georgia)
General Manager's seemingly never-ending quest to fix his offensive line takes a step forward with the addition of Ratledge, a four-year starter for Georgia. You can't teach size and Ratledge has plenty of it with a 6-foot-7 frame, which will make him a massive presence on the interior of the Giants' line.
The eventual landing spot for Ratledge figures to be right guard, where veteran Greg Van Roten is currently holding the fort on a short-term basis. Expect Ratledge to push Van Roten for playing time as a rookie and become the Giants' starter at right guard by 2026 at the latest.
Round 5, Pick 154 (via SEA) - EDGE Jah Joyner (Minnesota)
The Giants sent their own fifth-round pick to Carolina as part of the Brian Burns trade but have another in the middle of the round thanks to a separate deal with Seattle that sent Leonard Williams out in the 2023 season. This pick will be used to take Joyner, a project edge rusher out of Minnesota who New York can develop behind Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
There is still plenty for Joyner to learn after getting only one year's worth of starter reps with the Golden Gophers. Joyner has the physical tools to become a successful edge rusher in the league and figures to work in a rotational role as a rookie.
Round 7, Pick 219 - CB Mac McWilliams (UCF)
The Giants don't have a sixth-round pick but two in the seventh, using their own slot at the top of the round to add to their secondary with McWilliams, a tall corner out of UCF. McWilliams started for just one year with the Knights but showed the kind of coverage skills to be an asset as a slot corner right away.
With Paulson Adebo signed in free agency as the Giants' top corner, McWilliams can compete with Deonte Banks, Dru Phillips and Cor'Dale Flott for playing time immediately. In a division stacked with top quarterbacks, New York can never have too many quality corners to play with.
Round 7, Pick 246 (via BUF) - WR Ricky White III (UNLV)
This pick originally belonged to Buffalo but was sent to New York as part of a ham sandwich trade which sent the Giants' sixth-rounder to the Bills for Boogie Basham. Getting a role player with some special teams ability would be a good value here and the Giants find it with White III, a thin speedster out of UNLV.
Nicknamed "Slick Rick" by his teammates, White is tough to stop in open space and has some gadget play value as a receiver. White's path to playing time in New York figures to be on special teams, allowing him to make the active roster on game day and potentially work in specialized packages on offense as a rookie.
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