NFL
New York Giants 3-Round Mock Draft
Tim Crean started writing about sports in 2016 and joined Sportscasting in 2021. He excels with his versatile coverage of the NFL and soccer landscape, as well as his expertise breaking down sports media, which stems from his many years downloading podcasts before they were even cool and countless hours spent listening to Mike & The Mad Dog and The Dan Patrick Show, among other programs. As a longtime self-professed sports junkie who even played DII lacrosse at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, Tim loves reading about all the latest sports news every day and considers it a dream to write about sports professionally. He's a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan from Western New York who mistakenly thought, back in the early '90s, that his team would be in the Super Bowl every year. He started following European soccer — with a Manchester City focus — in the early 2000s after spending far too much time playing FIFA. When he's not enjoying a round of golf or coaching youth soccer and flag football, Tim likes reading the work of Bill Simmons, Tony Kornheiser, Chuck Klosterman, and Tom Wolfe.
Get to know Tim Crean betterPublished30 Mar 2022
In this three-round New York Giants mock draft, the franchise actually has five picks, which is good news for a team that was one of the worst in football in 2021.
The Giants’ needs in this draft are pretty simple. They need to upgrade their talent at almost every position. With nine picks in the first six rounds, new general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll should be able to accomplish this if they make smart picks.
In this three-round New York Giants mock draft, the team adds talent and fills needs with five players who can start in Week 1.
Round 1, No. 5 overall: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
The Giants’ offensive line ranked 30th in the NFL this season, according to PFF. Outside of left tackle Andrew Thomas, no member of the unit from last year deserves to start in 2022. Building a new OL is the best way to give quarterback Daniel Jones a chance for success next season.
Alabama’s Evan Neal is a mountain of a man at 6-foot-7, 337-pounds. He is a future LT but can also play on the right side opposite Thomas next season. He can even bump inside at guard in a pinch. Neal is an offensive cornerstone that starts the Schoen/Daboll rebuild the right way in this New York Giants mock draft.
Round 1, No. 7 overall: Jermaine Johnson II, EDGE, Florida State
The G-Men are best when they have a dynamic pass rush (see Super Bowls 42 and 46). To build the next great Big Blue defensive line, the team will take the best edge rusher on the board at No. 7 in this New York Giants mock draft.
Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux and Purdue’s George Karlaftis could be available, but Johnson makes the most sense because of his upside. The 6-foot-5, 254-pound DE from Florida State is already a good run defender. He also has the traits to become an elite sack artist in the league. His leap from 6.5 career sacks in two seasons at Georgia to 12 last year with the Seminoles shows his arrow is already pointing up.
Round 2, No. 36 overall: Jelani Woods, TE, Virginia
Virginia tight end Jelani Woods is the outside-the-box, big risk/big reward pick of this New York Giants mock draft. The Giants need a TE after losing Evan Engram to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency, and a dynamic pass-catcher who can also block for Saquon Barkley would be ideal.
Colorado State’s Trey McBride has been the consensus top TE throughout the draft process. However, the 6-foot-7, 259-pound Woods is quickly closing that gap. The reason is, despite a lack of usage at Virginia, Woods (who initially went to Oklahoma State as a QB!) shows all the athletic traits of a dominant NFL tight end.
Round 3, No. 67 overall: Brian Asamoah, LB, Oklahoma
Step No. 2 on defense after building a dominant defensive line is finding a rangy linebacker to cover and clean up the mess after Leonard Williams and Jermaine Johnson II do their thing. That’s why 6-foot, 226-pound Oklahoma LB Brian Asamoah is a perfect pick in Round 3 of this New York Giants mock draft.
The NFL.com scouting report on Asamoah calls him a “See-ball, get-ball linebacker with an itchy, twitchy trigger and explosive pursuit speed” and uses phrases like “full throttle” and “playmaker” to describe him. He’s a little undersized, but even if he needs a year or two to bulk up, he can dominate on special teams and possibly even play box safety in certain packages right away.
Round 3, No. 81 overall: Dohnovan West, C, Arizona State
After taking Evan Neal in this New York Giants mock draft to go with Andrew Thomas and signing guards Jon Feliciano, Mark Glowinski, and Jamil Douglas, Big Blue needs a talented young center to make the whole line gel. That’s where 6-foot-3, 296-pound Arizona State C Dohnovan West comes in.
West was a three-year starter for the Sun Devils at both guard and center. He’s a bit undersized for the position in the pros, but he has all the technique and intangibles to make him a starter in the league. If he can bulk up a bit and add some strength, he could lead the Giants’ O-line for years to come.
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