For now, two of the top draft analysts agree on the Giants' first-round pick
Two of the heavyweights of the NFL Draft analysis business, The Athletic's Dane Brugler and ESPN's Mel Kiper, are in agreement at this point in the draft process as to who the New York Giants' pick should be at No. 6 in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Both landed at Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze.
Brugler released his second mock draft of the 2024 NFL Draft cycle on Tuesday. His top 5:
Brugler chose Odunze for the Giants over quarterback Jayden Daniels of LSU or offensive linemen Olu Fashanu of Penn State and Joe Alt of Notre Dame. Here's why:
With his size/speed profile and ability to play through contact, Odunze is a quarterback-friendly target with the tools to be a legitimate No. 1 option. The Giants haven't had a 1,000-yard receiver since 2018, but Odunze could change that as a rookie.
I know there will be a lot of “why not a quarterback?” Questions. While I think a player like Jayden Daniels is possible, selecting a quarterback in the top 10 is an owner's decision – and we know the Giants owner loves Daniel Jones. GM Joe Schoen has been out looking at all the top quarterbacks this fall, but I'm picking the QB-friendly target as the answer to the team's passing woes.
Daniels, in case you're interested, went at No. 8 to the Atlanta Falcons.
Kiper has not released a full mock draft. Instead, Kiper, along with Field Yates, released a mini mock draft of the top 10 picks via YouTube.
These top 5 were:
This is also why Kiper went to Odunze for the Giants:
“They need a big wide receiver. Malik Nabers [who is off the board), Rome Odunze would make an awful lot of sense here … You need a pass rusher opposite [Kayvon] Thibodeaux has had one heck of a year, but there's no one to take right now. So you go to Rome, Odunze.”
Kiper said Odunze was “special because of the consistency week in and week out.” Kiper said Odunze has a “tremendous catch radius” and “great hands.”
Kiper said Odunze and Nabers were “crazy talents” and a “push” in terms of who should be picked first.
Valentine's look
So yes. I wrote not long ago that taking WR3 (Odunze) at No. 6 was a “confusing” decision for me. Well, I have been watching Odunze more closely over the past few days and understand the choice better. I also watched Nabers and at this early stage of learning about these players I'm a bit like Kiper. I wonder why the majority of analysts rate Nabers higher than Odunze. At the moment I don't see any obvious separation.
In the Brugler scenario, I would choose Jayden Daniels starting today. What concerns me about Daniels is his frame and some short-range accuracy issues. However, it's hard for me to pass up on a quarterback here simply because of the importance of the position and the uncertainty surrounding Jones' health and ability to do more than what we've seen. However, Brugler raises a critical point. Choosing a quarterback in the top 10 is a decision that Giants officials would have to agree with. I'm not sure John Mara and Steve Tisch would do that.
In Kiper's scenario, he discusses the Giants' needs on the offensive line and the idea that Evan Neal could move to guard if the choice here fell on one of the top two offensive tackles, Penn State's Olu Fashanu or Notre Dame's Joe Alt .
Choosing either of these two tackles would be understandable. However, there is a lot to consider when it comes to how the Giants might build (rebuild) their offensive line going forward.
Joe Schoen was Brandon Beane's assistant general manager in Buffalo. Since taking over with the Bills in 2017, Beane has drafted offensive linemen in the second round three times. He has never drafted a first-round offensive lineman.
The Giants' just-hired offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo has been praised for her work with a largely unremarkable group of Las Vegas Raiders offensive linemen.
Schoen's big push for an offensive tackle with the No. 7 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft hasn't worked out yet.
Perhaps Schoen's Buffalo background and Bricillo's hiring are clues as to how the Giants might approach the 2024 finish line.
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