The New York Giants are heading into a crucial offseason. They have lost 10 or more games four seasons in a row in league that basically doesn’t allow such ineptitude.
The current system is set up so that teams can get back on their feet after three losing seasons. The Giants, under the stewardship of general manager Dave Gettleman, have not followed the script and have paid the price.
The draft strategy can’t be set until they see what happens in free agency. If they happen to lock up one — or both — of their star defensive linemen and add an offensive playmaker in free agency, their draft strategy in the first three rounds will naturally change.
Either way, there are players they simply can’t pass on at No. 11 overall. Here are four of them.
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Kyle Pitts should be the Giants’ main target come April. He is a prototype tight end in a league that values the position greatly. The Giants may be saying nice things about Evan Engram but he reality is, he can’t be relied upon. They’ll take Pitts in a heartbeat here — and they should.
In many mock draft simulations, Pitts lasts to No. 11 and teams will be eager to trade up to get him. My advice is to weigh any deal that offers a first rounder before pick No. 25 plus two other picks in the first 100. Otherwise, Pitts is a Giant. He will provide Daniel Jones a solid go-to target that will move the chains and open things up in the red zone.
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Patrick Surtain is likely to be on the board when the Giants are on the clock at No. 11. Unless they are satisfied with their No. 2 outside corner spot at the time, taking Surtain makes a ton of sense. He would add another possible Pro Bowl-level talent to the Giants’ already talented secondary and would free them up to grab players at other positions in the ensuing rounds.
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Jaylen Waddle has a lot of buzz around him right now which has created some apprehension around taking him. He is not exactly what the Giants need, but I can see them selecting him should he drop out of the Top 10.
Waddle would provide the Giants with a playmaker on both offense and special teams, and we know how much they value special teams. Waddle is a player that opponents will have to game plan for, which is something the Giants don’t have at the moment.
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Micah Parsons is a Top 5 talent who many teams could be reluctant to select due to some dubious off-field issues in college. Whether or not those reports send him into free fall is another issue. If they do, the Giants will have to consider Parsons here. After missing out on Devin White two years ago by one pick, they will seriously debate taking Parsons, who many believe is a better prospect than White.
