Throughout the year and leading up to the 2021 NFL draft, we will update our New York Giants Mock Draft Roundup showing picks for the New York Giants from several prominent sites and draft analysts.
The following are picks in recent mock drafts for the Giants:
Finding another weapon for Daniel Jones is essential, and Waddle has game-breaking explosiveness on all three levels of the field with an ability to back safeties off the line of scrimmage for Saquon Barkley.
The Daniel Jones experiment in New York hasn't exactly gone smooth. Jones had just 11 touchdowns to 10 interceptions and his yardage total went down in his second season. He gets the slightest of passes considering the Giants have poor wide receiver talent. A player like Smith, the latest Heisman Trophy winner, would give Jones a dependable pass catcher with speed.
If the Giants want quarterback Daniel Jones to make a third-year leap, they need to add some pieces to his supporting cast. Waddle would give Jones another explosive playmaker to throw to, and along with Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram, and Saquon Barkley, would make the Giants offense among the fastest in the league.
Despite investments they've made in the offensive line, it continues to be a weakness after a season when QB Daniel Jones was sacked 45 times in 14 games. Slater was a guard in high school but played both tackle spots for the Wildcats and could settle in opposite 2020 first-rounder Andrew Thomas.
Quarterback Daniel Jones cut down on his turnovers and showed some improvement in Year 2, but he still averaged only 6.6 yards per attempt. Even when he gets time to throw in the pocket, he doesn't have a consistent downfield threat (though Darius Slayton was a nice fifth-round find in 2019). At 6-foot-6, Pitts has the size/speed traits to line up out wide, in the slot or next to an offensive tackle. And he showed off his ability after the catch by averaging 17.9 yards per reception with 12 touchdowns. Pitts is not a traditional tight end, but he's a skilled offensive threat. And with Evan Engram on the roster, too, the Giants would have two of the most athletic -- and versatile -- tight ends in football.
With star defensive end Leonard Williams hitting free agency and the Giants getting little production from their edge rushers, New York is going to need plenty of help generating pressure without blitzing. Paye, a physical marvel in the weight room, steadily improved at Michigan and has the potential to develop into a game-changer.
