TALLAHASSEE, FL – NOVEMBER 6: Defensive End Jermaine Johnson II #11 of the Florida State Seminoles during the game against the NC State Wolfpack at Doak Campbell Stadium on Bobby Bowden Field on November 6, 2021, in Tallahassee, Florida. The Wolfpack defeated the Seminoles 28 to 14. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
A tight salary cap situation has limited the amount of work the New York Giants could do in free agency, leaving the draft to fix some key issues.
The New York Giants entered the offseason with a tough salary cap situation and a ton of needs, leaving a tricky puzzle for new General Manager Joe Schoen to solve. As expected, the Giants haven’t been extremely active on the free-agent market, making a few pickups to bolster their offensive line without dipping into the more expensive end of the free agency pool out of necessity.
Schoen still has roughly the same needs to address as we outlined in our last mock draft for New York, so the game plan should be similar to what was laid out back in February. The names will undoubtedly be shuffled as a result of the NFL Combine and Pro Days, but here is an educated guess on how the Giants will look to attack their needs in the draft at the end of April.
New York Giants Mock Draft – First Round
5
Evan Neal
OT Alabama
The additions of Mark Glowinski and Jon Feliciano offer short-term fixes for the offensive line but New York is still in need of long-term answers at several positions. NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu will likely be off the board by the time the Giants pick at five but landing Alabama’s Evan Neal would still give Schoen a building block the line desperately needs.
Neal is an intriguing prospect for the Giants due to his positional versatility since he played both tackle and guard for the Crimson Tide. The obvious hole to fill would be opposite Andrew Thomas at right tackle but Neal also has the capability to kick inside to guard if Schoen finds another tackle he likes in a year or two.
7
Jermaine Johnson
DE Florida State
There are a lot of ways that this pick could go and there is a chance the Giants don’t even pick here. Schoen would likely prefer to deal this pick to a quarterback-needy team in hopes of adding more picks in next year’s draft, but if New York stays put the best use of No. 7 would be to add some serious pass rush potential with Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson.
A strong week at the Senior Bowl, combined with a 12 sack performance for the Seminoles last season, has pushed Johnson’s stock into the Top 10. Adding Johnson alongside 2021 second-round pick Azeez Ojulari would be a big step forward for a Giants’ pass rush that was significantly lacking last season.