With the calendar officially flipped to March, we are under two months away from the start of the 2022 NFL Draft.
A lot can change between now and April 28, especially with free agency still to come later this month. But several prospects have already seemingly solidified their spots toward the top of the draft, even without any on-field workouts yet.
NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah believes there are two perfect fits for the Giants, who currently hold the fifth and seventh overall picks. However, whether or not either player will still be available when the Giants are on the clock remains to be seen.
"I would say (Aidan) Hutchinson and (Ikem) Ekwonu would be the two that I would just run the card in…" Jeremiah said on Big Blue Kickoff Live regarding no-brainer picks for the Giants. "(Evan) Neal wouldn't be for me. He's my fifth overall player, so I wouldn't hate that pick at all. But to me, I just think those top two guys are no-brainers. I think you just plug-and-play them, and off you go….
"I don't think they'll be there. We'll see. It's a long time between now and then. Teams have free agency to address other needs and see what happens. But I just think they're high-floor and high-ceiling guys, which are hard to find."
In Jeremiah's most recent rankings of the Top 50 draft prospects, Hutchinson and Ekwonu came in at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, so it would hardly be a surprise if neither is available for the Giants with the fifth pick. Although he mentioned Neal as another possibility for the Giants, Jeremiah believes there is a "pretty significant" drop-off between Neal, his fifth-ranked prospect, and the next OT in his rankings (Trevor Penning at No. 23).
While addressing the offensive line will certainly be a priority for the Giants this off-season, Jeremiah does not think you need to use first-round picks in order to build a strong unit up front.
"I just like to remind people that you can build your football team outside of the first round, and offensive line has been a great example of that," NFL Network's top draft analyst said. "You just watch the Super Bowl and see a team that won the Super Bowl without dedicating one of their first-round picks to the offensive line. You have free agency, you have trades, you've got good players you can get Day 2, which I love. Second- or third-round type guys. You can build a very functional offensive line."
Outside of their two top seven picks, the Giants hold seven other selections in the 2022 NFL Draft, including four in Rounds 2-4. They own their own second and third-round picks, along with the Miami Dolphins' third-round pick and Chicago Bears' fourth-round pick.
There are numerous ways for a team to improve their offensive line. Considering the talent at the edge rusher position in this year's draft, Jeremiah believes the Giants would be better off using one of their first two picks on a pass rusher, before selecting some offensive linemen beyond the first day of the draft.
"I think Bernhard Raimann is someone that's interesting out of Central Michigan as a tackle," Jeremiah said as a possible fit for the Giants in the second round. "I thought he had a chance to maybe even go in the middle of the first round. I thought his Senior Bowl was a little bit up and down, I think he took on maybe a little bit of water there. I think he'll test well this week, which will help him. But he's one I could see conceivably being there at the top of the second round. To me, probably more towards the middle or back end of the second round, a guy that's intriguing is a guy like Max Mitchell from Louisiana. He's another one that was down there at the Senior Bowl. He would be somebody that would be a nice fit there at that point of time.
"Then interior guys, you get into the third/fourth round… (Luke) Goedeke is Bernhard Raimann's teammate there at Central Michigan. I think he probably slots in around there. I love Luke Fortner. I think he'll be gone, from Kentucky, he'll probably go in the second round. Zion Johnson is a second-round guy… (Jamaree) Salyer is an interesting one because you have this kind of undersized tackle who's going to kick inside to guard. He's real strong. I think fourth round is probably about where I'd have him in the mix. I'm maybe not as high on him as some others, but he's a solid player."
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah released his final edition of the top 50 prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft.
No. 50 Logan Hall, DT, Houston
No. 49 David Ojabo, EDGE, Michigan
No. 48 Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
No. 47 Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida
No. 46 Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State
No. 45 Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan
No. 44 Nik Bonitto, EDGE, Oklahoma
No. 43 Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan
No. 42 Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa
No. 41 Jalen Pitre, S, Baylor
No. 40 Matt Corral, QB, Mississippi
No. 39 Lewis Cine, S, Georgia
No. 38 Christian Harris, LB, Alabama
No. 37 Travis Jones, DT, Connecticut
No. 36 Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M
No. 35 Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington
No. 34 Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State
No. 33 Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan State
No. 32 Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson
No. 31 Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota
No. 30 Zion Johnson, IOL, Boston College
No. 29 Quay Walker, LB, Georgia
No. 28 Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State
No. 27 Tyler Linderbaum, IOL, Iowa
No. 26 Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
No. 25 Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State
No. 24 Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
No. 23 Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia
No. 22 Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
No. 21 Dax Hill, S, Michigan
No. 20 Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
No. 19 Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
No. 18 George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue
No. 17 Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia
No. 16 Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
No. 15 Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
No. 14 Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
No. 13 Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
No. 12 Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
No. 11 Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
No. 10 Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
No. 9 Jermaine Johnson II, EDGE, Florida State
No. 8 Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
No. 7 Drake London, WR, Southern California
No. 6 Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
No. 5 Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
No. 4 Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
No. 3 Ickey Ekwonu, OT, North Carolina State
No. 2 Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
No. 1 Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan
If the Giants target an edge rusher with one of their first two picks, Kayvon Thibodeaux is a name that could be intriguing, if he's still available.
Playing in 10 games as a junior this past season, Thibodeaux had seven sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. He received an 83.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, including an elite 91.5 pass rush grade, and was named First-Team All-Pac-12 and unanimous All-American. It was the second consecutive season in which he was selected as First-Team All-Pac-12. He was also the recipient of the Morris Trophy as the Pac-12's best defensive lineman in 2020.
Jeremiah notes Thibodeaux's "explosiveness and quickness" as reasons why he is considered one of the top prospects in the draft class, but does acknowledge the pass rusher's "inconsistency" during his time at Oregon.
Two other edge defenders the draft analyst believes the Giants will do plenty of research on are Georgia's Travon Walker, whom he connected to the Giants in his most recent mock draft, and Florida State's Jermaine Johnson II.
"They're both going to test off the charts, but Travon Walker is a better athlete," said Jeremiah. "He's more fluid, he's more loose. Both of those guys are going to go in the top 10. I think the Giants have to do their homework on both of those kids."
Depending on what happens in the time leading up to the draft, cornerback could wind up being another position the Giants target early in the draft. Although there is some debate between draft experts as to who should be the first corner off the board, Jeremiah thinks the choice is an easy one.
Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner did not allow a single touchdown during his three seasons at Cincinnati. He registered overall PFF grades of 88.0 (2019), 77.5 (2020) and 87.1 (2021) while recording three interceptions each year. Gardner made First-Team All-AAC all three seasons he played for the Bearcats, and in 2021 was named AAC Defensive Player of the Year along with Consensus All-American.
After allowing just 131 yards in 14 games this past season, Gardner proved he is likely the top press corner in the 2022 draft, which has Jeremiah excited about his future.
"I'm a big Sauce Gardner fan," the draft analyst said on BBKL. "To me, finding long, loose corners, they're hard to find. He can play the ball. Much has been made of the fact that he didn't give up a touchdown, but to me… he plays with a stinger. He definitely has a little edge to him. If you look at the best corners in the history, they all have a little edge to them. This guy has that."
View photos from Media Day as some of the top WR, TE, and QB prospects speak to reporters from the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
Jelani Woods
UCLA tight end Greg Dulcich speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Dontario Drummond
Alabama wide receiver John Metchie speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Jeremy Ruckert
Oregon State tight end Teagan Quitoriano speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Isaiah Likely
Virginia tight end Jelani Woods speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Treylon Burks
Nebraska tight end Austin Allen speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
SMU tight end Grant Calcaterra speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Jelani Woods
Maryland tight end Chig Okonkwo speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Wisconsin tight end Jake Ferguson speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Texas A&M tight end Jalen Wydermyer speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Chris Olave
San Diego State tight end Daniel Bellinger speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Colorado State tight end Trey McBride speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Ohio State tight end Jeremy Ruckert speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Iowa State tight end Charlie Kolar speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
John Metchie
Nevada tight end Cole Turner speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Nevada wide receiver Romeo Doubs speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Iowa State tight end Chase Allen speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Dontario Drummond
Kent State quarterback Dustin Crum speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Texas Tech wide receiver Erik Ezukanma speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Washington tight end Cade Otton speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Nevada wide receiver Romeo Doubs speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Iowa State tight end Chase Allen speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Southeastern Louisiana quarterback Cole Kelley speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
USC wide receiver Drake London speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Notre Dame quarterback Jack Coan speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Purdue wide receiver David Bell speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Alabama wide receiver John Metchie speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Mississippi quarterback Matt Corral speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Mississippi wide receiver Dontario Drummond speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Miami quarterback D'Eriq King speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Kent State quarterback Dustin Crum speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Coastal Carolina tight end Isaiah Likely speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Treylon Burks
Treylon Burks
Drake London
John Metchie
Drake London
Kaleb Eleby
Slade Bolden
Kaleb Eleby
Drake London
John Metchie
Jack Coan
Jahan Dotson
John Metchie
Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross (29) speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Wednesday, March 2, 2022. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Dontario Drummond
John Metchie
Jahan Dotson
Jahan Dotson
Isaiah Likely
Cade Otton
Isaiah Likely
Chase Allen
Chase Allen
Cade Otton
Georgia wide receiver George Pickens speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Trey McBride
Jelani Woods
Chase Allen
Jalen Wydermyder
Jelani Woods
Jalen Wydermyder
Jeremy Ruckert
Carson Strong
Carson Strong
Jalen Wydermyder
Carson Strong
Jelani Woods
Cade Otton
Cade Otton
Carson Strong
Carson Strong
Carson Strong
Wisconsin tight end Jake Ferguson speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson (39) speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Wednesday, March 2, 2022. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder (13) speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Wednesday, March 2, 2022. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Kentucky wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Maryland tight end Chig Okonkwo speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
North Dakota State wide receiver Christian Watson speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Kent State quarterback Dustin Crum speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Boise State wide receiver Khalil Shakir speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
