Front offices around the NFL are finalizing their boards and simulating every possibility in preparation for the draft. With that in mind, the Giants.com crew discusses the best-case scenario for the Giants, who hold the fifth and seventh overall selections.
As a refresher, below is a look at the Top 10 of the draft order.
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Detroit Lions
- Houston Texans
- New York Jets
- New York Giants
- Carolina Panthers
- New York Giants (from Chicago Bears)
- Atlanta Falcons
- Seattle Seahawks (from Denver Broncos)
- New York Jets (from Seattle Seahawks)
John Schmeelk: Given the way this draft class is structured, it would be best for the first four picks in the draft to not include any cornerbacks or offensive linemen so the Giants get their choice of the best players at those positions. If they walked away with Evan Neal and Sauce Gardner, it would call for cartwheels down the hall of the Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Then, you target the best edge rusher from a group much deeper than cornerback or offensive tackle at the top of the second round, or grab one of the top interior offensive linemen (if they fall to 36).
UNLESS…. a trade becomes available. Given the franchise has a new regime in place conducting their first draft, this this front office and coaching staff should have the best possible opportunity draft as many of their own players as possible in the next couple of seasons. And they could add as many picks in next year's draft as possible to create more flexibility should they need a player at an elite position. If a trade down becomes available from either No. 5 or No. 7 that could net a first-round pick in next year's draft, it would be hard to turn down, even if it costs the Giants a top player in this year's class. In this hypothetical trade, the Giants would move into the late teens or early 20s and could still pick the top interior offensive linemen, worthy cornerback or solid pass rusher (and possibly add a mid-round pick) – this would be the ideal situation.
Dan Salomone: First off, general manager Joe Schoen said he will be able to sleep well the night of April 27 if he has seven players he likes. That's the best-case scenario because the Giants then wouldn't have to worry about ... best-case scenarios. They can stay put and take two foundational pieces for a new regime. Additionally, if there isn't much fluctuation from the No. 1 prospect to No. 7 in the Giants' eyes, then it's really a home run. Everyone rests easy that Wednesday night.
If they don't have seven prospects in that top echelon or there is a big discrepancy between No. 1 and No. 7, then let the games begin. That opens up every door, including moving up and trading down for not one, but two picks. In that scenario, the best thing for the Giants would be a team or two falling in love with a quarterback or two. If one quarterback is taken in the top four, then the Giants will have an even greater chance at landing one of their favorite prospects. There's also the possibility of teams trading up for a signal-caller, and that's not a bad bet. Quarterback is the most important position in sports, and even though this class wasn't touted early, the proof will be what happens from 8-9 p.m. ET on April 28.
Lance Medow: The best-case scenario for the Giants would be to have a strong pool of prospects rated high on their draft board still available when they're set to select fifth and seventh overall. The chances of this happening are high, regardless of what transpires with the first four picks of the draft. But things could get more attractive if one or two teams grab a quarterback in the top four, allowing New York to have more players to choose from at other positions.
Even if no signal callers are selected before the Giants are on the clock for the fifth overall pick, that could also present some attractive opportunities. Perhaps a team that didn't think a player would still be available now has the desire to make a move to get ahead of the Panthers at No. 6. The same can be said for the No. 7 - to jump ahead of the Falcons or Seahawks. Although the Giants could use a pair of Top 10 picks to make an immediate impact it's worth listening at the chance to add additional resources, depending on how far they'd have to move down.
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
