Rahsaan in Pennsylvania: I believe the Giants only have seven draft picks coming up. What chances do they have of securing more draft picks by April?
John Schmeelk: Right now, the Giants have six picks in the 2021 NFL Draft. They own their own picks in Rounds 1-3 and will send either their fourth- or fifth-round pick to the Jets as part of the Leonard Williams trade, depending on whether he signs a contract extension before the start of the new league year. The Giants sent their seventh-round pick to the Broncos in September for Isaac Yiadom, but received a sixth-round pick from the Cardinals in the mid-season Markus Golden trade. It is extremely unlikely the Giants receive any compensatory draft picks based on how active they were in free agency, so they'd have to go the trade route to get more selections.
Peter in New Jersey: Should the Giants select a cornerback in the first round? I know they need help on offense, but it looks like there will be a run on offensive players in the Top 10. By selecting the top cornerback, they can play more man coverage and create pressure on the QB in other ways.
John Schmeelk: It is far too early to be targeting specific players in the draft. So much of the process, including the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine have yet to play out. It is NEVER a good idea to target a specific position anywhere in the draft based on need. It is about the ability of the players available when a team picks. If the best player on the board when the Giants pick at 11 is a cornerback, they should consider picking him. A cover corner across from James Bradberry, to your point, would help give Patrick Graham more freedom in running his defense. But the Giants should not force a corner if someone else at a different position is a better prospect.
Paul in Massachusetts: Hi, I'm a fan of old-school football and cringe every time I see a pass deflected or go through a receiver's gloved hand. It's twice as frustrating when this occurs in mild weather. It seems like you would lose the feel for the ball, as well as finger control by wearing a glove, correct?
John Schmeelk: Honestly, those receiver gloves are ridiculously helpful catching the football and most of those one-handed catches you see on a weekly basis would be impossible without them. The only exception is when it rains. The newer gloves can get very slick in wet weather.
