Ranking Giants' 2021 NFL Draft needs by position

Giants GM Dave Gettleman and his team will be huddled up in the war room in East Rutherford on Thursday, awaiting which top prospect will slip out of the Top 10 to them at No. 11 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.

But we all know there’s more work to do after that pick.

The Giants only have six picks this year, but Gettleman is perfectly content with that. That may be because free agency was a big win for New York, landing the likes of Kenny Golladay, Adoree’ Jackson and others to fill big needs with some experienced playmakers.

With those picks, here are the positions the Giants should be focusing on in this year’s NFL Draft to bring in more camp competition and potentially add some impact players right away:

1) Edge Rusher

Re-signing Leonard Williams was a main priority for Gettleman, and they eventually got the deal done. But that chunk of change for a player, though good, was for an interior pass rusher. And rightfully so after Williams got it done in Patrick Graham’s scheme.

But the Giants are banking on Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines to come back healthy in 2021 after dealing with their own injuries last season. Ifeadi Odenigbo and Ryan Anderson are also low-risk, one-year additions that you can’t bank on for the future.

Rumblings about taking a pass rusher at No. 11 have occurred for Big Blue, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if they went that route because that has been such a need for years. It could take a good defense to the next level.

Who to look out for

-Micah Parsons, Penn State
- Kwity Paye, Michigan
- Gregory Rousseau, Miami
- Azeez Ojulari, Georgia
- Rashad Weaver, Pittsburgh
- Ronnie Perkins, Oklahoma
- Carlos Basham Jr., Wake Forest

2) Offensive Line

Gettleman’s quest to revamp the O-line continues with this draft. The only free agent addition brought in to New York was veteran guard Zach Fulton, but he should be viewed more as a depth piece at the moment.

Nate Solder also returns on a restructured deal after opting out in 2020. Right now, he’d be viewed as the right tackle with an edge over Matt Peart for that role. And then there’s young guards and center that the Giants trust will develop into a good group.

More help could be needed here, and like the edge rusher pick, it wouldn’t surprise a soul if the Giants go with a lineman with their first pick because they want to give Daniel Jones as much help as possible, and Saquon Barkley could use some blockers, too.

Who to look out for

-G/T Rashawn Slater, Northwestern
- G/C Landon Dickerson, Alabama
- G/C Wyatt Davis, Ohio State
- C Quinn Meinerz, Wisconsin-Whitewater
- G Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma
- T Jackson Carman, Clemson

3) Defensive Tackle

The argument can be made that the Giants should focus on receiver or cornerback here, but Dalvin Tomlinson left a hole that needs filling. Granted, B.J. Hill is still on the roster and could be that man. But we know how much Gettleman loves his big men in the trenches, and he’s drafted them a bunch in the past three seasons.

Adding someone that can be a bully alongside Williams and Dexter Lawrence will keep that unit tough against the run and powerful getting to the passer.

Who to look out for

- Alim McNeill, N.C. State
- Milton Williams, Louisiana Tech
- Tommy Togiai, Ohio State
- Levi Onwuzurike, Washington

4) Cornerback

The Giants did good to add Jackson, though some believe the price tag of $14 million per season was too much for the 25-year-old speedster. James Bradberry and Darnay Holmes likely make up the other three that will start at corner as of now.

But there are rumors the Giants like South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn a lot and there’s some potential they could go with him at No. 11. If that was the case, this group would be elite with guys like Logan Ryan, Jabrill Peppers and Xavier McKinney also in the secondary.

Who to look out for

- Jaycee Horn, South Carolina
- Asante Samuel Jr., Florida State
- Aaron Robinson, UCF
- Eric Stokes, Georgia

5) Wide Receiver

For those that want DeVonta Smith or Jaylen Waddle at No. 11 overall, it can definitely happen because John Mara and Gettleman have both stated there’s always room for weapon upgrades. That would give Jones no excuses with the plethora of options he has on his offense.

But it’s not the biggest need in this case because of the Golladay signing as well as John Ross joining the crew. Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard are still on the roster as well.

If they don’t land an elite option, this is a wide receiver-heavy draft. There are playmakers later on that could be sleepers, so we’ll list those.

Who to look out for

-Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State
- Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC
- Josh Palmer, Tennessee
- Dyami Brown, North Carolina
- Jaelon Dardoe, North Texas