Nick Falato takes a swing at a Giants-only mock draft

It’s that time of year! In next week’s 2024 NFL Draft the New York Giants will add several college athletes to their roster in an effort to strengthen their team for 2024 and beyond. The Giants are making a big splash in my lone mock draft - a trade-up with the New England Patriots to select North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.

I followed the Maye pick, emphasizing offensive talent before selecting three defenders to close the draft. The Patriots collected two second-round picks and next year’s third-round pick while selecting Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. at six.

I also traded pick 70 for more assets later in the draft and was thrilled to find Kansas State offensive lineman Cooper Beebe still available. Ideally, I would have liked to find more difference-making players for Shane Bowen’s defensive unit, but the value at each selection gravitated toward offensive players.

Still, finding a quarterback with this high ceiling was worth the consolation of missing out on day two defensive backs and interior defensive linemen. All in all, although not perfect, I don’t mind the outcome of the draft, and I’ll detail why throughout the article. Please let me know what you think in the comments.

Round 1 (No. 3 ) — Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina

Traded Pick 47, 2024 second, and 2024 third-round pick to move up three spots

The Giants crossed their t’s for depth at the quarterback position this offseason. Daniel Jones is recovering from his torn ACL and is accounting for a cap number of $47.84 million in 2024. I don’t want to put the cart before the horse, but there’s positive news with his recovery. The Giants signed Drew Lock for the 2024 season at a $5-million cap number, and Tommy DeVito is still on the roster.

It’s not necessary for the Giants to go quarterback for this season, but they’re in a unique position. New York structured Jones’ contract to release the quarterback after this season with just $22.2 million in dead cap, which would result in savings of $19.4 million. They’re not tied long-term to Jones.

A few realities converge that make this scenario desirable. For starters, Maye has top-five quarterback potential; it doesn’t mean that will be actualized. However, if there’s a coach who could find a way to make that potential a reality, it’s Brian Daboll, who helped Josh Allen develop into the superstar we all see today.

Maye will also have the luxury of sitting behind Jones and Lock this season, which can allow his development to manifest. Maye played in Phil Longo’s Air Raid offense for two seasons before playing in a more conventional Chip Lindsey offense in 2023. The Air Raid has a different type of drop-back game, and it was apparent that Maye’s footwork lacked continuity last season with Lindsey, and this could force a longer developmental curve.

While sitting behind two professional quarterbacks could benefit any 21-year-old, I don’t think it’s necessarily a must for Maye, but the Giants have the infrastructure in place to allow it to happen. There are just few players with his type of arm talent:

You can find my detailed scouting report of Drake Maye here.

It’s no coincidence that Joe Schoen has attended several North Carolina games in 2023. He had a strong pipeline and relationship with Mack Brown that dated back to his first draft with the Giants in 2022 (selections of Josh Ezeudu and Marcus McKethan). Also, Eli Manning and Maye were in contact throughout the pre-draft process.

If the Patriots are actually open for business, Schoen should explore this option. You need a large ceiling to fit a Giant.

Round 3 (No. 82) — Cooper Beebe, OL, Kansas State

Giants traded pick 70 for pick 82, 117, and 191

The Giants had both Maye and Beebe in for Top-30 visits. Beebe is built like an old-school offensive guard - just a fire hydrant with impressive mobility for a player of his size/build. Beebe’s 93rd percentile 40-yard dash at 322 pounds is impressive. Beebe has several plays on tape where he is way downfield, cutting off second and third-level defenders, and he also has a road-grading style in the trenches.

Beebe takes good angles of approach to contact. He is a better fit for a more Power/Gap type of system, and it’s easy to fall in love with his balance and play strength, as well as his nimbleness in pass protection. The big concern with Beebe is his arm length; the 2nd percentile is a major concern and renders the likelihood of him playing Tackle almost non-existent.

Beebe only allowed only one sack over his final 41 games at Kansas State. He could play more within his own frame when driving base blocks at the line of scrimmage (chest over toes), but he’s still a balanced player who finishes blocks with authority.

Beebe played 1,847 career snaps at left guard, 778 at left tackle, 476 at right tackle, and 25 at right guard. He’s experienced but still just 22 years old. He would quickly become a fan favorite and could be a key figure in turning around the Giants’ offensive line.

Round 4 (No. 107) — Brenden Rice, WR, USC

Here is my analysis of Rice, the son of Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice:

• Prototypical “X” Build for a WR
• Great length and solid overall frame - 33-inch arms
• Impressive catch radius
• Solid overall athlete with good change of direction and light feet
• Can gain quality speed with momentum
• Not a stiff receiver for someone of his size
• Only faced press coverage on 17% of total snaps
• Great slide release to set up slant
• Solid overall release package in general
• Does well to accelerate off the LOS into his slant - big frame to secure passes
• Suddenly flips his hips and turns to the QB on quick hitches
• Physical at the top of his breaks - subtle push-offs to create space
• Contact and dynamic cuts into breaks create extra - sometimes needed - separation
• Works back to the football well to maximize throwing windows
• Impressive contested catches on his tape
• Especially on back-shoulder throws
• Had a fantastic rapport with Caleb Williams
• Boxed smaller CBs out of the play well in 1v1 situations
• Successful red zone and fade target
• Very smart receiver when the play breaks down
• Extends play and finds open areas - great spatial awareness
• Quick feet and agility assisted his YAC
• Picked up YAC physically as well - check Oregon, Q4, 6:27
• Physical blocker who will be an asset
• Has experience as a kick returner
• Had one punt return in his college career that resulted in an 81-yard TD

Weaknesses

• Can rely too much on physicality to create separation
• Could improve his tracking/concentration ability in the air
• Could do a better job securing the football after the catch
• Limited route tree - ran mostly hitches, slants, and go routes
• Aligned mostly on the left side of the field

Rice is a savvy, big-bodied route runner with adequate play speed. He creates separation with nuance and physicality at the top of his breaks and has an excellent feel for maximizing his quarterback’s throwing window. Rice is a red-zone threat who was excellent at extending plays at the college level.

Rice’s route tree wasn’t expansive at USC. He’s not an elite athlete at the position, but with momentum, he reaches quality speed. It’s not unfair to question his ability to create consistent separation against man coverage at the next level, but he’s quicker than he gets credit for, has a great catch radius, and is a smart overall player. He could be one of the receivers drafted on day two that makes an early impact in the NFL.

Rice caught 45 of 70 passes from Williams last year (64.3%) for 791 yards with 12 touchdowns. He finished his college career with 1,821 yards and 21 touchdowns on 111 catches, with a 48.6% contested catch win rate.

Is Rice an alpha wide receiver like Rome Odunze or Malik Nabers? No, but his size does complement the Giants’ wide receiver room, and he is a perfect consolation prize early on Day 3 if the Giants do land a quarterback like Drake Maye. He would be the “X” on the team.

Round 4 (No. 117) — Audric Estimé, RB, Notre Dame

Not only does Estimé compliment Devin Singletary well, but he’s also underrated and could be at a value due to his poor 4.71-second 40-yard dash time. Here’s my evaluation of Estimé:

• Chiseled - YOKED UP - body frame with barrel chest and thick legs
• Good size/mobility in a phone booth combination
• Solid overall athlete with adequate change of direction skills and agility
• Solid overall quickness and explosiveness
• Build up speed and acceleration was good, albeit took awhile for his momentum to reach top speed
• Runs low behind his pads - excellent contact balance
• Runs through arm tackles and poor tackle attempts
• Impressive stiff arm - an old-school power type back
• Excellent play strength; falls through contact frequently
• Not an easy back to bring down in a one-on-one situation
• Very good vision, patience, and tempo when approaching the LOS
• Presses the LOS to set up blocks and remove defenders from cut back lanes
• A smart overall running back with good processing
• Excellent job following blocks in power/gap and counter situations
• Great feel for angling his body at the line of scrimmage to avoid contact
• Excellent feel for backside pursuit defenders - solid timing to avoid
• Wasn’t asked to receive often but was comfortable when tasked to do so
• Thrives in short yardage situations due to low leverage and physical running style
• Physical nature translated in pass protection
• Good eyes in protection shouldn’t be a liability at the next level
• Can play in any style of offense
• Only 20 years old

Weaknesses

• Showed breakaway speed, but questions about his consistent deep speed are fair; it takes awhile for his speed to build up, like a locomotive
• Sufficient NFL athlete for a RB, but his athleticism isn’t a difference-making trait for him
• Unfortunate lack of involvement as a receiver
• Only had 26 career receptions, although he seemed comfortable when the ball was thrown his way
• Very limited route tree
• Ran behind one of the better offenses in college football

Estimé rushed for 2,321 yards over three seasons in college. He was the full-time starter in 2023, rushing for 1,341 yards with 18 touchdowns and 17 catches for 142 yards. He only received 7 carries in his freshman season (2021).

I appreciate Estimé’s throwback-in-nature game and running style, which is combined with good footwork and vision. He’s physical and powerful, with good control and contact balance. He’s the type of back who can run through arm tackles and consistently pick up hard-earned yardage—a fan-favorite type of back. Still, he lacks receiving experience, is just a solid athlete, and lacks the home run-hitting value many other backs possess.

Estimé may not be the most explosive back, but he’s a patient runner who should thrive in short-yardage situations with the upside of being a very good change-of-pace back to start with the body type to receive double-digit carries in the NFL. Estimé is best suited for a downhill rushing attack with counter and power/gap concepts, but he has the vision, patience, and feet to play in a zone system. He has the upside to be a starter, especially if he proves himself as a receiver.

Round 5 (No. 166) — Nehemiah Pritchett, CB, Auburn

Finally, a defensive player - a cornerback, at that! I’ve been a proponent of the potential value of cornerback on Day 2, but the Maye trade and the scenarios presented weren’t ideal. However, Pritchett is good value this late in the draft. He has played 1,831 snaps on the outside in his career, with 399 in the slot. He’s slightly older at 23 years of age.

He started four years at Auburn, allowing a career 49.7% catch rate. Pro Football Focus had him with 107 total tackles, 22 missed tackles (15.4% rate), 39 STOPs, 22 passes defended, three interceptions, and only four touchdowns surrendered with 11 penalties. He had a beautiful read where he cut the No. 2 receiver’s out-route after disregarding the nine from the No. 1 receiver to secure the interception against Vanderbilt to seal a victory in 2023:

Pritchett mostly played in a zone system in 2023, but his fluid hips, quick feet, and solid explosiveness, as well as his man coverage reps, make him a fit for any system. He could do a better job locating the football on the vertical parts of the field and could be a more consistent tackler, but he has upside.

Round 6 (No. 183) — Gabe Hall, DL, Baylor

Hall is a very long and light 23-year-old defensive lineman who plays with a good bend for a man of his size. He started three years at Baylor, primarily at three-technique and some 4i-shade (he would align at five-technique and even inside at two-technique as well), where he used his quick first step and power to be disruptive. He wasn’t very productive, but he does flash on tape.

Hall had 12.5 sacks in five seasons, with 77 tackles and 16.5 tackles for a loss; he didn’t play too much in his first two seasons at Baylor. Over the last three seasons, he recorded 81 pressures. Hall can get stuck to blocks and isn’t a consistent run defender; his center of gravity can rise and he must find a better way to anchor at the point of attack.

He could develop more consistent pass-rush moves, but his flexibility suggests he has an upside as a pass-rusher. He also has the lateral movement skills to slant effectively, which plays into Shane Bowen’s defense. The Giants don’t have a sub-300 defensive lineman who has shown pass-rushing upside. Hall would compete for snaps in passing situations, as defensive line coach Andre Patterson would look to develop the young player.

Round 6 (No. 191) — James Williams, DB/LB, Miami

Williams is a developmental pick with a unique build that makes him a unique sub-package asset. He overcame a lot of adversity as a child, and was a five-star recruit at safety. He didn’t test well at the combine, but I would trust Jerome Henderson/John Egorugwu to see if they could find a way to employ him on defense, while also allowing him to thrive on special teams.

Miami ran a lot of two-read coverages - which is a match defense used by new Giants’ defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. Due to his unique build, Williams was aligned all across the defense. His tackling suffered the further he was from the line of scrimmage; he had a missed tackle rate of 17.4% through three seasons at Miami. He attended the Reese’s Senior Bowl, where he operated as a safety and a linebacker.

Strengths

• Unique MISMATCH size for a safety
• Thumper with a long thick build
• Sufficent athletic ability to play safety at the NFL level
• Shows good closing burst when he is square to target and processes the threat
• His long strides help his recovery speed
• Solid angles of attack in the box
• Solid eyes from depth over the middle of the field
• Angles were better the closer to the LOS he operated
• Length/size helped him be annoying in coverage - ripped balls away from receivers
• Played through the catch point well
• Great play strength
• Huge pop on contact - will hurt people with his hits
• Good competitor and a tough overall player
• Versatile skill set

Weaknesses

• Sub-optimal fluidity for a safety
• Clunky transitions
• Isn’t slow, but isn’t fast - adequate overall speed is amplified by long strides
• Needs to be more active with his feet to better position/leverage himself
• Has to get better at tackling - 17.4% missed tackle rate
• 37 total missed tackles in three seasons
• Must learn to close width and come to balance to secure tackles
• Adequate in man coverage - he won’t hurt a team, but he won’t be a shut down SAF against above-average TEs
• Was, at times, late to react
• Love his physicality, but he sacrifices security for the “big hit”

Williams massive frame, wingspan, and physical nature suggest he could thrive in the correct defensive sub-package system as a BIG DIME or BIG NICKLE Linebacker who is closer to the line of scrimmage. For a safety, his eyes were above-average in the box, and he displayed some ability to scrape and locate before delivering a huge hit. Still, he’s not the smoothest athlete in his transitions, and his tackling was marginal. He’s a developmental defender with a ton of upside but some limiting factors that need to be corrected.