Let’s see who Brugler ended up selecting for the Giants
Dane Brugler of The Athletic is out with a beastly seven-round mock draft that sees the New York Giants get shut out in the search for a quarterback in Round 1.
Brugler says the mock is based on a combination of “each team’s needs, organizational trends and prospect-team pairings that make sense based on “30” visits, league buzz and overall interest.”
Let’s see how it turned out.
Round 1 (No. 6) — Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
In Brugler’s mock, the Minnesota Vikings give up picks 11, 23 and a 2025 third-round pick to swap spots with the Arizona Cardinals and select J.J. McCarthy at No. 4. That means the top four quarterbacks and Marvin Harrison Jr (No. 5 to the Cardinals, who traded back up with the Los Angeles Chargers) are off the board.
Brugler clearly prefers Nabers to Rome Odunze. He writes:
I think the Giants will examine their trade-up options for a quarterback, but in this scenario, they stay put and add the true premier weapon they have been missing. Nabers would have been my No. 1 overall prospect in each of the last two draft classes.
Valentine’s View: As I have written previously, this is a realistic scenario I do not have a problem with. For me, either Nabers or Odunze is a terrific pick in this situation. Odunze goes No. 9 to the Chicago Bears.
Round 2 (No. 47) — Jaden Hicks, S, Washington State
In Brugler’s scenario, Michael Penix Jr. is off the board, having gone No. 29 to the Las Vegas Raiders via trade with the Detroit Lions. The Giants choose to pass on Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, who goes No. 52 to the Los Angeles Rams.
Brugler gives the Giants, who lost Xavier McKinney to the Green Bay Packers in free agency, Hicks as a replacement. Hicks, 6-foot-1⅞, 215 pounds, is Brugler’s highest-rated safety. In his draft guide, Brugler writes:
With his versatile skill set, Hicks has the speed to play high and the toughness to play low, filling the alley with urgency or covering big targets in space. Although his read anticipation is a work in progress, he plays confident and free, trusting his athletic instincts to help him make plays. Overall, Hicks is a rangy, intimidating presence, both downhill and on the back end, and he offers the multi-dimensional traits to develop into an NFL starter. He projects as a scheme-friendly safety who should also contribute immediately on special teams.
Valentine’s View: With so much focus on quarterback, wide receiver, offensive line and cornerback I have perhaps given short shrift to the possibility of the Giants selecting a safety at this point in the draft. I am not sure Giants’ GM Joe Schoen would make this pick if a cornerback he valued were available, but it is certainly a defensible pick worth consideration.
A pair of cornerbacks who have been connected to the Giants, Andru Phillips of Kentucky (63rd to the San Francisco 49ers) and Max Melton of Rutgers (64th to the Kansas City Chiefs) were available. I probably would have gone in that direction here, but Brugler knows these players better than I do.
Round 3 (No. 70) — Trey Benson, RB, Florida State
Brugler bypasses South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler (No. 76 to the Denver Broncos), cornerbacks like Kamari Lassiter of Georgia and Caelen Carson of Wake Forest, and offensive linemen like Dominick Puni of Kansas, Roger Rosengarten of Washington, Blake Fisher of Notre Dame and Christian Mahogany of Boston College to make this pick.
He writes:
The Giants have a handful of names on their running back depth chart, but no difference-makers. Benson isn’t the most instinctive ball carrier, but his contact balance and big-play potential would be a great fit in Brian Daboll’s offense.
Valentine’s View: I selected Benson for the Giants at No. 70 in my most recent mock draft, so I’m not going to criticize this pick. I do, though, find it interesting that Brugler winds up not selecting a single offensive lineman for the Giants. Maybe the prevailing opinion is that having added Jon Runyan Jr., Jermaine Eluemunor, Austin Schlottman, Aaron Stinnie and Matt Nelson in free agency the Giants have done enough to give themselves coverage for the upcoming season. Maybe that’s right, but I still wouldn’t object to adding an offensive lineman in the draft.
Round 4 (No. 107) — Michael Pratt, QB, Tulane
Brugler decides to give the Giants a Day 3 developmental quarterback. He takes Pratt while leaving some potentially useful players on the board. Among there are Oregon cornerback Khyree Jackson, Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat, Ohio State tight end Cade Stover, Michigan guard Zak Zinter, Colorado State edge Mohamed Kamara and South Dakota State guard Mason McCormick Jr.
Brugler does not offer comment on this selection in his mock. In his draft guide, he writes:
A four-year starter at Tulane, Pratt thrived in former offensive coordinator Slade Nagle’s scheme. After not playing football until high school, he showed steady improvements each season with the Green Wave, throwing a touchdown pass in 44 of his 45 games and breaking Patrick Ramsey’s school records for passing yards and passing touchdowns. Pratt is very clean in his setup and delivers a quick, accurate stroke, showing the ability to feather passes in between levels of the defense. Though he operates with rhythm from the pocket, he needs to continue developing his feel to spot the rush and hasten his process when needed. Overall, Pratt might not have the high-level physical traits to carry an NFL offense, but you don’t see panic in his game, and he has natural sense for where to go with the football. He projects as a quality NFL backup with starting upside in the right role.
Valentine’s View: I am not a big fan of taking a quarterback swing on Day 3, but this would be understandable for the Giants. A player like Pratt seems destined to be one of those guys who ends up as a long-term backup, occasional place-holding starter. That isn’t terrible value in Round 4. Not the big swing the Giants might need to take at some point, but a small move that could give them some options.
Round 5 (No. 166) — Josh Newton, CB, TCU
Brugler adds a cornerback for depth and competition. Of the 5-10⅝, 190-pound Newton, Brugler writes in his draft guide:
Whether in bump-and-run or zone coverage, Newton plays both alert and smooth to diagnose route combinations and outcompete receivers to the catch point. However, he struggles to recover after coverage missteps — he had a tough time keeping up with Texas’ talented wide receivers in 2023 (allowed nine catches for 131 yards and one touchdown in that game and was flagged for holding twice). Overall, Newton has only average twitch and long speed for tight coverage versus NFL athletes, but he is instinctive and competitive with inside-outside experience. He projects best in a zone-heavy scheme, in which he can work short areas and play the ball in front of him.
Valentine’s View: Given this same choice in my most recent mock draft, I chose Pittsburgh cornerback M.J. Devonshire. In reviewing my mock, Chad Reuter of NFL.com said on the ‘Valentine’s Views Show’ that he agreed with my selection. Maybe Reuter and I will be right. Maybe we won’t.
Round 6 (No. 183) — Justin Eboigbe, DL, Alabama
Adding defensive line help is something we have acknowledged as a good idea. Eboigbe is a player Reuter mentioned as a possible late-round target for the Giants.
In his draft guide, Brugler writes:
A one-year starter at Alabama, Eboigbe played right defensive end in coach Nick Saban’s hybrid fronts, spending most of his snaps at six-technique, 4i/5- technique, 2i/3-technique and nose (Jonathan Allen role). He was able to return from a career-threatening spinal cord injury in 2022 and put together a career season in 2023, leading the Alabama defensive line in tackles (63) and finishing third (behind Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell) in pressures (30). Eboigbe plays with a strong upper half and uses his length to lock out, stack and pry open gaps. His anchor will break down at times, and he is more rugged than powerfully explosive as both a pass rusher and run stuffer. Overall, Eboigbe plays with the mentality and fundamental ability to control the point of attack. If he receives clean medical checks from team doctors, he can provide scheme-versatile depth on the defensive line.
Valentine’s View: An Alabama defensive lineman? I can’t complain about that.
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