The New York Giants are coming into the draft with some major questions and in recent mock drafts, names like Mike Evans, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Aaron Donald, Eric Ebron and Taylor Lewan have come up and as Jerry Reese looks at his draft board, the team has the chance to make a real impact in 2014 at number 12 and both Mel Kiper and Todd McShay think the team will stick to the offense for their first round pick.
Last season the Giants had a very rough season and they lost their first six games before rebounding to go 7-9 and now they have their highest draft pick in a number of years and they can use that to get an impact player. Some have speculated that the team could try and trade up for Mike Evans, as he could be the perfect replacement for Hakeem Nicks, but Jerry Reese doesn't usually jump up like that.
The Giants are a team that usually goes for the most talented player on the board, but this year they may mix in some needs with that and that could lead to a pick of a tight end, offensive lineman, defensive lineman or wide receiver at number 12. Evans will not be there are 12 and if the Giants want him they will have to trade up, while ESPN thinks the team likes Aaron Donald at defensive tackle with their first pick and they could go after Seferian-Jenkins later in the draft, as they need a TE badly.
The Giants would love to grab Ebron, but he is looking like a top 10 pick now, while Evans is not an option unless the team trades. Both players are very athletic and Evans comes in after two great seasons in college and one top of that he could be a great deep threat, as he averaged 20 yards per catch last season with 69 catches on the year and now he could be a great NFL receiver. The Giants also may look at Marqise Lee or Brandin Cooks, as they need more help with Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle.
The Giants took Justin Pugh with their first round pick last season and don't rule out a running back either, as the team is a bit thin at that position as well. They have Rashad Jennings and Peyton Hillis, but with David Wilson's future in question, someone like Carlos Hyde or Tre Mason could be in the mix in a later round. Last season both players had double digit touchdowns and Hyde is a tough runner that would fit in with Jennings. Hyde had over 1,500 yards last season with 15 touchdowns, while Mason had 1,800 yards and 23 touchdowns for Auburn as they went to the national title game.
Reese spoke about the tight end position to ESPN and he said that he felt it wasn't an issue and while the team added Kellen Davis, they still could look for more in the draft or in the free agent market. The Giants ranked 10th in the league last season in passing yards per game and 29th in rushing yards and they are hoping Jennings can help with that.
