Getty Zack Baun (L) & Xavier McKinney (R) are both in play for the Giants in the 2nd Round
The New York Giants drafted Andrew Thomas with their 1st-Round pick on Day 1 of the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday. Now they will look to add multiple potential starters to their roster on Day 2 of the Draft.
Below we break down the top-5 best fits for the Giants entering Round 2.
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1) Xavier McKinney | S | Alabama
Teams clearly didn’t value the safety position as highly as draft analysts had. No safety came off the board in Round 1. That includes Xavier McKinney, who NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah had as his 22nd-ranked prospect in the entire class.
McKinney offers elite range from the safety position, as well as versatility. The former Alabama standout lined up at both safety positions as well as over the slot during his time with the Tide.
Drafting McKinney would allow Julian Love to move back to his natural position of cornerback, in return upgrading New York’s secondary at multiple positions with just one selection.
2) Zack Baun | LB | Wisconsin
Speaking of upgrading multiple positions, Zack Baun is a hybrid player who can line up either on the edge or as a stand up linebacker in the NFL. The ex-Wisconsin Badger exploded in 2019 and racked up 12.5 sacks in his Senior campaign. That type of production would be welcomed with open arms to a Giants defense hungry for a pass-rush.
Baun has also shown the ability to drop into coverage, which could come in handy if Blake Martinez can’t improve upon his spotty coverage skills.
3) Akeem Davis-Gaither | LB | App St.
Davis-Gaither may be a bit undersized, but he’s a stat sheet stuffer from numerous positions. He’s a linebacker by trade, yet built like a safety, and excels off the edge. Davis-Gaither posted a career-high five sacks in 2019.
His ability to slip past blockers is arguably tops in the class. New York did their homework on essentially every top-end linebacker prospect leading up to the draft. It’s clear they’re not done adding to the position despite their free-agent signings.
4) Matt Hennessy | C | Temple
Matt Hennessy is a player who has been connected to New York for a few weeks now. He’s reportedly had not one, but two pre-draft meetings with Big Blue. The Don Bosco (N.J.) High School product grew up a Giants fan and would likely compete day one for a starting gig.
The Giants shored-up their offensive tackle position on Thursday. However, there’s still a glaring hole in the middle of their offensive line. 2019 starting center Jon Halapio is rehabbing from a torn Achilles and remains unsigned at this time. Nick Gates is a player who the team believes could make the transition to center, but played mostly at guard and tackle a season ago.
5) Grant Delpit | S | LSU
If you said a year ago that a team would be able to snag Grant Delpit in the 2nd-Round, you would have likely been immediately placed into the NFL Drug Program. Delpit was perceived as a blue-chip prospect entering the 2019 College Football season. However, injuries and missed tackles drove him down draft boards.
Delpit is an uber-talented player who seems to have fallen down a similar draft path to the one Derwin James did a few years ago following a down final college season.
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