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Giants Now: Mel Kiper's 2022 NFL Draft big board

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ESPN's Mel Kiper updates 2022 NFL Draft big board

The 2022 NFL Draft kicks off in three months from Friday.

A lot can and will change between now and April 28, but nonetheless mock draft season is in full swing.

Some of the big name draft experts have released mock drafts over the last week, including NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah and ESPN's Mel Kiper.

This week, Kiper updated his Big Board, ranking the top 25 prospects following the conclusion of the college football season. In his first mock draft leading up to April's festivities, Kiper projected the Giants to address both sides of the ball with their picks at Nos. 5 and 7.

Here are Kiper's original predictions for the Giants' first two picks with updated commentary on each prospect.

5. New York Giants - OT Ikem Ekwonu, NC State

"Ekwonu bullies pass-rushers. He toys with them. He has played both guard and tackle in his career, but he excelled at left tackle in 2021. He moves his feet well in the run game and can get to the next level. I still want to see his arm length measurement, but people inside the league whom I trust think he can stick at left tackle regardless. He has been a riser over the past few months, and it's not out of the question that he's the top offensive linemen off the board." -- Kiper

7. New York Giants (via CHI) - OLB David Ojabo, Michigan

"Ojabo was one of the most impressive newcomers in the country in 2021. A third-year sophomore who spent his youth in Nigeria and Scotland, he had 11 sacks and five forced fumbles playing on the other side of Aidan Hutchinson. He has flashed advanced pass-rush moves and his physical traits pop on tape. While Ojabo needs to work on his all-around game, there's a lot to like. He's still young; he could develop into a elite edge rusher." -- Kiper

In his most recent prospect rankings from this week, Kiper has Ekwonu listed at No. 5 while Ojabo comes in at No. 9.

View photos of the best players ever to be selected with the Nos. 5 and 7 picks in NFL draft history.

Giants interview Cowboys DC Dan Quinn for head coach

Dan Quinn, a New Jersey native whose stint as the Atlanta Falcons' coach included a trip to Super Bowl LI, became the fourth candidate to interview for the Giants' head coaching position on Monday.

Quinn, 51, spent the day at the team's Quest Diagnostics Training Center and met with team president John Mara, chairman Steve Tisch, senior vice president of player personnel Chris Mara and Joe Schoen, who was hired last week as the Giants' new general manager. The contenders who preceded him were Buffalo Bills coordinators Brian Daboll (offense) and Leslie Frazier (defense) and Cincinnati Bengals' defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, who was the Giants' defensive backs coach in 2018.

Quinn spent the 2021 season as the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, who won the NFC East title with a 12-5 record. Dallas allowed 21.1 points a game, the NFL's seventh-lowest figure. The Cowboys were second in third-down defense, allowing conversions on just 34.1% of their opportunities (76 of 223). Dallas had league-high totals of 34 takeaways and 26 interceptions, significant improvements after posting 23 takeaways and 10 picks in 2020, the year prior to Quinn's arrival.

Two of Quinn's defenders were selected to the Pro Bowl. Linebacker Micah Parsons led all rookies with 13.0 sacks, and cornerback Trevon Diggs topped the NFL with 11 interceptions.

Quinn was named head coach of the Falcons in February 2015. In just over five seasons, he led Atlanta to a 43-42 regular season record plus a 3-2 mark in two postseason appearances. In 2016, the Falcons went 11-5, won the NFC South and defeated Seattle and Green Bay to win the conference title before losing to New England in the Super Bowl.

View photos of the career of Giants head coaching candidate and Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.

Inside the Film Room: Andrew Thomas' second-year jump

Andrew Thomas put together a strong second season in the NFL.

Thomas played 800 offensive snaps across 13 games this past season, allowing just two sacks on 517 pass block snaps. He finished the 2021 campaign with a 78.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus and an 82.1 pass block grade, which ranked 12th among all offensive tackles.

The 23-year-old tackle also made an incredibly athletic touchdown catch against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11.

Check out the video below to watch Bob Papa and two-time Super Bowl champion David Diehl break down the film of offensive tackle Andrew Thomas.

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