Duane in North Carolina: There has been a lot of talk about some big trades that could be made before and during the draft: do you think the Giants will be involved in trading their first round pick?
John Schmeelk: At this point, it would surprising. We know Dave Gettleman's history of not trading down in the draft, but that's not the primary factor. It looks like the top five quarterbacks in this year's draft (Lawrence, Wilson, Fields, Lance, Jones) will be gone by the time the Giants select at 11th overall. Teams are more often than not motivated by quarterbacks to come up and make a trade. If they are off the board then there probably won't be many teams looking to move up and willing to pay a premium price to do so.
As for the Giants climbing up, with five quarterbacks potentially going in the top 10 picks, an excellent position player should be pushed down to them at 11. It might not be the upper-crust of that top tier of players, but it will be a player with All-Pro potential. If that player is there, why spend future draft capital to move up further?
Jeff in Florida: The Giants (11) pick in front of Philadelphia (12) in the first round this year. With four elite weapons (Chase, Smith, Waddle. Pitts) considered part of the top tier in this class, do the Giants take one to block the Eagles, especially if there is only one of them left on the board?
John Schmeelk: This would be the equivalent of cutting off your nose to spite your face. Could the Giants take an offensive weapon at 11, and prevent that player from going to the Eagles? Absolutely. Would that be the primary reason to select that player? Absolutely not. The Giants will take the player who best fits their team regardless of what it means for the Eagles.
Steve in New York: GM Dave Gettleman could stay put at 11 and take the best linebacker in the draft - Micah Parsons from Penn State. He could be the linebacker that New York fans haven't seen in a while.
John Schmeelk: Parsons is an excellent prospect. He is a freak athlete who has shown excellent instincts in the run game, the willingness to attack gaps, and the athleticism to go sideline to sideline. The only small question that's been raised with him is his ability to cover. It was something he didn't do as much at Penn State, as he was often used as a blitzer on passing downs. He was an excellent pass rusher, but NFL linebackers have to be able to cover. He did not play linebacker until he got to Penn State, so he is a little raw in this area when it comes to refining his instincts in zone coverage. It takes reps to anticipate passing windows and get to the right areas to disrupt the short and medium range passing game. He does have the athleticism to cover, yet there is some projection involved in that aspect of his game. There's also no reason to think he can't get there and be an every-down inside linebacker next to Blake Martinez.
Glenn in Maryland: Do late-round picks ever last in the NFL? Who are some of the Giants' notable late draft choices?
John Schmeelk: You can find good players late in the draft but it doesn't happen nearly as frequently. These players are also more often special teams players than every down players on offense or defense. Here are some recent Giants' sixth- and seventh-round rounders who contributed in the pros:
2015 7th round OT Bobby Hart: He has been a starting NFL offensive lineman for a few years.
2011 6th round LB Jacquian Williams: He was a starter and rotational player for four seasons.
2007 7th round SS Michael Johnson and RB Ahmad Bradshaw – Bradshaw was a key cog of the Giants running game for a long time and Johnson started at safety for three years.
In 2020, the Giants drafted promising LBs - Cam Brown (6th round), Carter Coughlin and Tae Crowder (7th round). All three got significant snaps on defense and on special teams last year.
