The New York Giants have been known to have the draft strategy of selecting the best player available, which may come into play on Apr. 30. If Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper falls to No. 9, can the Giants really resist?
Mel Kiper Jr. has Big Blue taking Stanford offensive tackle Andrus Peat with their first round pick in his latest mock draft, but he also has Cooper dropping to the St. Louis Rams at No. 10 overall. Cooper was previously projected to land with the Oakland Raiders at No. 4, but the emergence of West Virginia receiver Kevin White has perhaps suggested otherwise for the time being.
New York has a clear need on the offensive line, especially since the team just released center J.D. Walton and there has been talk about Justin Pugh moving to the interior. Left tackle Will Beatty also hasn't been too impressive ever since signing a five-year, $37.5 million deal before the 2013 season, even though Pro Football Focus says otherwise. General manager Jerry Reese could be faced with a predicament on draft night.
"But again, any time, and I'm speaking for myself not just our personnel department and our organization, anytime there is a dynamic playmaker up there and a guard, I'm taking a playmaker," Reese said, via Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
"Hmmm. Reese was talking in that case about Dallas' Zack Martin vs. Beckham at No. 12 last year," writes Raanan. "He could be faced with Cooper vs. Iowa's Brandon Scherff this year at No. 9."
ESPN Insider Todd McShay has the Giants selecting Scherff with the first round pick and that has been the main topic of discussion before Kiper's latest mock was released.
"I'll give them the ultimate tough guy in Scherff, who could either take over at right tackle for Justin Pugh or provide a major upgrade at left guard (with second-year lineman Weston Richburg likely to bump inside to center, his natural position)," McShay writes.
But with Rueben Randle hitting free agency after the 2015 season and Victor Cruz coming off of major knee surgery, Cooper remains an intriguing option if he were to fall to the Giants. The duo of Beckham Jr. and Cooper would set them up nicely for the future, and if Cruz comes back to full health then they could arguably build the best receiving corps in the league. The 20-year-old Cooper led FBS 1-A with 124 catches in 2014 to go along with 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns, which were both good for second.
"Cooper is the most polished wideout in this draft," writes Peter Schrager of FOX Sports. "And though there are definitely pass rush and offensive line needs, and absolutely defensive backfield needs, an Amari Cooper doesn't come along too often. The Giants don't plan on drafting in the top 10 too often. I simply don't see an offensive lineman worth taking over Cooper."
We'll see what happens in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft on Thursday, Apr. 30.
