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by Adam Nardelli @adamnardelli

With the 2020 draft rapidly approaching, it’s time to get one more mock draft in. A 6-round mock draft may seem odd, but the Giants have four 7th-round picks. I’m not entirely convinced GM Dave Gettleman will use all four of those picks (maybe he’ll use one or two to move up to get an extra 5th or 6th-round pick). Even if he did use all four, having four 7th-round picks make the final roster would be surprising.

To make the mock draft as accurate as possible, I used fanspeak.com’s difficulty level mock draft to ensure players don’t drop more than they realistically should.

The Jaguars offered the 9th and 20th picks to jump up to the 4 spots. Having one pick in the top 10 and one in the top 20 should be able to address the offensive line and grab a quality defensive player, and that’s what happened.

1st round, pick 9: Tristan Wirfs, Offensive Tackle, Iowa

If the Giants go offensive line in the first round this is how I prefer they do it, in a trade down scenario. Wirfs is super athletic, has experience at both right and left tackle, and comes from a great line of offensive lineman at Iowa.

1st round, pick 20: K. Murray, Linebacker, Oklahoma

I know the Giants signed Blake Martinez, but it’s time they invest a high-round pick at linebacker as well. Murray is a play-maker (has 15 tackles for loss the past two years) and plays with excellent speed from sideline-to-sideline. He would add significant talent to a group that has clearly lacked it for too long. Murray, Martinez, and Ryan Connelly (who reportedly should be healthy going into training camp) would be a nice trio.

2nd round, pick 4: Xavier McKinney, Safety, Alabama

The Giants haven’t truly found their Landon Collins replacement yet, but McKninney could be that guy. He has experience playing free safety, in the slot, and near the line of scrimmage, so he would bring some nice versatility to the defense. He also knows how to get around the ball (four forced fumbles in 2019 which was among the nation’s best), which is exactly what the Giants need.

3rd round, pick 35: Cesar Ruiz, Center, Michigan

I’ve seen Ruiz go in the first round in some mock drafts, so this may be wishful thinking. Ruiz is considered one of the best centers in the draft and would add some insurance to a position that needs it. Dave Gettleman admitted in a recent conference call with the media that they won’t know the health status of 2019 starter Jon Halapio until June.

4th round, pick 4: Brycen Hopkins, Tight End, Purdue

I love Evan Engram, but injuries have derailed his full-potential. With him going into his fourth season the Giants have a decision to make as to how he fits into their future plans. Hopkins is a polished route runner and would add some pass-catching ability to the tight end group beyond Engram and Kaden Smith.

5th round, pick 4: T. Johnson, Wide Receiver, Minnesota

The receiver class is historically deep this year, so it would seem irresponsible to not take a shot on at least one in the later rounds. The Giants receiving corps isn’t bereft of talent, but Daniel Jones could use another weapon to throw to. Johnson has excellent ball skills which would give Jones at minimum a nice red-zone target.

6th round, pick 4: Jonathan Garvin, EDGE, Miami

The pass rush is still a major need for the Giants, but considering the lack of moves at pass rush the Giants have made it seems more and more like Gettleman is counting on Oshane Ximenes to have a breakout second year. Still, there’s no reason the Giants can’t take a shot on an edge rusher with great length and traits in the 6th-round. Garvin is probably more of a project, as NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein puts it, “there might be gold to mine if a coach can get it out of him”. It sounds like the kind of player you want in the 6th-round.