Giants NFL Draft First Round Pick Odds: Time for an OT

The New York Giants are on the clock.

I’m not necessarily talking about the draft clock, I’m talking about something even bigger.

The clock for Daniel Jones is ticking. One of the first draft prop bets I ever won was a few years back when I had Dwayne Haskins to over 6.5, having a gut feeling the New York Giants would prefer Jones over Haskins, who many regarded as the best quarterback in the class.

If you’ve watched football at all since then, you know that Jones has been the better of the two, but he hasn’t lit the world on fire. A good part of that has been because of the weapons around him.

Saquon Barkley hasn’t been on the field much with Jones, and Jones hasn’t had the cream of the crop at the wide receiver position to put it nicely.

They have gone out and addressed that by signing Kenny Golladay from Detroit, giving Jones a true No. 1 wide receiver since he’s been there. No disrespect to Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard (who I like as a slot guy), or the Golden Tate that was washed up before he even arrived, but the G-men made the investment for a franchise quarterback and never put any true playmakers around him to make that pick back in 2019 a success.

Like I said, the clock is ticking. I don’t mean that as his time in New York, as I feel that would be a bit premature, but the excuse clock. Jones has had the excuse of not playing with a No. 1 wide receiver. He’s had the built in excuse of not having Barkley, clearly one of the game’s top backs when healthy. This is the best chance for them to add even more talent on top of their already impressive free agent class. 

Now, I don’t know exactly which receivers the Giants prefer over others, but I do like them to take one at No. 11. I think LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase will be off the board by then, likely leaving them with the choice between both of Alabama’s wide receivers; Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith.

Right now, I’d say Waddle would make the most sense, adding another outside receiver with true game-breaking talents. I like Smith, but just a little bit worried on whether his impact will translate as quickly to the NFL game.

Waddle’s current over/under on his draft position is 11.5. I could see the Detroit Lions taking Waddle at No. 7, leaving the Giants with Smith, which would still be a heck of a pick.

According to DraftKings, the exact playing position of the Giant’s first drafted player to be a receiver is +200. That would be my pick right now.

I also understand there’s plenty of work to do on the offensive line. At +300, I wouldn’t be surprised if they pull the trigger in RaShawn Slater out of Northwestern. I think there’s a nice middle ground you could get both at.

If you feel passionately about one over the other, I’ve given you the information, do as you please. But so much can still happen between now and draft day in terms of trades that could make all of these projections hogwash by the time anyone even reads this.