Tag: mel kiper jr.

Mel Kiper offers emphatic defense of New York Giants QB Daniel Jones

While many draft experts are advocating for the New York Giants to select a quarterback with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, one expert is offering a different path.

ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. believes the Giants should rally around current quarterback Daniel Jones and surround him with more weapons.

“I’m a Daniel Jones fan and I think you get a big-time receiver,” Kiper told Field Yates on ESPN’s First Draft, adding that he views Jones’ ceiling as higher than J.J. McCarthy’s.

“You’re getting a guy who certainly could be, you can make a strong argument, he could go a little higher than this with the Chargers being a possibility there. You mention Marvin Harrison Jr., you think Malik Nabers is right there, I think Rome Odunze is very close. I’m a big Rome Odunze fan coming out of Washington.”

Many naturally disagree. Jones has been oft-injured and inconsistent. If a viable replacement — especially one seen as an upgrade — to Jones is available to the Giants, they may not have a choice but to take it.

Kiper doesn’t think Jones is the Giants’ issue and cites their other roster shortcomings, which led him to double down on adding weapons in the draft.

“I get it, there’s an offensive line issue there as well. But the wide receiver position for Daniel Jones, they get a guy like Odunze. To me, that’s where I would go, that’s my pick here is Odunze for the New York Giants,” Kiper said.

“He has the size (6’3″ 215), he has the ability with that catch radius to out-dual cornerbacks for the football, he’s so smooth, he’s so deceptive with how he runs his routes, he’s very difficult to handle in those situations. You go to the national championship game, he was open, Michael Penix Jr. wasn’t able to get him the ball. Look at the consistency in terms of week in and week out.”

Kiper believes Odunze could raise Jones’ level of play and get the Giants back on the path they deviated from last year. That is, if Jones can stay healthy. That is a huge if.

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Giants select WR Malik Nabers in Mel Kiper’s first 2024 mock draft

The New York Giants hold the sixth overall selection in this April’s NFL draft. They are a team that can go in many directions after a disappointing 6-11 season.

So, which way will they go? Will they abandon the company line and draft over quarterback Daniel Jones? Or, will they double down on Jones and add a player who can support him, such as an offensive lineman or receiver?

Long-time ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. believes the Giants will look to add a weapon such as LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers.

The Giants got just six games out of quarterback Daniel Jones on the way to a lost season that showed some cracks in the foundation. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale resigned after the season, and the offense under coordinator Mike Kafka struggled with Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito under center. New York’s quarterbacks were sacked a whopping 85 times, the most in the league, and the offense ranked 30th in yards per play (4.5). The Giants used top-10 picks on offensive linemen in 2020 (Andrew Thomas) and 2022 (Evan Neal), but I absolutely could see them doing it again, as tackles Joe Alt (Notre Dame) and Olu Fashanu(Penn State) are still available in this scenario.

Still, I keep coming back to getting Jones more help, as he has never played with a true No. 1 wide receiver. Nabers could be that. He’s coming off an 89-catch, 1,569-yard season catching passes from Jayden Daniels, and he has a rare combination of speed and route-running ability. He led the FBS with 17 catches of 30-plus yards. The Giants had just 15 total 30-plus yard receptions last season, five of which were from rookie third-rounder Jalin Hyatt.

Kiper mocks Nabers to the Giants after predicting the first three players taken will be quarterbacks (Chicago — USC’s Caleb Williams, Washington — Jalen Daniels of LSU, and New England — Drake Maye of UNC) followed by Ohio State wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. (Arizona) and Georgia tight end Brock Bowers.

Will general manager Joe Schoen stick to his guns on Jones and Neal and roll the dice on a wide receiver? It’s possible. Nabers would be a great addition, but if Jones or the offensive line can’t stay healthy it will be like adding a shiny hood ornament to a car that’s always on a lift.

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