The New York Giants absolutely need to select this player with one of their two top 10 NFL Draft picks.
The New York Giants now own two top-10 picks in the NFL Draft courtesy of the Dexter Lawrence trade, and they desperately need to get this right.
If I've said it once, I've said it a million times: the Giants have glaring needs at cornerback, defensive tackle, guard and wide receiver ... so why are the vast majority of mock drafts linking them to linebacker Sonny Styles and safety Caleb Downs again?
New York may very well be considering selecting those two players. The buzz is coming from somewhere. But if the Giants do that, it would be a colossal blunder.
I don't think New York should take either Styles or Downs, but picking both of them would be a recipe for disaster given the massive holes the Giants have at other far more imperative positions.
On that note, there is one player Big Blue absolutely, positively cannot bypass in the first round: LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane.
I cannot stress enough how much of a need New York has at corner.
The Giants lost Cor'Dale Flott in free agency and replaced him with Greg Newsome II, which is certainly a downgrade. And just think: even if New York would have re-signed Flott, it still would have needed help at cornerback.
Mansoor Delane. Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images.That should give you an idea of how dire the situation is currently.
Delane is widely viewed as the best cornerback in this draft class, and it's looking more and more like he is going to come off the board in the top 10.
Would he be a slight reach at No. 5? Possibly, but the Giants badly need a player like him in their secondary, and he might not make it to No. 10.
In fact, Delane's stock has risen over the last couple of weeks, and I have seen some discussion about him possibly being a top-five selection.
Delane is exactly what New York needs at the position. He's tough, he's physical and brings impressive athleticism to the table. He isn't the biggest defensive back in the world, but he compensates for it with his tenacity.
Remember: even after acquiring the 10th overall pick from the Cincinnati Bengals in the Lawrence deal, the Giants are still lacking in draft capital. After their second-round selection at No. 37, they don't pick again until No. 105.
It's going to be difficult for New York to fill all of its needs as it is; never mind if the Giants do something ridiculous like take both Styles and Downs.
Unless the G-Men plan on trading down to accumulate more draft capital, Delane absolutely must be one of their first two selections. If not, it would be a world class screw up by New York.
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