New York Giants Struck Gold With Overlooked Draft Pick

When it comes to Day 3 of the NFL Draft, you are generally just throwing darts, and the New York Giants had three opportunities to do that in the sixth round of the draft this past April.

With their trio of sixth-round selections, the Giants took defensive tackle Bobby Jamison-Travis, offensive tackle J.C. Davis and linebacker Jack Kelly.

Jamison-Travis was known as a run stopper as Auburn, and with New York desperately needing help in the trenches, the decision made sense. But he didn't stand out in training camp, and he has yet to play a snap for the Giants this season.

Kelly posted very intriguing numbers at BYU and has been featured as a special teamer for Big Blue thus far. Perhaps there will be a more significant role for him in the future.

As for Davis? The Giants didn't really need a swing tackle, as they already had Marcus Mbow behind one of the league's better tandems in Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor. So the pick was a bit puzzling at the time.

But it's becoming clear that John Harbaugh and Joe Schoen knocked it out of the park.

Davis looked fantastic in camp, so much so that there was even some buzz that he could potentially earn playing time at left guard if Jon Runyan Jr. struggled.

However, we got out first look at Davis this past weekend, and it wasn't at guard: it was at left tackle as Thomas was being evaluated for a concussion.

And you know what? Davis held up wonderfully, as the University of Illinois product did not allow a single pressure in 25 snaps against the New Orleans Saints. In fact, he ended up posting a very impressive 78.8 pass-blocking grade at Pro Football Focus.

Davis is still the fourth tackle on the depth chart. Eluemunor was sidelined with a calf injury in Week 6, so Mbow was already filling in on the right side. That was why Davis was called upon to relieve Thomas.

But you have to wonder just how much longer Davis will remain buried on the depth chart.

The 6-foot-5, 335-pound behemoth possesses terrific traits, both in strength and athleticism. And he does appear to have enough versatility to play inside. He saw snaps at guard in Senior Bowl practices, after all.

So let's say Runyan — to whom the Giants just inexplicably handed a two-year extension — continues to labor on the interior. Does New York consider making a switch to Davis?

It might be a lot to ask a rookie to change positions midway through the season. Francis Mauigoa is having a hard enough time at right guard and he had a whole offseason to prepare.

But Davis looked so good on Sunday — and has looked so impressive ever since the start of the offseason program — that the Giants might need to consider getting him on the field regardless of how they do it.

It's looking more and more like Davis was an absolute steal in the sixth round.