2017 NFL mock draft: New York Giants select Jarrad Davis

The New York Giants are on the clock with the 23rd pick in the Pride Of Detroit Community Mock Draft. Commenter MaizeAndBlueWahoo is up and with the pick he has selected linebacker Jarrad Davis out of Florida. Below is his explanation for the pick:

It’s no secret the G-men are a little offensively challenged, but after a mini-run on offensive tackles, an offensive pick at this point is either a reach or a luxury. So we go with defense here, and, fortunately, an answer to a gaping hole falls in the Giants’ lap. This is a positional need, though not a statistical one; the Giants’ defense was already one of the best in the league last year, especially against the run.

New York managed to be an excellent run defense even with subpar linebacker play. Kelvin Sheppard started most games at MLB, and was panned by PFF as one of the worst linebackers in the league. NFL GMs must agree, because the Giants didn’t bother re-signing him after his one-year contract and he hasn’t been picked up anywhere.

Jarrad Davis fits here like puzzle piece #1000. His coverage skills are a little behind his run defense, but he’s that coveted sideline-to-sideline defender in the run game, a necessary trait since the Giants have so much bulk and talent in their defensive tackles that teams are inclined to run away from them.

This is an odd pick in that it’s both a luxury pick and one of desperate need at the same time. The Giants showed you could have a top-five defense even with linebacker play that scraped the bottom of the barrel; adding Davis fills a huge positional hole, gives them more margin for error and most likely turns a great defense into an elite one.”