Skip to main content
New York Giants homepage
Advertising

Giants News | New York Giants – Giants.com

Giants Now

Presented by

Giants Now: Mel Kiper's new 2-round mock draft

GENERIC-GN

Mel Kiper's new 2-round mock draft

Two weeks from tonight, the 2024 NFL Draft will officially kick off.

Things are beginning to heat up as we inch closer to the start of the draft with new expert predictions almost every day.

The latest analyst to release updated projections is ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., one of the biggest names in the business.

In his previous mock draft, Kiper had the Giants selecting Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze at No. 6. While he stayed at the wide receiver position this time around, the draft analyst now projects LSU wideout Malik Nabers to the Giants.

"He can run any route, creating separation on even the best cornerbacks," wrote Kiper. "This is how the Giants could instantly turn around their offense."

Nabers, who doesn't turn 21 until July 28, is one of the youngest players projected to be taken in the first round of this year's draft.

The 6-foot, 200-pound receiver finished the 2023 campaign with 1,569 receiving yards, his second consecutive year with more than 1,000 yards. He also recorded 89 receptions and lead the FBS in receiving yards while ranking No. 2 in receiving touchdowns at the conclusion of the regular season.

The 20-year-old registered the most 10+ yard plays, 20+ yard plays and 30+ yard plays this past season. He finished his collegiate career as LSU's all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards, and was named Unanimous All-American and first-team All-SEC for his standout 2023 campaign.

Nabers also brought in 72 passes for 1,017 yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore in 2022.

The young wideout shined at the LSU pro day last month, as he ran an unofficial 4.35 40-yard dash and registered a 42-inch vertical and a 10'9" broad jump.

View photos of EVERY player projected to the Giants in every round by draft analysts in mock drafts.

Things got interesting when it came to the Giants' second-round pick.

Kiper projected a trade for the Giants and has them moving up from No. 47 to No. 33 in exchange for their 2025 second-round pick.

"How about a trade to kick off Day 2?" Kiper wrote. "These teams just did a deal together when Carolina sent edge rusher Brian Burns to New York for pick No. 39 and a 2025 fifth-rounder, so how about one more? In this projection, the Giants would send No. 47 -- which they got from Seattle in the Leonard Williams trade -- and their second-round pick in next year's draft to move up 14 spots.

"If that sounds a little steep, remember that there will be competition for this pick -- there's a lot of time for the Panthers to work the phones once Round 1 ends. New York has just six picks in this draft, so it can't afford to give up its third-rounder, which is why it would need to look to 2025. For Carolina, a team that isn't likely to contend this season and traded away what ended up being the No. 1 pick, getting an extra second-rounder next year would be huge."

Now with the first selection in the second round, Kiper has the Giants selecting a quarterback in the form of Oregon's Bo Nix.

The 6-foot-2, 214-pound quarterback had a standout 2023 campaign with 4,508 passing yards, 45 touchdowns and just three interceptions across 14 games. He also set a new NCAA record for the highest single season completion percentage at 77.45 percent, while adding 234 yards and six additional scores on the ground.

"Nix started a whopping 61 college games in stints at Auburn and Oregon, throwing for 15,352 total yards," wrote Kiper. "He leveled up in 2023, with 45 touchdown passes and three picks while completing 77.4% of his throws. The question for NFL teams: Do you trust he has enough arm strength to succeed? He was asked to get the ball out quickly and around the line of scrimmage for the Ducks, putting his receivers in a position to make plays after the catch. That's why I have a Round 2 grade on him. There likely will be a team that falls in love with Nix in this range; why can't it be the Giants?"

Nix was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Pac-12 for his 2023 performance, in addition to finishing third in Heisman voting. He was also the recipient of the William V. Campbell Trophy, awarded to the college football player with the best combination of academics, community service and on-field production.

In his first season at Oregon in 2022, Nix completed over 70 percent of his passes (71.9 percent) and finished with 3,593 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also ran the ball 89 times for 510 yards (5.7 avg.) and an impressive 14 touchdowns while adding a receiving touchdown.

Prior to transferring to Oregon, Nix spent his first three seasons at Auburn. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2019 after throwing for 2,542 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions.

The 24-year-old's 61 career starts are more than any other quarterback in NCAA history. He finished his collegiate career with 15,352 passing yards, 113 passing touchdowns and 26 interceptions along with 1,613 rushing yards and 38 rushing touchdowns.

View photos of every NFL player selected with the sixth overall pick since the first draft in 1936.

View photos of every move made by the Giants during the 2024 cycle.

24_TextAlerts_Generic_1920x1080

Subscribe to Giants Text Alerts to stay up to date on breaking news, ticket offers, gameday entertainment, and more!

Related Content

Advertising