NFL New York Giants

2015 NFL Draft: Pick By Pick With New York Giants At No. 9

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By @rickstavig

Alvin Dupree, NFL Draft

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

With the regular season now in the rearview mirror, it’s officially mock draft season. Yes, mock drafts are entirely and utterly useless. It’s all speculation loosely based on rumors and projections, with no mock draft ever being anywhere near perfect. It’s like making a bracket for the NCAA tournament: you’ll get a few right but you’ll never get them all right. Still, they’re fun to make, they’re fun to read, and it fuels hope for a good offseason and a better future for whomever you cheer for.

Here’s an update of the mock so far: no. 1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon); no. 2 Tennessee Titans (Jameis Winston, QB, FSU); no. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars (Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa); no. 4 Oakland Raiders (Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama); no. 5 Washington Redskins (Leonard Williams, DE/DT, Southern Cal); no. 6 New York Jets (Shane Ray, DE/OLB, Missouri); no. 7 Chicago Bears (Randy Gregory, DE/OLB, Nebraska) and no. 8 Atlanta Falcons (Vic Beasley, DE/OLB, Clemson). Who do the New York Giants take at no. 9?

Alvin Dupree, DE, Kentucky.

The Giants almost have to go defense with this pick considering how bad they were on that side of the ball in 2014 (29th in total yards allowed). While you can make the case the linebacking or secondary units are in worse shape, don’t be surprised to see the Giants think long and hard about adding another impact defensive lineman.

Remember, the Giants were winning Super Bowls when they had a plethora of athletic linemen who got up field in a hurry. The depth and rotation was deep enough to make an impact all game long, and the pressure applied was enough to mask an average back-seven. With DC Steve Spagnuolo back in the fold calling shots (who was DC when the team won during the 2007 season), he’ll need/want a deep unit up front to work with.

Dupree is a versatile DE with experience at multiple positions. Dupree (just under 6-foot 4, 270-pounds), is a quick-twitch athlete with an explosive first step and the lateral quickness and length to seal the edge. He has good bend and flexibility running the arc and a diverse and effective repertoire of rush moves. He needs to get stronger in his base to anchor better against the run but his overall ceiling and skill set is exactly what the Giants look for in DE’s.

It may not seem like DE is a problem area yet, but it actually is. Mathias Kiwanuka is 32 and has seen his production dip steadily the past few years, and likely will be cut. Jason Pierre-Paul could be hitting free agency if he can’t come to a new agreement this offseason. Robert Ayers is riding out one-year left on his current deal and Kerry Wynn is still raw developmentally. All that’s left is Damontre Moore, who has 5.5 career sacks his first two years in the league. Dupree would add much needed youth and depth.

Who else would be a possibility here? Surprisingly Danny Shelton (DT, Washington). DT is another position that quietly needs help after stud Johnathan Hankins. Mike Patterson is a free agent (and struggled mightily last year), Markus Kuhn is a backup at best and Jay Bromley is still a total question mark after just 113 snaps last fall. Shelton is a rock against the run and can split double teams to collapse the pocket (9 sacks in ’14) and would form a heck of an inside duo with Hankins (and certainly improve a run defense ranked 30th).

Rick Stavig is an NFL Draft Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickstavig or add him to your network on Google+.

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