Giants Projected to Address Multiple Needs in Mel Kiper's First 2022 NFL Mock Draft

The 2021 NFL season saw the New York Giants finish with six or fewer wins for the fifth straight season, leading to co-owner John Mara saying that this is the most embarrassed he's been by the franchise.

Fortunately, the Giants have two top-10 picks (No. 5 and No. 7) at the 2022 NFL Draft to help turn the team around. Now, ESPN's Mel Kiper is projecting New York to use those picks to help with issues on both sides of the ball in his first mock draft of the year.

Giants Mock Draft

Kiper is projecting that the Giants will select NC State Wolfpack offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu (No. 5) and Michigan Wolverines outside linebacker David Ojabo (No. 7) with their first-round selections.

Ekwonu is one of the top offensive lineman in the draft, with Kiper saying he isn't too far off from Alabama's Evan Neal. He was arguably the best run-block tackle in college football and possesses a skillset that the Giants can use after Saquon Barkley finished with just 3.7 rushing yards per carry in 2021.

Meanwhile, Ojabo can help a New York pass-rush that had the 11th-fewest sacks last season. The 6-foot-5 21-year-old had 11.0 sacks with the Wolverines this season, while also recording 12.0 tackles for a loss and five forced fumbles.

Few teams are fortunate enough to have one top-10 pick, let alone two. That's why it's imperative for the Giants to make sure they get their selections right if they want to turn around years of underwhelming performances.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook today and get your first bet risk free for up to $1,000!

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.