The Giants and Jets end up with much-needed offensive weapons in Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest NFL mock draft.
Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze goes to the Giants at No. 6 and Georgia tight end Brock Bowers lands with the Jets at No. 10 in the ESPN draft guru’s second 2024 mock, which came out Wednesday.
With three quarterbacks projected off the board, Kiper gives Daniel Jones a 6-3, 215-pound target in an effort to boost a sluggish Giants offense that averaged 15.6 points per game last season.
“Get Jones some help,” Kiper wrote. “They have too many Nos. 2 and 3 receivers. Odunze, who caught 92 passes for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, could be their No. 1 guy.”
Kiper has long been a supporter of Jones, who appeared in only six games during an injury-plagued 2023 season that ended with an ACL tear.
The Giants haven’t had a true No. 1 wide receiver since sending Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns in March 2019, a few weeks before they drafted Jones. Darius Slayon led the Giants in receiving in four of the last five seasons, including in 2023, when his 770 yards marked a career high.
Kiper’s mock offers the Giants their pick of playmakers, with Marvin Harrison Jr. (whom he gave to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 4) the lone pass-catcher off the board. In Wednesday’s scenario, the Giants roll with Odunze over explosive LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, whom Kiper mocked to Big Blue in his first draft exercise last month.
The 6-1, 188-pound Nabers hauled in 89 receptions for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns last season.
Kiper envisions the Jets, meanwhile, giving rehabbing quarterback Aaron Rodgers another premium target rather than bolstering their woeful offensive line.
The matchup-nightmare Bowers led Georgia in receiving in each of his three collegiate seasons, two of which ended with national championships. The 6-4, 240-pound tight end would theoretically help fortify a Jets passing attack that boasts little behind top receiver Garrett Wilson.
“Think about it: Aaron Rodgers is returning, they have a void at the position and they might jump at the opportunity to add a pass-catching tight end with rare run-after-the-catch ability,” Kiper wrote. “There’s a natural fit. And yes, New York has a bigger hole at offensive tackle, but what if it doesn’t totally love its options here? I always say — drafting strictly for need will get teams into trouble.”
Like the Giants, the Jets trotted out one of the NFL’s worst offenses in 2023, averaging 15.8 points per game during a lost season in which Rodgers played only four snaps before suffering a torn Achilles.
The Jets’ ineffective offensive line badly needs an overhaul, with guard Laken Tomlinson released this week; tackles Mekhi Becton and Duane Brown and center Connor McGovern primed for free agency; and the versatile Alijah Vera-Tucker working his way back from an Achilles tear.
Wednesday’s mock still has Penn State tackle Olu Fashanu on the board when the Jets pick, but Kiper believes Bowers is too good to pass up.
Kiper’s draft sends USC quarterback Caleb Williams to the Chicago Bears at No. 1, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels to the Washington Commanders at No. 2 and UNC quarterback Drake Maye to the New England Patriots at No. 3.
After Harrison at No. 4, the mock gives Alabama tackle JC Latham to the Los Angeles Chargers to round out the top five.
