NFL Draft Prospects Giants Must Target After 2022 Shrine, Senior Bowls

Finding the right head coach is critical in the NFL, and the New York Giants hope they have their man in former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.

Daboll brings a creative offensive mind to New York, and he's looking to get the most out of quarterback Daniel Jones.

"We're going to try to implement a system that suits him and then it's our job to bring pieces in that help him to be the best version of himself and the best quarterback for us," Daboll said, per Michael Eisen of the team's official website.

While building up Jones will help tremendously, Daboll and new general manager Joe Schoen have plenty of work to do in the upcoming draft, beginning with the fifth and seventh overall selections.

The Giants and the rest of the NFL world got an in-depth look at many quality draft-eligible prospects last week at the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl. Here you will find a look at three standouts from those all-star exhibition games the Giants should target.

If the Giants want to ensure that Jones succeeds under Daboll, they need to upgrade the offensive line in front of him. Jones was sacked 22 times in 11 games this past season, while New York running backs averaged a mere 4.0 yards per carry.

Boston College guard/center Zion Johnson could immediately improve the interior of New York's offensive line. A stout, 6'3", 316-pound prospect, Johnson was arguably the biggest standout of Senior Bowl practices last week.

"Johnson was not only the best interior lineman this week. In my eyes, he was the best player," ESPN's Todd McShay wrote. "I watched some elite pass-rush prospects bull-rush linemen and drive them back. Then they would try the same moves on Johnson, and it wasn't working. His tape is outstanding, and he was terrific in Mobile."

The 22nd-ranked prospect on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's big board, Johnson might not earn consideration with one of New York's top-10 picks. However, he would be a perfect target if the Giants were willing to move back in Round 1.

While building around Jones has to be at the forefront of New York's offseason goals, there's work to be done on defense as well. The Giants were horrendous against the run in 2021, finishing 22nd in yards per attempt allowed and 25th in rushing yards surrendered.

Adding a linebacker like Navy's Diego Fagot later in the draft would go a long way toward fixing the Giants' run-stopping issues. Fagot is a 6'3", 240-pound defender who can stuff the run, cover running backs at the second level and put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

The defensive MVP of the East-West Shrine Game, Fagot should be rising up boards between now and April's draft.

Perhaps the biggest concern with Fagot is his status as a service academy product. To immediately play in the NFL, he would need to obtain a waiver to delay his commitment or find a way to honor it around his NFL schedule.

Fagot is worth a late-round flier for a team that desperately needs help at the second level defensively.

The Giants should be looking to add another young edge-rushing complement to 2021 second-round pick Azeez Ojulari, who led the Giants with eight sacks this past season. Defensive lineman Leonard Williams was the only other player with more than five sacks on the year.

While targeting a pass-rusher like Oregon's Kayvon Thibodeaux or Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson at No. 5 or No. 7 would make a ton of sense, the Giants should also consider Florida State's Jermaine Johnson II as a potential trade-back target or second-round slam dunk.

Like Zion Johnson, Jermaine Johnson shone during Senior Bowl week.

"Johnson performed so well in Mobile that a few scouts joked that his agent should pull him," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote.

The Florida State product has all the tools to partner with Ojulari and Williams and give New York one of the best young pass rushes in the NFL.