Giants get bigger at the NFL draft but still have a huge defensive tackle void

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — John Harbaugh’s first draft as coach of the New York Giants turned into a chance to make them a whole lot bigger at some important positions.

“It’s not a negative,” Harbaugh said “It’s definitely not a negative.”

The team used a pair of top-10 picks to beef up the defensive front seven with Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese and the offensive line with Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, who’s on track to start at right guard. Reese is 6-foot-4 and 241 pounds, while Mauigoa is 6-5, 329.

“It makes us a lot more stout,” Harbaugh said following the first round. “It’s two picks that strengthen us down the middle: down the middle of our offense, down the middle of our defense.”

After filling a need early in the second round with physical Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood, Harbaugh and general manager Joe Schoen made an aggressive move to trade back into the third for 6-4 Notre Dame receiver Malachi Fields. It cost fourth- and fifth-rounders in this draft plus a fourth next year.

With three sixth-round picks, the Giants selected Auburn defensive tackle Bobby Jamison-Travis, Illinois offensive lineman J.C. Davis and BYU linebacker Jack Kelly.

A giant void remains

New York only had the 10th pick because it was the return for sending longtime starting defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to Cincinnati. Lawrence wanted an extension, which he got from the Bengals, and the Giants said goodbye to one of their longest-tenured players.

“I think it was a win for everybody,” Harbaugh said. “For us, the most important thing was that it was a win for the Giants. That’s what we cared about the most. We wanted Dexter to be happy, but we wanted the Giants to be taken care of first. That was our responsibility.”

A unit that ranked 30th out of 32 NFL teams did not get better by subtracting Lawrence, and not using a Day One or Two pick on an interior defensive lineman makes it a problem to solve in free agency.

“There’s other avenues we can do it,” Schoen said. “Looking at some of the free agents on the street, we’ll continue to talk to some of those guys. … We’ll find a way. We won’t stop.”

Giants say they are not trading Kayvon Thibodeaux

Selecting Reese — a player the Giants see as an inside linebacker, not an edge rusher — made Harbaugh scoff at the notion that it could precede trading Kayvon Thibodeaux.

“We keep all the good players as much as we can, right?” Harbaugh said. “We love Kayvon.”

Thibodeaux is going into the final year of his rookie contract and counts nearly $15 million against the salary cap. A couple of reports surfaced Friday regarding trade talks with New Orleans about Thibodeaux, and Schoen denied that entirely.

“No, there’s no truth to that,” he said. “We have not had any conversations today about Kayvon.”

Colton Hood could compete for a starting job

Harbaugh and Schoen said Hood went into the second round as the top player on their board, so they were thrilled to get him at No. 37. With Paulson Adebo penciled in as one starting cornerback, there’s an opening on the other side that Hood is expected with underachieving Deonte Banks and others to fill.

“He’s going to push everybody,” Harbaugh said. “I want a bunch of pit bulls out there flying around making plays on the football, and Colton Hood gives us another guy in there to do that and compete and push everybody. So, you put another guy in there, another pit bull in the room. Let’s see what he does.”

Malachi Fields gives offense a different dynamic

Among Malik Nabers (who’s coming off a torn ACL and may not be ready for the season opener), Darius Slayton and free agent additions Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin, the Giants did not have receiver with Fields’ size and abilities.

“He’s certainly a different body type than we currently have: Adding that was something we had talked about doing,” Schoen said. “The catch radius and athleticism that he displays was attractive. All those things were almost like build a basketball team. You got your power forward now.”

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