2018 NFL mock draft: The Giants better off taking a pass rusher than settling for a risky QB

The second and final pick on the first day of the 12th annual SB Nation NFL writers’ mock draft comes courtesy of Ed Valentine of Big Blue View, making the selection for the New York Giants.

The Giants are in an interesting spot this offseason. Pat Shurmur is in as the head coach and Dave Gettleman was hired as general manager. But there’s some debate about what to do next. Do they find the successor to Eli Manning at quarterback? Do they trade wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.? Or do they just choose to build around those two?

Ed goes in a different direction than you might think.

Valentine: Surprise! Not a quarterback! Sam Darnold is my top QB here, and I believe the top QB on the Giants’ board. I’m not settling for second choice at that spot. Also, I believe strongly in this scenario the Giants would be likely to trade for a haul of picks, but I can’t do that here. So, it’s Saquon Barkley, Quenton Nelson, or Chubb. I went with Chubb simply because of the positional value. You can get good running backs and guards later. I don’t think you can get players on Day 2 or Day 3 with Chubb’s skillset. The Giants traded JPP and will play Olivier Vernon at LB in their new defense. There is a need. There is value. The Giants appear to be trying to revamp or reload, not rebuild. Chubb is the pick.

Analysis: Trading off the No. 2 pick is intriguing, but there’s a real risk if the Giants drop out of the top 10. Regarding going after Chubb, it’s certainly a risk. Is he the type of player who can turn around New York’s fortunes? While it’s true that Chubb has greater positional value, someone like Barkley would help them win more games this season. Or a player like UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen would obviously give them a franchise quarterback of the future.

Dan Kadar’s top five players remaining

• 1. Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
• 2. Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame
• 3. Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama
• 4. Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
• 6. Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA

The next pick in the 12th annual SB Nation NFL writers’ mock draft is Monday at 9 a.m. ET from David Wyatt of Gang Green Nation making the pick for the New York Jets.