NFL Draft 2018: What are Giants' biggest needs entering 4th round? | Ideal 7-round finish - NJ.com

NFL Draft 2018: What are Giants' biggest needs entering 4th round? | Ideal 7-round finish - NJ.com

EAST RUTHERFORD -- That's 100 picks down, 156 to go in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Unlike Thursday and Friday, the Giants do not have the second pick of the day Saturday when the draft opens for business for the fourth through seventh rounds.

The Giants have to wait "all the way" to the eighth pick of the day as part of the Jason Pierre-Paul trade, where they agreed to swap fourth-rounders with the Buccaneers. They pick No. 108 overall (fourth round) and No. 139 overall (fifth round) and not in either of the final two rounds.

Giants will make Saquon Barkley 2nd-highest paid RB in NFL history

Here are the Giants' four biggest needs entering Day 3 and NJ Advance Media's pick for the ideal ending to the draft for general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur.

(Spoiler alert: It bookends Penn State picks.)

1. Offensive tackle: One of the biggest needs when the second round started, offensive tackle became less of a priority when the Giants picked an offensive guard at No. 34 overall.

But, after using two third-round picks on defensive players, it's time to bump offensive tackle back to the top of the list for Day 3. 

The Giants used second-year pro Chad Wheeler -- an undrafted free agent in 2017 -- as the starting right tackle in minicap because Ereck Flowers opted to skip the voluntary offseason program much to the franchise's chagrin.

2. Wide receiver: The Giants are building one of the NFL's most explosive offenses, improving the running game with halfback Saquon Barkley and road-grading blocker Will Hernandez in the first two rounds, respectively. Sounds like a nice complement to a passing attack led by Odell Beckham, Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram.

But the Giants no longer have a veteran third receiver to round out a trips set, as they did in 2016 (Victor Cruz) and early in 2017 (Brandon Marshall).

Cody Latimer (35 career catches) and Roger Lewis (36 catches as an injury replacement last season) are the No. 3 options right now, ahead of a handful of second- and third-year options.

3. Inside linebacker: After more than two decades of 4-3 defense, the Giants moved to a 3-4. The inside pairing of Alec Ogletree and B.J. Goodson is like having two take-charge middle linebackers on the field, but the depth behind them is a concern. 

Ray-Ray Armstrong is a possible salary cap casualty, Mark Herzlich is a veteran on a low-risk contract coming off a missed season and Calvin Munson curiously is on the third-team defense after finishing fifth on the team in tackles as an undrafted rookie last season.

4. Safety: Gettleman has a track record of drafting defensive backs in the middle rounds of drafts, but he took a different approach with the Giants. He signed a herd of free agent cornerbacks -- Curtis Riley, B.W. Webb, William Gay and Teddy Williams -- hoping to hit on a few.

Michael Thomas was the only addition at safety. He split first-team reps with Darius Thompson and Andrew Adams in minicamp, even with Landon Collins sidelined after forearm surgery. Adding another draft pick will push Thompson and Adams entering their third years.

IDEAL FINISH:

*In exchange for a sixth-round pick, the Giants trade Flowers to a team in need of an offensive tackle and willing to take a chance that the former No. 9 overall pick just needs a change of scenery.

The Rams traded Greg Robinson -- an underperforming offensive tackle who was the No. 2 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft -- to the Lions for a sixth-round pick last June, and the Giants should jump at a similar offer.

4th round: OT Tyrell Crosby, Oregon

5th round: WR Allen Lazard, Iowa State

6th round: ILB Jason Cabinda, Penn State

Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.

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