5 Late-Round Sleepers the Giants Can’t Afford to Miss in the NFL Draft

While I am still not ready to give up on the notion of the Giants and Dexter Lawrence resolving their differences, the contingency plan appears to be adding one of Shelby Harris, DJ Reader, or Austin Johnson to the mix (something they might do anyway so that when Lawrence needs a rest, the opponent doesn’t automatically target that spot).

In terms of a young development talent in an IDL class that’s not really swimming with deep talent, Capehart could be a nice option. Standing 6-foot-5 and tipping the scales at 315 pounds, Capehart is a space eater who posted a 9.96 RAS (Relative Athletic Score).

Capehart can take on double-team blocks, which is imperative in the run defense if the linebackers are to stay clean.

WR Caleb Douglas, Texas Tech

Standing 6-foot-4 and 206 pounds, Douglas (9.50 RAS score) is a big-bodied perimeter receiver with good speed (4.39 at the combine) who excels at tracking the deep ball.

Douglas, who over the last two seasons has posted 800+ receiving yards and 13 of his career 16 touchdowns, still needs to improve his overall play strength, as he sometimes gets bullied a bit too often by more physical defensive backs, but there certainly appears to be talent there to work with.

OL Keagen Trost, Missouri

Trost, 6-foot-4 and 316 pounds, spent seven years in college, a career that spanned four different schools (Morgan State, Indiana State, Wake Forest, and Mizzou).  

He finished as PFF’s highest graded draft-eligible offensive lineman last year (92.0) and highest graded run blocking offensive lineman (91.4), while posting a career 98.0 pass-blocking efficiency rating.

Trost primarily lined up at tackle, the right side being his main spot, but projects to guard at the next level due to some struggles with handling speed on the edge.

The Giants need to add some interior offensive line depth for development, and although Trost would be an older rookie, he appears to have the makings of someone who could develop into a solid NFL interior lineman.

TE Joe Royer, Cincinnati

On paper, the Giants seem pretty much set at tight end with the addition of Isaiah Likely to a group that includes returning members Theo Johnson, Chris Manhertz, and Thomas Fidone II.

But Manhertz is here on a one-year contract, and it’s never too early to consider getting a guy ready for the future.

Royer, 6-foot-5 and 247 pounds, is a “flex” tight end who transferred from Ohio State, who ranked fifth among NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks’s top tight ends. He’s a solid enough pass blocker, having notched his highest pass blocking grades from PFF the last two seasons when he allowed just one sack and three total pressures over that span (91 pass-blocking snaps).

Royer is still developing his chops as a receiver, having posted a 72.2% catch rate, with most of his receptions coming over the last two years with the Bearcats.

Like all rookies, he’ll need to boost his play strength and overall strength to handle the bigger NFL defensive ends, but there is a lot of upside to Royer’s game, where he might make for a nice Day 3 developmental prospect for the future.  

RB Adam Randall, Clemson

Randall, 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, is, much like current Giants running back Tyrone Tracy, Jr, a converted receiver who made the switch to the backfield. Unlike Tracy, Randall not only has more size, but he’s also a physical specimen who plays with power and play strength that can move the pile.

Randall has only been a running back for two seasons, which is why he likely will fall toward the back end of the draft, but there is much to like about his game if the Giants do push ahead with a power rushing offense.  

As a receiver, Randall has caught 60.4% of his pass targets for 783 yards and boasts a 6.1 yards-after-catch average. One glaring issue, though, in his college resume is a high number of drops–12 (six of which came last season). Still, as a developmental prospect, Randall offers an intriguing blend of skills, including top-end speed and toughness when he has the rock in his hands.