2020 NFL Draft: Justin Herbert goes No. 1 in first-round NFL mock draft

Earlier this year, the New York Giants traded Odell Beckham to the Cleveland Browns for a 2018 first-round draft pick and a safety. Since then, the Giants have had a problem at the wide receiver position.

This year, New York debuted their new quarterback Daniel Jones, who has had an up and down rookie year. He can make the throws, he has the accuracy. The only thing he doesn’t have is an elite wide receiver to bring them in. That will almost certainly change by the conclusion of the 2020 NFL draft.

Jerry Jeudy could open up the Giants offense like no other wide receiver in this year’s draft could possibly do. At his time in Alabama, Jeudy has shown an ability to open up the field, separate from defenders, run double moves, stems, come-backs, whatever route was asked of him. He has the hands to bring in difficult passes, and the jump ball skills to go up over defenders.

The 6-foot-1 Crimson Tide receiver might play predominantly in the slot position, but that hasn’t stopped him from going deep and being a consistent producer for Alabama. In two years of regular play, the five-star recruit from Florida has been bringing in touchdowns and racking up receiving yards.

In 2018, he had 14 touchdowns and gained 1,315 yards receiving, according to ESPN. This year, he has taken a slight step back with only nine touchdowns and 867 yards through 10 games. But with multiple games missing Tua Tagovailoa this year, the young receiver can be forgiven a slight regression in production.

I believe the Giants will use their first-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft to pick the wide receiver they like most out of Jerry Jeudy or Oklahoma’s Ceedee Lamb. Both have been putting up impressive numbers over the last few years. But in this instance, I believe the Giants will select the Alabama wide receiver.

For starters, I think Jeudy runs cleaner routes and has a better ability to sell routes than Lamb can. Jeudy will be ready to contribute I think immediately in the NFL, while Lamb will need time to get settled in a more traditional NFL offense.

If the Giants want to get back into contention in the NFC East again, they will need to make smart decisions in the 2020 NFL draft. They are 23rd in points this year and 24th in yards, according to NFL.com. Their best receiver is a tight end (Evan Engram), who has had trouble staying healthy over the years. In the NFC, your best receiver only has three touchdowns in 10 games is just not a realistic plan for being a contender.

Drafting a known quality wide receiver in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft like Jerry Jeudy would do a lot to boost the Giants’ chances of competing in the NFC.