Five steps to a successful Giants draft

1. Leave the first two rounds with an offensive tackle

While consistently winning teams like the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens continue to replenish the offensive line through the draft, it was not until recently that the New York Giants began adhering to this process. In consecutive drafts, the Giants spent one of their first two selections on offensive lineman (Justin Pugh, Weston Richburg). There is still more work to be done.

In 2014, the Giants' offensive line finished with negative grades in both run and pass blocking, according to game charting and analytics website Pro Football Focus. Only six of the other 32 teams finished with worse marks in run blocking. Some of the blocking struggles were to be expected as the team transitioned from a mostly power-based blocking scheme to first year offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo's zone-based blocking scheme.

Most of the blame can be tied to the play on the interior. Starting guards Weston Richburg and John Jerry combined with center J.D. Walton to make up one of the weakest-performing interior lines in the NFL. Geoff Schwartz is set to return healthy in 2014 and he will most likely man the left guard position. Walton is gone and Richburg is preparing to move back to his natural position (center), but last year's starter Jerry currently occupies the right guard position.

If the Giants draft an offensive tackle, they stand to improve at two positions with one selection. Pugh certainly hasn't been a subpar right tackle in pass protection during his two years with the Giants, but he has failed to make an impact in the running game. He has always projected better on the inside as a guard, and if the Giants draft a top offensive tackle, they can move Pugh back inside to guard. Also, getting Jerry out of the starting lineup is the definition of addition by subtraction.

So why wait until round two? Value and depth is the answer. In this tackle class, fringe first round offensive tackles Jake Fisher, D.J. Humphries and T.J. Clemmings all project as ideal fits in McAdoo's blocking scheme. One of the three is very likely to be available when the Giants pick at No. 40 overall. All three players would likely be first-round selection in an average or weaker offensive tackle class.

2. Trade down if the opportunity presents itself

The last time that the Giants traded down in the first round was during the 2006 NFL Draft when they moved from No. 26 overall to No. 32 overall. They acquired a third and fourth round pick in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and they drafted Mathias Kiwanuka with the last pick in the first round. General manager Jerry Reese took over the very next season, and he hasn't traded out of his first round selection since.

This draft presents a great opportunity for the team to seriously consider moving back. At No. 9 overall, the Giants will likely find themselves in position to miss out on the draft's limited stable of "blue chip" prospects. After Leonard Williams, Dante Fowler, Amari Cooper and the two quarterbacks, things get murky for the Giants. The next group of top edge rushers projects best to a 3-4 base defense, and the Giants will be strictly adhering to a 4-3 base defense under new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Along the offensive line, a case can be made that the fourth or fifth lineman drafted this weekend will be just as good or better than the first one selected. This combination of factors lead me to believe that the team's best option might be to trade down, acquire an extra pick or two, and take the best offensive lineman, wide receiver or edge rusher that falls to them with their first selection.

3. Restock at wide receiver on day three

The Giants have a lot of talent already on the roster at the wide receiver position, but that doesn't mean they should bypass glaring value for need. There will be a glaring value at the wide receiver position in almost every round of the upcoming draft. An argument can be made that although it's not as top heavy, this year's wide receiver draft class has even more depth than the 2014 class. Last offseason, I beat the drum for selecting Martavis Bryant. When the Steelers nabbed him on day three, every team that passed on him in the previous 40-50 picks lost value. Bryant didn't play that many total snaps until later in the season, but he came on strong and finished with eight touchdowns in his rookie season. He was the Steelers' go-to red zone threat and he has the size and athletic upside to develop into a great NFL wide receiver going forward.

In this draft, several potential day three wide receivers jump off the page. The following players are all likely to be available on day three, and they all carry significant upside and value. All three of these wide receivers would be difficult to pass up in round four, and criminal to pass up in round five.

Kenny Bell is one of my favorite values in the entire draft. Playing in Nebraska's run-first offense, Bell didn't always get the opportunity to showcase his ability on the stats sheet, but he has tools that project to the next level. At 6-foot-1 and 197 pounds, Bell ran a 4.42 40-yard dash and posted a 41.5-inch vertical leap. This is the type of straight-line speed and leaping ability that you normally would see from a first-round pick. Bell is an NFL-ready blocker, having played in Nebraska's offense, and he could make an impact right away.

Devante Davis played at UNLV and battled through injuries in 2014, so he doesn't get much press, but he has the potential to make an immediate impact in the red zone. At 6-foot-2 and 226 pounds, Davis plays as big as he looks. He excels on contested catches in traffic and in the air.

Deandre Smelter tore his ACL during the 2014 season at Georgia Tech, but he showcased the skills necessary to make him a high-upside day three selection. At 6-foot-3 and 222 pounds, Smelter also presents a size advantage. Although he doesn't play as big on tape as someone like Davis, he offers more elusiveness to his game after the catch.

4. Get creative at safety

Once again, safety is one of the draft's weakest positions overall. Alabama safety Landon Collins is widely regarded as the top prospect in this class, but he wasn't tasked with covering the deep half of the field much in college and he is more of an in-the-box type safety. The Giants have privately worked out Arizona State's Damarious Randall, who might just be the draft's best safety in pass coverage, but there's a good chance he sneaks into the back half of the first round.

Instead of reaching on a lesser talent with collegiate experience at the position, the Giants should explore the option of drafting a cornerback to convert to safety. When looking to convert a cornerback to safety, you are looking for a physical prospect who is a reliable tackler and shows great instincts.

This draft has three players who fit this profile, and are unlikely to be drafted in the first round. All three players are likely to be available on day two at some point.

Eric Rowe out of Utah stands at 6-foot-1 and 201 pounds, and he offers versatility. Rowe can play every niche role in the secondary, and he even has success covering the slot. He offers great range on the field, and this is why many believe he will be an even better safety at the NFL level. There is untapped potential here, but keep in mind that Rowe has received a lot of buzz over the last few weeks. The best opportunity that the Giants have to select him will be in round two at No. 40 overall.

Quentin Rollins out of Miami(OH) is a late bloomer having played college basketball for most of his collegiate career before transitioning to football for the 2014 season. Rollins might have the best ball skills of any defensive back in the entire draft. He put them on display last season when he racked up seven interceptions for the Redhawks.

Josh Shaw out of USC is also big for a defensive back prospect at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds. Shaw is instinctive in coverage and a great tackler. He projects best as a safety at the next level. Having said that, his 4.44 40-yard-dash, 37.5-inch vertical jump and10-10 broad jump also make him one of the best athletes at defensive back in the entire draft.

5. Don't rule out running back

The 2015 running back draft class is the deepest it has been in several years, and it would be a shame if the Giants didn't invest in one of these talented prospects. After drafting Andre Williams in 2014 and adding Shane Vereen in free agency, the team might be hesitant to invest in another running back. It's true that selecting another back would be a luxury pick, but that doesn't mean it can't also be a value pick.

Rashad Jennings is injury prone, and the Giants don't know if they've found a feature back in Williams or Vereen. Drafting a running back now could pay off in the future if he emerges as a true featured back. The Giants have been missing a player like this since Tiki Barber. For those who believe that running backs are no longer valuable to a winning franchise, I direct your attention to Marshawn Lynch and the Seattle Seahawks offense.

For more on the Giants and the entire NFC East, you can find Dan on Twitter @DanSchneierNFL or on Google +.

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