A closer look at the positions the New York Giants could target at the NFL combine in Indianapolis:
Positions of need: The Giants finished last in the league in defense and need six or seven new starters on that side of the ball. They could use a safety, a cornerback, a couple of linebackers, a defensive tackle and will need two starting defensive ends if they don't re-sign Robert Ayers or Jason Pierre-Paul. The key to the Giants' success historically, though, has been the pass rush, which is an area that has fallen off dramatically in recent years. With the No. 10 pick in the draft, they need to find a cornerstone piece around which to build their pass rush of the future. They could reasonably spend both their first-round pick and their second-round pick on defensive linemen.
Three players the Giants could focus on at the combine:
Noah Spence (DE), Eastern Kentucky: Mel Kiper gave him to the Giants at No. 10 in his latest mock draft, in which Oregon's DeForest Buckner and Ohio State's Joey Bosa were both already gone. Spence comes with questions, given the circumstances under which he was dismissed from Ohio State in 2014, but he's a tremendous talent and the Giants need impact players on the defensive line. Whether it's Spence, Bosa, Buckner, Clemson's Shaq Lawson or Kevin Dodd … anyone who can rush the passer from a 4-3 defensive end position needs to be on the Giants' radar at No. 10.
Sheldon Rankins (DT), Louisville: This was the Giants' projected pick in Todd McShay's most recent mock. While he's not an edge rusher, Rankins is a disruptive force who can collapse the pocket from an interior defensive line position and could form a devastating (not to mention rhyming) pair with Johnathan Hankins at the defensive tackle position for years to come. If the Giants don't have an edge rusher they like at No. 10, it wouldn't be a bad move to beef up elsewhere on their defensive line.
Eli Apple (CB), Ohio State: I mean, come on, right? Just based on the name alone, this guy was born to be a Giant! Same first name as the franchise quarterback, and his last name is Apple. Think of the potential for back page headlines on the New York City tabloids. In all seriousness, Apple is 6-foot-1 and a likely first-rounder. And while No. 10 might be a touch too high for him, the point here is that Prince Amukamara is a free agent and the Giants could use a cornerback too. Vernon Hargreaves of Florida or maybe (in their wildest dreams) Jalen Ramsey of Florida State … if they choose to beef up on the back end of the defense instead of the front, these are the names you'll hear.