The New York Giants are set to pick No. 4 overall in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC/ESPN App), yet another premium pick at their disposal. It's their third straight year of having a top-six selection and the goal of selecting a "gold jacket player."

So far, the Giants have come away with a running back (Saquon Barkley) and a quarterback (Daniel Jones). Who is next?

It's time for the annual exercise of predicting the "most likely Giants pick." Last year was a strange one. Now, to be clear, nobody is telling me exactly who the Giants are selecting at No. 4. Ninety-nine percent of the time it doesn't work that way. But there are enough bits of information obtained from sources to decipher whom the team likes and is interested in before providing an informed guess at the selection.

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This year, an offensive tackle seems most likely, to protect those investments in Barkley and Jones.

"[General manager Dave Gettleman] is going to take a tackle," one league source said. "It just makes too much sense for him after the last two years."

Gettleman admitted the offensive line will be a strong concentration in this year's draft -- and not just in the first round. The Giants also need a center and have looked hard at second-/third-round options.

"It's very, very difficult for Saquon to run the ball if he doesn't have holes. It's going to be difficult for Daniel to throw the ball when he's on his back," Gettleman said last week during a pre-draft conference call with reporters. "We'll continue to build the offensive line. Is it a pressure point? To a degree. I'm not going to deny that."

But Gettleman also thinks this tackle class is "thick" and deep. He's not going to reach high in the draft.

A defensive playmaker would also make a ton of sense given the state of the roster. The Giants finished 26th last season with a 24.0% QB pressure rate, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. They finished 28th by allowing a passer rating of 101.6. It's hard to win like that, especially when 38% of their sacks from last season are no longer on the roster.

It leads to this: When the Giants are on the clock with the fourth pick (or later if they trade back), it's likely they marry best-player-available with need. These are the players most likely in the mix:

Note: The only players completely off the board for this exercise are the projected top-two selections -- LSU QB Joe Burrow and Ohio State DE Chase Young.

Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa: The Giants have been all over Wirfs from the start of the process. He has had video conferences with almost all the key members of the organization recently and blew them away, according to a source. Wirfs is the mauler who has special feet and the physicality to do damage as a pulling lineman, perfect for what coordinator Jason Garrett wants to do with the offense. "Love the way he comes off the ball" is what one scout said. Word around the league is Wirfs is the Giants' preference, ahead of the others in this tightly bunched group of the top four tackles. In an ideal world, the Giants would be able to trade back a few spots, collect more picks and still grab Wirfs. Easier said than done, though.

Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia: While Wirfs is atop the Giants' list, the belief is Thomas is not far behind. He's the most pro-ready left tackle, and the Giants aren't worried about bringing in competition for Nate Solder or perhaps moving him or Thomas to the other side. Thomas is a low-risk proposition. "I have no concerns. He's pretty special," one scout said. If the Giants trade back and Wirfs is off the board, Thomas should be the choice.

Isaiah Simmons, LB/S, Clemson: This is the interesting one. Simmons had a tremendous showing at the NFL combine and has shown incredible versatility. That is attractive to this coaching staff, which will run an amoeba-like New England defense under coach Joe Judge and coordinator Patrick Graham. The coaches are believed to be drooling over the possibilities with Simmons, an interesting nugget considering Judge is expected to be a strong voice during the draft. It's possible the Giants pick Simmons if he's still available, but it seems somewhat unlikely at this point.

Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn: I know, I know. The Giants don't need another defensive lineman. But this is Gettleman and the Giants we're talking about, so you can never completely rule it out. Teams are high on Brown. Surely the Giants are as well. It wouldn't be surprising at all if he is selected in the top five, one executive told ESPN.

Jedrick Wills Jr., OT, Alabama: There was some buzz over the past few weeks linking Wills to the Giants. But that seemed more connecting the dots from people around the league considering Judge's Alabama connections. Heck, the Giants even have Alabama's running backs coach on their staff. Surely they have more premium intel on Wills, a player who has drawn rave reviews from coach Nick Saban, than most. Wills might be the tackle who comes with the lowest risk. That could be attractive to the conservative Giants. "He's the most pro-ready of the group," a scout said. "He'll be a solid starter for a long time. I don't see a great one, but he'll be dependable. He's the safest. Just plug and play." In a trade-back scenario, Wills could come into play.

Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville: Just like Brown can't completely be discounted, neither can Becton. He's too big and too powerful with way too much upside to think the Giants might not be willing to take that shot at long-term greatness -- especially with Judge having such a loud voice in the process. Judge mentioned last week the utmost importance of long-term upside with draft picks. Becton fits into that category. "Nobody can do what he does" is how one scout explained the rarity of an offensive tackle this size being so nimble. Becton did fail a drug test recently, and there's the added question of whether he can keep his weight down. Becton spoke with Judge recently and assured him these wouldn't be problems in the future.

Just missed: Jeffrey Okudah, CB, Ohio State and K'Levon Chaisson, edge, LSU