The Giants had two picks in the first round of the NFL draft, and selected linebacker Arvell Reese and offensive lineman Sisi Mauigoa.

But what if they went in a different direction?

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Here is a bit of pulling back the curtain: When news breaks, we want it up on The Post’s website as quickly as possible, and who the Giants take with their first-round picks qualifies as major news. The entire process of writing, editing and prepping the story can be dramatically shortened if the writing part is done ahead of time. But how can you write the news before it happens?

Using educated speculation, we identified four players most likely to be one of the Giants’ two selections at No. 5 or No. 10, and wrote those stories as if those picks actually happened, a day in advance.