Giants: Why New York can nail this year's NFL draft
Needs are always a hot topic entering the NFL Draft. For the New York Giants, their biggest holes on the roster stand out a bit. Wide receiver and cornerback top the list. Interior offensive and defensive line are both potential positions of need early in the draft, too. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com broke down which […]
Needs are always a hot topic entering the NFL Draft. For the New York Giants, their biggest holes on the roster stand out a bit.
Wide receiver and cornerback top the list. Interior offensive and defensive line are both potential positions of need early in the draft, too.
The analyst gives the top nod to cornerback.
The class has impressive top end talent as well as legitimate depth.
We saw 12 cornerbacks go in the first three rounds last year, including Defensive Rookie of the Year Sauce Gardner. There might not be a Sauce in this year's class, but there appears to be a higher number of players who will be starters in the NFL.
In fact, there will be big, long, explosive perimeter cornerbacks available in each of the first four rounds. I expect Christian Gonzalez and Devon Witherspoon to be the first two players drafted at the position, but we should see five, maybe even six, taken in the first round.
You can get starting CBs even in rounds 2-3.
For the Giants, they need a CB1. A'doree Jackson is a good defender, but his ceiling is limited. After him, the depth is very inconsistent and inexperienced.
New York may need to make a move up for one of the top four CBs in the class, but that would probably be a smart move depending on the value.
Wide receiver is his fourth-highest ranked position in the class.
This year's group of wide receivers reminds me of the 2016 class, which saw Corey Coleman, Will Fuller, Josh Doctson and Laquon Treadwell come off the board first, in that order. There wasn't a true WR1 in that group, and I get the same feeling from the top of the current class.
Second-rounders Michael Thomas and Tyler Boyd became two of the best receivers drafted in 2016 (with fifth-rounder Tyreek Hill leading the group), and I believe we could see a similar pattern develop from the 2023 crop. I expect Jalin Hyatt to become a dangerous complementary weapon, while guys like Zay Flowers and Josh Downs should become productive slot targets. But I'm not seeing the top-end talent that recent drafts have offered at wide receiver.
It remains a need for New York.
They have a plethora of solid slot options, but their outside targets are limited at WR. Darren Waller at TE could help that, but it isn't set in stone. Adding a player like Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Quentin Johnston could be on the Giants' radar in the first round.
In rounds two and three, there's impact value at receiver in this class. The Giants need to snag one on day one or two of the draft.
It will be interesting to see how New York attacks this draft, regardless. The talent at their biggest needs is clear in this class.