2023 NFL Draft: New York Giants 7-round mock
Brian Daboll has given fans of the New York Giants hope once again. A return to the playoffs in 2022 was miraculous after years of underwhelming failure, but the pressure is now on to improve their roster in the 2023 NFL draft.
If a postseason berth was a surprise last season, it’s now an expectation for the Giants in the coming year. Complicating this is the fact that they are in an incredibly strong division with the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.
The strength of these teams comes in their defenses, and the Giants need to find a way to battle against them.
It’s likely that offense will be on the agenda in the earlier rounds, especially with Daniel Jones being given the contract extension he wanted. Jones needs to be given help, particularly in the receiving corps, and Sportskeeda believes that is exactly where Daboll and the front office will place their first-round focus.
New York Giants' 2023 NFL draft preview
The New York Giants have grown accustomed to being on the clock early on in the first night of the NFL draft, but in 2023 that isn’t the case.
Big Blue are scheduled at #26, although in effect this will be the 25th selection of opening night as a result of the Miami Dolphins’ tampering punishment.
Sportskeeda’s 7-round mock draft will not consider any trades that are yet to take place in reality.
As the Giants will look to try and make a push for the NFC Championship game in 2023, there remains a need to be realistic ahead of the draft. Teams around the New York Giants are strong, and they will have to get their draft plan right in order to improve.
In total the franchise has 10 picks across the three nights of the NFL draft.
In 2022 they were on the clock at pick no.5 and pick no.7 which allowed them to add two blue-chip talents in Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal. The 2023 draft will require a lot more scouting with them way down at #25.
Significant New York Giants free agency signings
· Traded for TE Darren Waller
· Re-signed WR Darius Slayton
· WR Parris Campbell
· Re-signed QB Daniel Jones
· LB Bobby Okereke
· DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches
· Re-signed WR Sterling Shepard
· CB Leonard Johnson
· Franchise tagged RB Saquon Barkley
Significant New York Giants free agency losses
· DE Henry Mondeaux
· C Jon Feliciano
· S Julian Love
· G Nick Gates
Sportskeeda’s 7-round mock for the New York Giants
25. WR Zay Flowers, Boston College
57. CB Garrett Williams, Syracuse
89. C Luke Wypler, Ohio State
128. RB Kenny McIntosh, Georgia
160. CB Riley Moss, Iowa
172. DT Zacch Pickens, South Carolina
209. WR Grant DuBose, Charlotte
240. LB SirVocea Dennis, Pittsburgh
243. QB Tyson Bagent, Shepherd
254. LB Marte Mapu, Sacramento State
In what is a consensus pick around the mock drafting community, Zay Flowers will go to the New York Giants with the 25th selection of the first-round.
In our Sportskeeda mock draft 1.0, we had this pick as one of our locks, given the fact there is a desperate need for offensive playmaking around Daniel Jones.
Giants continue to do homework on the draft’s top receivers. This time GM Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll had dinner last night with WR Quentin Johnston ahead of TCU’s Pro Day on Thursday, per source.
Johnston’s in the running to be the first WR selected in this year’s draft.
With the Giants scared off by Odell Beckham Jr.’s demands for 20 million dollars per season, they will take Flowers out of Boston College on a rookie deal.
He isn’t blisteringly quick naturally, and has shown a penchant for dropped catches in college. However, Daboll has already shown an ability to improve players via scheme and Flowers is a natural fit in the sense that he is a dynamic slot receiver, which makes the most of Jones’ own skillset.
Garrett Williams comes next out of Syracuse with the New York Giants needing some help in the secondary. His draft stock should be higher, but a torn ACL injury limited his season. He is an exceptional zone defender and is able to tackle strongly on running plays.
He goes into New York as a day-one starter, and the only question mark is whether he can stay healthy.
With offensive line concerns being a significant part of Daniel Jones’ early struggles, Big Blue have rectified the problem area admirably over the past year.
They are settled in both tackle positions, but there is a clear lack of quality on the interior, especially at center. Luke Wypler is a starting-caliber center and is an extremely quick learner. He is a good blocker for running plays, which is crucial for Saquon Barkley and there is a spot for him with Feliciano leaving for San Francisco.
On the topic of Barkley, he has signed a non-exclusive franchise tag, which very much puts his long-term future under the microscope. The Giants need to prepare for life without him eventually, and picking a RB as high as the fourth-round is their way of doing just that.
Georgia’s Kenny McIntosh had 829 rushing yards in 2022 and was also an effective receiving option on short-gain plays.
To get a sense of how Joe Schoen likes to operate in draft season, follow the history, albeit brief with #NYG: his Top 30 visits are calculated and important.
Last year's '30' for Arizona State DL D.J. Davidson went completely under radar, then Giants drafted him in fifth round.
This is once again attractive to Daboll’s offense and gives Jones another option on third-down. He is exceptionally quick and instantly makes an offense more dynamic, which is invaluable for a backup player on offense. The New York Giants need people who can keep both the Cowboys and Eagles guessing.
Defensive concerns are addressed with picks 160 and 172 as Riley Moss and Zacch Pickens are selected for depth.
In the later rounds, there are players who are raw, but show enough to warrant a gamble. The Giants have seen the impact of dynamic linebackers in the NFC East and will try to make something out of SirVocea Dennis and Marte Mapu.