Analyzing the Grades for the New York Giants 2023 Draft Class
The 2023 NFL Draft is officially in the books, and the reaction to their selections has been rightfully enthusiastic for the New York Giants.
Last year, the team’s front office was highly praised for going out and compiling a great class of talent to revitalize the roster amid challenges imposed by a weakened salary cap.
Now, Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll returned to the big board and outdid themselves again by selecting a group of highly-rated players to fill voids in the roster and further upgrade the talent.
On night one, despite many of their favorite prospects falling off the board in rapid succession, Schoen didn’t flinch and pulled a rare move for the Giants organization. Big Blue moved up one spot to No. 24th with Jacksonville and nabbed third-best cornerback prospect Deonte Banks of Maryland for Wink Martindale’s secondary.
The trade activity continued into the second night of the league’s annual recruitment, as the Giants selected Minnesota product John Michael-Schmitz at 57th overall and then jumped from 89th to 73rd courtesy of the Los Angeles Rams and grabbed Tennessee WR Jahlil Hyatt to add another threat to Daniel Jones’ arsenal.
Finally, Schoen deployed his Day 3 assets to add insurance to the most important positions on the roster. Round 4 saw the selection of Oklahoma RB Eric Gray, and he was joined by three more choices on the defensive end with cornerback Tre Hawkins III (Old Dominion), defensive tackle Jordan Riley (Oregon), and safety Gervarrius Owens (Houston).
With the 2023 class selected and set to flock to East Rutherford in the coming days for rookie mini-camp, Schoen and Daboll have already spoken glowingly about the young men that will hopefully become the future of the Giants franchise. Joining them are a slew of experts from various outlets breaking down NFL team draft grades, and here’s what they had to say about New York’s incoming squad.
ESPN.com/Mel Kiper (A-)
“I mentioned this Friday night, but the Giants landed three of my top 45 prospects in the first two days of the draft.”
“Cornerback Deonte Banks (24) was consistently impressive when I watched his 2022 tape, and he stuck to receivers in man coverage. He is both experienced (he started eight games as a freshman) and toolsy (42-inch vertical leap at the combine). We can slot him in as a starter on the other side of Adoree' Jackson.”
“John Michael Schmitz (57) is my top-ranked center, and he fills a huge hole. He's going to start as a rookie. Coach Brian Daboll helped make a trade-up for wideout Jalin Hyatt (73), whom I had rated as the No. 44 player in this class. You might remember Hyatt from his five touchdown catches against Alabama, and he can fly out of the slot. I was surprised he was still available in Round 3.”
“I like running back Eric Gray (172) as a potential steal on Day 3; he isn't a burner, but he can be a one-cut back behind Saquon Barkley. Safety Gervarrius Owens is an intriguing flier in Round 7.” [STORY]
Pro Football Focus (A+)
“The third-best cornerback on the PFF big board, Banks can fly and clocked a 4.35-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine in Indianapolis. An elite athlete, he has proven that he can mirror wide receivers in college and has the size teams look for at the position.”
(On John Michael-Schmitz) “If the Giants had made this pick in the first round, nobody would have really batted an eye. He led all centers with a 92.3 PFF grade in 2022 and had graded well both on zone and gap plays. He’s a big guy but can really move and was a four-year starter at Minnesota. Simply put, he is one of the best run blockers at the position to enter the draft in recent years.”
(On Jaylin Hyatt) “He is a burner on the outside that needs some refinement but has all the athletic ability necessary to excel at the next level. Hyatt’s 40-yard dash, vertical and broad jump were all above the 85th percentile. The Giants add a much-needed outside weapon for QB Daniel Jones.” [STORY]
USA TODAY (C-)
“Athletic first-round CB Deonte Banks and C John Michael Schmitz are upgrades at their respective positions. But as nice a player as Jalin Hyatt (Round 3) is, puzzling that GM Joe Schoen opted for another Smurf-ish receiver rather than finding QB Daniel Jones a rebounder.” [STORY]
Pro Football Network (A-)
“The Giants didn’t have a ton of draft capital to work with, but they put the hammer down with the high-end capital they had. Deonte Banks, John Michael Schmitz, and Jalin Hyatt all filled needs and were good value selections, and then they added to the RB room with a solid talent in Eric Gray.” [STORY]
Sports Illustrated (B+)
“The Giants pounced on Banks, a lengthy and athletic cornerback, and might have gotten a steal by adding Hyatt in the third round. Banks could form a solid cornerback duo with Adoree’ Jackson.
"Suddenly, quarterback Daniel Jones has an abundance of downfield threats with Hyatt, Darius Slayton, and Parris Campbell. Jones also benefited with the addition of Schmitz, a powerful blocker who excels in the running game.” [STORY]
Stephen Lebitsch (A-)
There will always be some critics of every draft class, and very rarely does one end up being perfect. However, I side with many of the grades out there that the Giants did an excellent job compiling their 2023 class with both need and talent.
With the wide receiver position bolstered in free agency and the two positions dwindling in round one, the Giants knew they had to address the secondary before their favorite targets were gone. Joe Schoen, as bold as he’s been since taking over the job as general manager, stepped out of his franchise’s comfort zone to snag one of the best all-around cornerbacks in this year’s pool.
As PFF’s analysis states, Deonte Banks is a bigger cornerback at 6’2” with speed and physicality who will stand toe to toe with the best receivers in the league and make life difficult for them. His tackling numbers at Maryland were nearly perfect, and he boasts incredible technique to ensure breakout plays don’t kill the defense.
When making my mock draft, John Michael-Schmitz was one of the center prospects I grappled with drafting. I went with Ohio State’s Luke Wypler, but the Giants getting the second-best center and 48th-best prospect at No. 57 was a fairly good steal. Michael-Schmitz led college football in blocking grades and is a prospect Big Blue should be able to trust to anchor the offensive line and be durable throughout the season.
Jaylin Hyatt was a player I looked at as a potential Day 2 pick at wide receiver, and too much is being made of his size. His stats and vertical athleticism show he can be a threat anywhere on the field and can provide Daniel Jones with an additional weapon to attack the defense. Hyatt’s 18.9 yards per catch was more than any Giants player last fall, with the closest output being Darius Slayton’s 15.7 yards per reception in 2022.
The rest of the Giants picks in Rounds 4-7 will likely need some time and development before they see major time on the field on Sunday. Eric Gray could see some handoffs behind Saquon Barkley and Matt Brieda, and he will offer that elusiveness to the run game that can help pick up the tough, important yards.
Regardless, I gave the Giants 2023 draft class an A- grade because I believe Schoen and company found the best available talent at the most important positions of need and made the right moves to ensure a few of them made it to East Rutherford. They didn’t cave too much to the pressure of the big board but made their decisions rationally, which makes for a solid draft.
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