Five 1st-Round Draft Prospects That Are Classic Giants Fits

If any of these five players are on the board for the Giants when they go on the clock at No. 25, it's hard to envision general manager Joe Schoen passing on them.

Author:
Brandon Olsen
Publish date:
Apr 19, 2023 12:06 PM EDT

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New York Giants

The NFL Draft is about one week away, and while NFL teams are finalizing who is on their big boards, the media is doing the same thing with their evaluations.

With the 25th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the New York Giants should have multiple options to add some of the best players available at a position of need.

Let's look at five prospects that if they were to fall to the Giants at No. 25, New York should run--not walk--the selection card up to Roger Goodell.

CB Deonte Banks, Maryland

There are few cornerbacks in the 2023 Draft that offer the combination of size, athleticism, and clean film that Deonte Banks does. Being six-foot tall isn’t elite height but combine that with a 4.35 40-yard dash, 42” vertical jump, and an 11’ 4” broad jump, and you’re looking at a special athlete with a 10.00 Relative Athletic Score (RAS).

Then you turn on the Maryland Terrapins film and see a player that could become a legitimate top cornerback for his NFL team. It’s rare to find a college defensive back with slippery hips and the ability to throw off routes with his physical press coverage.

RELATED: Nick Falato's Scouting Report on Deonte Banks

The versatility doesn’t just stop with his style of play. Banks showed throughout his college career that he can play in man coverage and seamlessly switch to Cover 2 and Cover 3.

If the 2023 Draft wasn’t so stacked at the cornerback position, Banks would be talked about more in the 15-22 range instead of the 23-32 range. But if he's there at 25 and the Giants are leaning toward cornerback, Banks would be a solid choice at that spot.

EDGE Will McDonald IV, Iowa State

Let’s get this part out of the way right now, as much as NFL coaches and general managers hated to see him do it - the dude can jump over a car!

INLINE

As if that wasn’t enough to tell you that Will McDonald IV is an elite athlete, he posted a 9.67 Relative Athletic Score with a 1.63 10-yard split, 11’ broad jump, 4.22 shuttle, and 6.85 3-cone. On top of that, he’s got an 80th-percentile wingspan and 90th-percentile arm length.

Has there ever been a more obvious player that NFL teams will fall in love with as a length + explosiveness edge rusher? He’s not just a workout warrior either, McDonald was often left on an island as a pass-rusher in Iowa State’s defensive scheme, and he thrived there, generating 127 pressures and 35 sacks in his college career.

While college pass-rush production doesn’t always translate to the NFL, McDonald also has a cleaner skillset technique-wise than most college pass-rushers.

With his counter moves, ability to convert speed to power, and a spin move that’s going to make fans scream with delight, McDonald has to be in consideration for the Giants at 25 if he is still somehow available--yes, even on a roster with Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari already in place because a creative defensive coordinator like Wink Martindale should have no trouble figuring out how to deploy an extra pass rusher.

IOL Steve Avila, TCU

NFL teams love versatility along the offensive line, especially when that versatility also brings one of the top interior offensive linemen in the draft.

TCU’s Steve Avila is a top-two interior offensive lineman in the class but brings a skillset no other offensive lineman possesses.

Avila has played at least one snap at every position on the offensive line (literally one at left tackle) but has, more importantly, played over 1,000 snaps at center and left guard in his career.

RELATED: Nick Falato's Scouting Report on Steve Avila

As a pass-protector, Avila has defenders running into a brick wall. He's allowed just four sacks in over 1,100 pass-blocking snaps at TCU.

Avila isn’t without flaws--no prospect is. But his flaws are fixable, and he projects as a Day 1 starter in the NFL with a ceiling to rise to a near All-Pro level if he puts the work in.

WR Quentin Johnston, TCU

TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston is an interesting prospect because he’s 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds and has a 40 ½” vertical, but he doesn’t play like the stereotypical X-receiver.

Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing. People see Johnston’s size and assume he will play like Mike Williams or Donovan Peoples-Jones. Still, when you turn on the film, he has a surprising amount of wiggle in his game and not the same physicality as the two receivers mentioned.

RELATED: Nick Falato's Scouting Report on Quentin Johnston

Johnston plays more like Sammy Watkins, who didn’t live up to expectations largely due to injury issues.

Johnston is a plus-athlete that has proven his ability to operate in space. If he can clean up some catching technique and get more aggressive with the ball in the air, his ceiling is a top-15 wide receiver.

IOL John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota

Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz is an outlier on this list. Schmitz, 24 years old, is the oldest player on this list and is he’s one of the oldest prospects in the 2023 Draft. Schmitz is also the worst athlete of the bunch, being the only player on this list with a relative athletic score under 8.00.

However, none of that matters when you turn on Schmitz’s film and see one of the most consistent offensive linemen in the country. Schmitz overcomes his physical deficiencies with an elite football IQ and sound technique that allows him to outwork his opponents.

RELATED: Nick Falato's Scouting Report on John Michael Schmitz

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. Schmitz has both talent and a relentless motor. With his experience in Minnesota’s offense, Schmitz can step in on Day 1 and be a starting center capable of working in both gap and zone-blocking systems.