Five Areas of High Interest for Giants to Watch at Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl will be played on February 3, a game in which the New York Giants will have a pair of assistant coaches, quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney and assistant special teams coach Mike Adams, working up close and personal with their respective units.
In this breakdown, we look at some of the players Giants fans might want to focus on throughout the week of practices leading up to the game.
The Big Arms in the Big 12 Rivalry
Fresh off a second stellar campaign for their schools, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. will be in Mobile showcasing their skills for teams. As the Giants are in the market for a quarterback who can either come in and start or sit behind Daniel Jones for a couple of seasons, these two names are guys that most believe will be in the target area for the Giants either as first-round picks or early Day 2 selections.
Nix found his game at Oregon after flaming out at Auburn improving everything he struggled with at Auburn for the Ducks, such as his accuracy and decision-making. Transferring also allowed him to show the physical gifts that made him a five-star prospect coming out of high school. Nix can win from the pocket and be used as a rushing weapon, not to mention he has a frame built to absorb a little punishment.
Penix realized his potential at Washington thanks in part to his health. He dealt with a lot of injuries while at Indiana. He started more games in his two seasons at Washington than over four seasons with the Hoosiers.
Having been healthy this past season, Penix showed off his arm talent. His ability to drive the ball downfield should be attractive to the Giants. He also showed his poise under pressure and his accuracy while at Washington.
The one thing he has never really shown in college is his athletic ability. He is a low-key elite athlete, but he's always chosen to showcase his throwing ability. At the next level, he may decide to unleash that athleticism.
Looking For an X
The Giants have amassed a nice complement of receivers, but they still need a true X-receiver to pair with Jaylin Hyatt, Wan’Dale Robinson, and veteran Darius Slayton. Florida State’s Johnny Wilson and North Carolina’s Devontez Walker could be guys that the Giants take a long look at.
The first thing you recognize about Wilson is his size. At 6-foot-7 and 235 pounds, he will be a matchup problem for every defensive back, especially if he can keep the speed he has displayed at FSU.
He moves well for his size and gets in and out of breaks like a smaller receiver. He has suffered from drop issues and wild inconsistencies as a blocker, but that will probably make him a late Day 2, early Day three draft pick. If he does put it all together, he would be a great pickup for a team.
Walker's slight 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame only looks small next to Wilson, but he can operate as an X-receiver in the NFL. Walker is a big-play receiver who has not reached his full potential as a pass catcher.
He can take the top off the defense, get the ball in his hands quickly, and get busy. He has a great catch radius and hands to match. He is good at tracking deep passes and has good enough body control to adjust to passes thrown away from coverage. Many believe that he will be a Day 2 pick.
Security on the Inside
The Giants have offensive line issues, and outside of the questions surrounding right tackle Evan Neal, the team will be looking for stability on the inside. The team will probably keep their eye on a few prospects during Senior Bowl week.
Washington tackle Troy Fautanu has been protecting Penix. His 6-foot-3 height has people believing that a move to guard is where his best NFL interests are.
Regardless, his athleticism is obviously attractive. He can move and get out in space and use quick feet to control rushers and pick up blitzes and stunts in pass protection. He can be great in the screen game and getting to the second level to spring rushers for long gains.
Guards need a nasty streak, and Texas A&M guard Layden Robinson provides that. The bottom line, he moves bodies. As the playoffs are again proving, teams that can displace the line of scrimmage and run the ball will succeed in the postseason.
There are questions about Robinson's athleticism, so the week of practices will provide a lot of clarity in that regard, but there are no questions about his tenacity and what he does to defenders when he gets his hands on them. He will be an intriguing one to watch.
Stay on the Edge
The Giants need guys that can get after the quarterback, as other than Kayvon Thibodeaux, they do not have another consistent presence on the edge. Even if Azeez Ojulari returns to full health, in the NFL, you need more than two, so eyes will be on guys who can harass the quarterback.
UCLA outside linebacker Laiatu Latu is exactly the guy for the job. He has production and potential. At 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, he is long and powerful. Over the past two seasons, he has recorded 23.5 sacks.
He has natural instincts, good technique, and the ability to use his hands, but his greatest asset is his motor skills, which give him the ability to hunt consistently. Latu was injured for a couple of years at Washington to start his collegiate career, but he has shown that those days are behind him at UCLA. However, it will be something to watch as the process progresses.
Alabama’s Chris Braswell is a budding athletic freak as an edge rusher. In 2022, behind Will Anderson, he had 4.5 sacks; in 2023, he almost doubled that number with eight sacks.
He is dense and very strong at 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds, but his speed, specifically his burst off the line, should excite coaches and fans. It will be a problem for most offensive tackles to keep him in front of them consistently.
He's also used to playing in a committee, so being effective without a maximum number of snaps should not be a big problem for him. The 1v1 pass rush drills should be fun to watch him flash that speed.
Looking for Full Coverage
The Giants seem to have options in the secondary at safety, but there are still questions at cornerback, especially with Adoree' Jackson not being expected back and other young options not really flashing the consistency they would like to see.
Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell is an elite athlete who could be a great man or zone cornerback. At 6 feet and 196 pounds, he fits the mold of the cornerbacks that the Giants have targeted, long and athletic.
He plays an aggressive style that would suit the team's defensive identity over the past few seasons. He is fluid in his movement, which is why it is concerning that he was vulnerable to the big play. It's Like he did not understand what his responsibility was.
Kalen King is another prospect that Giants fans would be wise to watch. He is an aggressive, man-to-man cornerback out of Penn State. He is of decent size at 5-foot-11 and 191 pounds.
His ability to shadow receivers is based on his footwork and pattern-matching skills. He gets his hands on a bunch of passes. His aggressive nature serves him well in the short and intermediate passing game but sometimes gets him in trouble when plays get extended.
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