New York Giants Final Rookie Report: Mixed Bag

The story of the New York Giants Class of 2023 can best be described as up and down in that there were glimpses of promise but not enough consistency to get a true feel as to whether the class will establish itself as a permanent fixture for the next several years.

Of the seven draft picks, only two, cornerback Deonte Banks and center John Michael Schmitz, turned into starters. Receiver Jalin Hyatt, whom the Giants traded up for to get in the third round, showed flashes of promise but, for some reason, wasn't as featured as heavily down the stretch as one might have thought would be the case.

Running back Eric Gray and cornerback Tre Hawkins III saw their roles fade after an initial push at the start of the season, while defensive lineman Jordon Riley saw his snaps increase as the season went on.

And, of course, undrafted free agent quarterback Tommy DeVito has to factor into the mix after creating a stir.

"Like any rookie class, you’re going to have highs and lows," general manager Joe Schoen said at his year-end press conference. I think the first three guys, I think everybody saw their ability.

Let's go ahead and dive into the breakdowns.

R1: CB Deonte Banks, Maryland

The Giants traded up one spot to grab Banks in the first round, and if you thought they were giddy in getting the last of the cornerbacks on whom they had a first-round grade, how happy do you think they are in having watched Banks develop into a shutdown cornerback who, come next year, will be their No. 1 guy?

"What he did against some of the very good receivers in this league as a rookie, I thought was pretty impressive," Schoen said.

After a slow start to his rookie campaign, Banks played 840 defensive snaps, finishing with 56 tackles, two interceptions, six passes defended, and allowing just a 57.6 percent reception rate, which wasn't that far off from second-year cornerback (and 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year) Sauce Gardner's 56.9 percent).

The only glaring negative in Banks' game as he finished as the team leader in penalties with eight, a total that was also the 13th-highest among all cornerbacks. Banks, who missed the final two games due to a shoulder injury, should be much better in Year 2.

R2: C John Michael Schmitz Jr, Minnesota

Schmitz was widely regarded as the most NFL-ready center coming out in the 2023 draft, but unfortunately for him, as well as most of the Giants offensive line, he couldn't build on a solid college career thanks to ineffective coaching. The result was inconsistency wrapped around a shoulder issue that cost him four games.

Schmitz was charged with allowing five sacks and 30 quarterback pressures in 484 offensive snaps, the fifth most at the center position.

At the start of the season, our very own Coach Gene Clemons broke down Schmitz's college tape to include pass protection (good), never-say-die attitude (great), and blocking on the move (ugly).

Of the ugly, Clemons noted that once Schmitz learned how to use his hands better, blocking on the move would likely improve.

Schoen seemed to agree, and it will be interesting to see how new offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo helps Schmitz take his game to the next level and if he can help fix some of the issues that the interior experienced with picking up stunts this past year.

"John Michael is going to be a good center," Schoen said. "The intangibles for John Michael are off the charts. I’d be surprised if he’s not a captain down the road."

R3: WR Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee

Jalin Hyatt put on quite the show during training camp with his deep speed and ability to separate. But when it counted for real, Hyatt's role seemed limited right from Day 1 of the season through the end, partly due to his ongoing development as a route runner and the Giants inconsistency with taking deep shots down the field.

From a statistical perspective, Hyatt had a subpar rookie campaign. He caught 23 of 40 targets (57.5 percent) for 373 yards on 557 offensive snaps and zero touchdowns. He also dropped four passes for a 14.8 drop percentage, averaging 16.2 yards per catch and 21.9 yards per game, finishing with a 68.0 target rating.

There is more work to be done with Hyatt's game--more routes and a better showing against zone coverage come to mind--but Schoen is naturally bullish on the receiver's future.

“Hyatt is going to be a good receiver,” Schoen said. “I think you saw with Jalin the explosive play ability.”

R5: RB Eric Gray, Oklahoma

Many people anticipated that the Giants would take a long look at Gray with the uncertainty surrounding Saquon Barkley's long-term future and Matt Breida set to be an unrestricted free agent.

That was not the case, however, as the Giants mainly kept Gray as their early-season return specialist, a role for which, in retrospect, he wasn't a fit for. Gray only returned nine punts in college and didn't set the world on fire then.

Gray, who ended up on IR with a calf injury during Weeks 8-11, seemed forced fed into that role despite a lack of speed (4.57 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the combine!), vision (14.5 yards per kickoff return), and an inability to consistently field punts cleanly--he had two muffs. All of that eventually led to his removal from the returner role.

As a running back, he had 17 carries for 48 yards, a modest 2.8 yards per carry, and one fumble. As a receiver out of the backfield, he caught six out of seven passes for 22 yards (3.7 yards per reception) and didn't force a single missed tackle.

He is not impressive at all, but there are things to like about his game that, if the Giants can harness it moving forward, would help, such as his violent running nature, his balance when he makes contact with a defender, and his past success in the screen game.

“I thought Eric Gray had a good game (against the Eagles in Week 18) when given opportunities,” said Schoen. “He probably didn’t get as many opportunities this year as he would’ve liked, but that’s a testament to Saquon and his availability.”

Still, add it all up, and it's fair to say that the jury is still out on whether Gray can become a consistent contributor in what appears to be a running back rotation if Barkley doesn't return to the team.

R6: CB Tre Hawkins III, Old Dominion

Hawkins is another player who came out of nowhere in the summer only to fade when his regular-season play reminded everyone that he is a sixth-round rookie from Old Dominion who, despite having a very high ceiling, still has some developing to do.

Hawkins received three starts in 17 games, including in the Week 1 opener in which Hawkins and Banks were the starters on the outside, and Adoree' Jackson moved into the slot.

Unfortunately, Hawkins struggled, having one of his worst games against the 49ers in Week 3 when he missed three tackles. By Week 6, Hawkins moved to more of a special teams role, occasionally making a cameo appearance on defense.

He struggled in coverage, allowing three touchdowns in 211 pass coverage snaps, with just two pass breakups and zero interceptions for a 157.2 coverage rating.

That said, Hawkins is a physical player unafraid to stick his nose into the action. His overall technique needs work, but he has a high ceiling that, with continued coaching, could help him turn into a better quality depth piece for the future.

R7: DT Jordon Riley, Oregon

Riley is another late Day 3 draft pick who flashed quite a bit in training camp and the preseason. But as the season went on, Riley, who got more snaps due to the pitch count Dexter Lawrence was placed on thanks to a hamstring strain, reminded people of his promise.

Riley finished with 135 defensive snaps, among them seven tackles and four stops. He played a solid game in Week 18 against Eagles Pro Bowl center Jason Kelce by holding his ground and defending double teams to consistently create foot traffic between the tackles to take away space.

The week before the game against the Rams, Riley did a solid enough job to where when Lawrence had to come out for a blow, there wasn't that great of a drop-off, always an encouraging sign. Riley showed an ability to control single blocking and shed blocks to make tackles.

Riley is off to a good start in his NFL career and should continue benefitting under the tutelage of defensive line coach Andre Patterson.

R7: DB Gervarrius Owens, Houston

When he wasn't on the inactive list, Owens was reduced to special teams, where in 37 snaps, he contributed one assisted tackle.

UDFA: QB Tommy DeVito, Illinois

Not since Jeremy Lin hit the court for the Knicks to create "Linsanity" has the area seen such an outburst of support for a guy from whom not much was initially expected.

DeVito, nicknamed Tommy Cutlets for his love of the Italian cuisine staple, was supposed to spend his rookie season developing on the Giants' practice squad. But thanks to the injuries suffered by starter Daniel Jones and backup Tyrod Taylor, DeVito was thrown into the pool's deep end to sink or swim.

For the most part, he stayed afloat. DeVito finished with 1,101 yards on 114 completions and a 64 percent completion rate. He tossed eight touchdowns to only three interceptions, showed fearlessness in taking off as a ball carrier, and seized those opportunities to heave the ball down the field. He led the Giants to a three-game winning streak that revitalized their dimming playoff hopes, if just for a short while, and he put himself into the conversation of whether he might be worthy of becoming a QB2 for the Giants next year.

But DeVito's body of work, while certainly much better than what was expected from a player in his shoes, was far from perfect. He averaged 3.09 seconds to throw the ball, a sure sign that he was holding it far too long while trying to make sense of what was in front of him. Not surprisingly, he was sacked 37 times, a lot of those resulting from indecision about what he was seeing.

DeVito, remember, wasn't supposed to see the field this season. That he held up as well as could be expected speaks to the work he put in on the field and in the classroom. Some might be irked by his sudden desire to cash in on his fame with all the autograph signings and paid partnerships he's suddenly getting, but if DeVito showed enough promise to warrant another chance at remaining on the roster, regardless of what the Giants do at quarterback this season.

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