Late Round Prospect the Giants Should Keep and Eye On

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The New York Giants may have one extra first-round pick, but overall, they still have only eight picks in this draft. Three of them are in the sixth round.
While many people believe that in the sixth round, you are just getting developmental pieces, the right developmental piece can become a major factor for your team if it pans out.
There are some interesting names that could be around late into the draft that the Giants will want to keep an eye on as they move to Day 3, where they have five of their eight overall picks.
That means there are players that Giants fans should become familiar with as they look into day three. Let’s identify some interesting prospects at positions of need for this team.
Lorenzo Styles Jr., DB, Ohio State

If the Giants do draft Sonny Styles with the fifth overall pick, there is a chance that late in the draft or even as an undrafted free agent, they could pick up his brother, Lorenzo Styles Jr. (a defensive back who was converted from wide receiver at Ohio State).
He has blazing speed and all the athleticism you would expect, considering how athletic his brother is. What he doesn’t have is much experience.
He is a raw project at defensive back, with many people unsure whether he should play corner or safety. They do know he is extremely fast, a 4.27 time at the NFL Combine confirmed that.
What he could be immediately is a special-teams ace. A legitimate gunner on kickoff and punt teams and a blocker who can wall off and get in front of people gunners on punt return and kickoff return.
He would be a project, but one worth taking a chance on, given his pedigree. In addition, if the team did draft both Styles brothers, it would be one heck of a story.
Julian Neal, CB, Arkansas

Julian Neal is a day-three prospect who comes with elite length at his position. At nearly 6’2" and a little over 200 pounds, he has 33-inch arms that he uses effectively in press-man coverage to jam receivers and disrupt throwing windows.
He truly excels in zone coverages—whether that’s Cover 3 or Cover 2—where he can drop into an area and react. He would definitely be a day-two or even a day-one pick if he had cleaner footwork and wasn’t so grabby when he’s covering.
In the NFL, if the Giants can clean up his footwork and make him more fluid with his movements, he could be a late-round steal. Not many cornerbacks walk around with the physical profile of Neal and the experience of playing in the SEC.
Rayshaun Benny, DT, Michigan

Benny has violent hands, which he uses to punch and stun offensive linemen off the snap. This allows him to gain leverage on the line of scrimmage and be more effective in run defense.
He has great size at 6’3", 298 pounds, to go with athleticism on the interior. We’ve given him the advantage over many interior offensive linemen; however, his big issue is a high pad level that can sometimes lead to him losing the leverage battle.
He could be an interesting developmental addition as an interior lineman, playing the four-technique in a 30-front for the Giants or even kicking down to nose in pass-rushing situations to take advantage of his athleticism.
He may not be an immediate starter, but he could be one who, with a little seasoning, develops into a great rotational piece or even a stalwart at the position.
Caleb Douglas, WR, Texas Tech

Nowadays, speed seems to be the only jumping-off point for how high receivers go in the draft. But even without elite-level speed, a wide receiver can still be effective.
Consider Caleb Douglas: at 6-foot-4, he has a tremendous catch radius to go with long arms and big hands. He is excellent at high-pointing the football and wins consistently on jump balls, fade routes, and contested catches.
Although he is not a vertical threat, he is very smooth, which allows him to get his tall frame in and out of breaks easily. With a legitimate ability to sink his hips and turn on a dime, those qualities allow him to run much more of the route tree than just the go ball.
Bryce Boettcher, LB, Oregon

We get caught up with size a lot in the NFL and sometimes overlook just plain old-fashioned football players. That’s what Boettcher is. He understands how to play the game, and his abilities from the neck up make everything he does from the neck down easier.
He comes from a defensive back background and has converted well to linebacker. That makes him much better in pass coverage, where he understands breaks and drops and knows how to get his eyes around to the quarterback to read the drop as well as the body, and where he plans to go with the football.
That ability to diagnose also comes into play in run defense, where he seems to be always one step ahead, allowing him to close the distance faster.
While he may not be as good at getting off blocks, he has cultivated the instincts to beat offensive linemen to the point. Think immediate value as a special teams ace as well as the motor to eventually get on the field and wrestle snaps away from other linebackers.
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Gene "Coach" Clemons has been involved with the game of football for 30 years as a player, coach, evaluator, and journalist. Clemons has spent time writing for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Bridgton News, Urbana Daily Citizen, Macon Telegraph and Football Gameplan. He is the host of "A Giant Issue" podcast appearing on the New York Giants On SI YouTube channel.
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