New York Giants 2023 NFL Draft preview: Everything you need to know
Are you ready for the 2023 NFL Draft, New York Giants fans? Well, if you’re not we have a crash course for you. Everything you need to know is below. If you want to see all of the coverage we have been providing, check out our New York Giants Draft Hub Page.
What picks do the Giants have?
The Giants have 10 picks in the upcoming draft. They had 11, but sent a third-round pick (No. 100 overall) to the Las Vegas Raiders in the Darren Waller trade. The Giants had originally gotten that pick from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for Kadarius Toney.
The Giants’ picks are:
Round 1 (No.25)
Round 2 (No. 57)
Round 3 (No. 89)
Round 4 (No. 128)
Round 5 (No. 160)
Round 5 (No. 172)
Round 6 (No. 209)
Round 7 (No. 240)
Round 7 (No. 243)
Round 7 (No. 254)
How do I watch the draft?
The draft will be held in Kansas City, Missouri, starting Thursday night.
The first round begins at 8 p.m. Eastern. The second and third rounds are on Friday starting at 7 p.m. The fourth through seventh rounds are on Saturday starting at 12 p.m.
The draft can be viewed on NFL Network, ABC, ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
Giants’ needs
High priority
Cornerback — Adoree’ Jackson is the Giants’ best cornerback. After that, nothing but questions. Can Cor’Dale Flott ascend? Can Aaron Robinson stay healthy? Can the Giants find a better slot cornerback than Darnay Holmes? Can Amani Oruwariye help them? In addition, the Giants need to be mindful that Jackson is in the final year of his three-year, $39 million contract. The Giants need to be prepared to replace him.
Wide receiver — The Giants were last in the league in explosive passing plays a season ago. They added tight end Darren Waller and wide receiver Parris Campbell, brought back Darius Slayton, will have Isaiah Hodgins for a full season and hope to have exciting second-year man Wan’Dale Robinson for a full year.
Consider what Mike Tannenbaum said on Monday:
“They need more explosive firepower ... they need multiple difference-makers on the outside. Waller is a good start, but they need a lot more than that.”
Center/IOL — 2022 starting center Jon Feliciano is in San Francisco with the 49ers. His backup, Nick Gates, is a member of the Washington Commanders. The Giants have not had the same starting center in consecutive seasons since Weston Richburg from 2015-17.
Their current options are former undrafted free agent J.C. Hassanauer, a backup for several seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and potential guard converts Ben Bredeson, Shane Lemieux and Jack Anderson.
Medium priority
Linebacker — The Giants entered the offseason knowing they needed to upgrade at this spot. They took a big step in that direction by signing quality veteran Bobby Okereke to a four-year, $40 million free agent contract.
After Okereke, though, the group is rife with question marks. Veteran Jarrad Davis has never lived up to being a first-round draft pick, and couldn’t get off the Detroit Lions’ practice squad a season ago. Micah McFadden, a 2022 fifth-round pick, was an afterthought on defense by season’s end. Darrian Beavers, a 2022 sixth-round pick, impressed in training camp but is returning from a torn ACL.
Depending on how the draft board falls, it won’t be a huge shock if the Giants address this spot fairly early.
Safety — I have not placed safety in the “high priority” category, but it is certainly a position you could understand the Giants looking to supplement. Julian Love bolted for the Seattle Seahawks in free agency, and the Giants did not re-sign either Landon Collins or Tony Jefferson. The Giants added veteran Bobby McCain, and have promising youngsters Jason Pinnock and Dane Belton. A young, difference-making safety would be a nice addition, though, especially with Xavier McKinney entering the last year of his rookie contract.
Tight end — The idea surfaced on Monday that the Giants, in the right circumstance, could select tight end Michael Mayer at No. 25. That seems unlikely. Drafting a tight end at some point in the middle of the draft, though, does not.
The Giants traded for Darren Waller. They have Daniel Bellinger, a fourth-round pick who had a solid rookie season in 2022. Waller’s age (31 in September) and his health issues the past couple of seasons, mean the Giants could hedge their bets here. As of now, Lawrence Cager, Tommy Sweeney, Dre Miller and Chris Myarick would compete for the third tight end role. An upgrade could be in order.
Running back — It does not seem like time for the Giants to draft a Saquon Barkley replacement — like Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs. It could behoove the Giants, though, to use a mid-round pick to try and upgrade the pedestrian depth behind Barkley and perhaps find a player who could be a contributor in a potential Barkley-less future.
Edge — The Giants have Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari. The third edge defender is Jihad Ward, but the Giants need more. I have this in the ‘medium priority’ category because the Giants don’t need to select an edge defender early in the draft — though if one they can’t pass up on is there early and they go that route it would be defensible. A mid- to late-round pick on a player who could provide depth seems like a good idea.
Defensive tackle — The Giants have Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams. They added quality veteran depth with the free-agent signings of A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches. Those two signings, plus the return of second-year man D.J. Davidson from a torn ACL, likely take defensive tackle out of play for the Giants early in the draft.
Still, the position can’t be out of play entirely. Williams is in the last year of massive contract. Robinson is on a one-year deal. Looking to the future, adding depth here on Day 3 would be a good idea.
Low priority
Quarterback — The Giants are not in the market for a starting quarterback. They just handed Daniel Jones a four-year, $160 million contract to do that. Tyrod Taylor is the backup for another year. The Giants could use a developmental quarterback who could become No. 2 if they decided not to retain Taylor after the 2023 season.
Offensive tackle — Andrew Thomas anchors the left side. The Giants spent the No, 7 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft on Evan Neal to anchor the right side. He still has to prove he can do that after a rocky rookie season, but it is too soon to abandon the idea he can be a quality right tackle. Tyre Phillips did a good job last year filling in when Neal was hurt. The Giants still have former third-round pick Matt Peart, who has never truly been granted a full opportunity. If Neal has another rough year the need at this spot changes. For now, though, it is not a priority.
Big Blue View draft previews
All of our draft coverage can be found on our New York Giants Draft Hub Page.
Prospect profiles
Chris Pflum, with a tiny bit of help of Nick Falato, has been profiling draft prospects for months now. We are up to more than 120 prospect profiles.
Mock drafts
Podcasts
Both the ‘Valentine’s Views’ podcast and the ‘Chris and Nick Show’ have been focused almost exclusively on the draft in recent weeks. Here are some shows worth going back and listening to if you missed them.
More features
Big Blue View Big Board
Our Big Board covers players we believe should be selected in the first four rounds. It was compiled by Chris Pflum and Nick Falato.
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
Complete Round 1 draft order
No. 1 — Carolina Panthers
No. 2 — Houston Texans
No. 3 — Arizona Cardinals
No. 4 — Indianapolis Colts
No. 5 — Seattle Seahawks
No. 6 — Detroit Lions
No. 7 — Las Vegas Raiders
No. 8 — Atlanta Falcons
No. 9 — Chicago Bears
No. 10 — Philadelphia Eagles
No. 11 — Tennessee Titans
No. 12 — Houston Texans
No. 13 — New York Jets
No. 14 — New England Patriots
No. 15 — Green Bay Packers
No. 16 — Washington Commanders
No. 17 — Pittsburgh Steelers
No. 18 — Detroit Lions
No. 19 — Tampa Bay Buccaneers
No. 20 — Seattle Seahawks
No. 21 — Los Angeles Chargers
No. 22 — Baltimore Ravens
No. 23 — Minnesota Vikings
No. 24 — Jacksonville Jaguars
No. 25 — New York Giants
No. 26 — Dallas Cowboys
No. 27 — Buffalo Bills
No. 28 — Cincinnati Bengals
No. 29 — New Orleans Saints
No. 30 — Philadelphia Eagles
No. 31 — Kansas City Chiefs
Source: Big Blue View
