(Welcome to draft season! This is my first mock draft for Big Blue. You will continue to see more mock drafts titled like Nguyen’s NYG Mock Draft 1.0 in the future. Enjoy!)
The New York Giants finished the 2022 season by defeating the Minnesota Vikings in the wild-card round before losing to the rival Philadelphia Eagles the week after. Despite the loss, it was a great season overall for Big Blue led by first-year head coach Brian Daboll.
As we approach the 2023 NFL Draft, it’s clear the Giants have a lot of positions of need. For this mock draft, we’ll start easy by going through the first three rounds for now. PFF’s Mock Draft Simulator will be used for this.
A wide receiver is one of the top needs for Big Blue. Even with the signing of Parris Campbell and the return of guys like Darius Slayton and Isaiah Hodgins, the corps could use some more juice.
Enter Addison, who had 875 receiving yards on 59 receptions in 2022. The USC and former Pitt wide receiver also had a spectacular 2021 where he had 100 catches and 17 touchdowns. This led to a Biletnikoff Award for the wideout.
His strength lies in his route running, where his ability to create separation is like no other. The ability to run a full route tree in the NFL should be an easy task for the 21-year-old.
The more weapons Daniel Jones has, the better. Addison will make his quarterback’s life so much easier.
Losing Nick Gates and Jon Feliciano hurts. But, let’s not act like those two players were major pieces on the offensive line. Andrew Thomas at left tackle is great. We hope Joshua Ezeudu can develop into a solid left guard. Mark Glowinski was solid in Indianapolis before struggling with the Giants in 2022. Finally, Evan Neal is young but will be great at right tackle eventually.
With all this in mind, the Giants need to find a solid center that will be a mainstay for years to come. Forget about the JC Hassenauer signing for a second.
Schmitz was the highest-graded center in the FBS according to Pro Football Focus. The six-foot-four, 320 mammoth sees the game as well as anyone in this draft. His four years of playing center in college helped too. Experience is key.
It’s surprising to see Schmitz fall this far for New York. But, he is a necessity for a team who has both Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley to depend on in the run game.
Round Three, Pick 89: Cory Trice
Could the Giants actually find a solid CB2 in the third round? That’s what I think about the selection of Trice from Purdue.
His size stands out, as a height of 6’3″ is quite tall for a cornerback. More importantly, he is built like a linebacker. The Giants rely on a blitz-heavy scheme led by Wink Martindale. This means the cornerbacks will have to hold their one-in-man coverage.
This shouldn’t be a problem for Trice, who only allowed one catch on 88 snaps in press coverage in 2022. He also allowed just one touchdown and held quarterbacks to a 51.3 passer rating.
Put this all together, and the Giants may have gotten a steal with this selection.
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