Early NY Giants 2023 7-round NFL Mock Draft
By Zak Musso
North Carolina State LB Payton Wilson in the fourth round
With Blake Martinez in the final year of his contract and the Giants struggling to find consistency from the other inside linebackers on the roster, you can bet the Giants will add multiple new faces to the linebacker room next offseason.
In Wink Martindale’s 3-4 defense, the inside linebackers are vital, so adding versatile talented linebackers who can see meaningful snaps early in their career is essential. Payton Wilson, an inside linebacker out of North Carolina State, would fit extremely well. The Pro Football Network described his strengths too and he seems like he could be ready to make plenty of noise once he gets to the league.
"“Wilson is quick and has tremendous instincts. He’s a tackling machine as he finished fourth in the country in tackles while ranking fourth in the ACC in tackles per game back in 2020 (10.8). His ability to read and react to the play is second to none in the conference."
That sounds like someone who would fit the Giants. Only time will tell if Wilson gets a long look from the Giants come next year.
UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet in the third round
As has been discussed countless times, this is the last campaign for Saquon Barkley’s rookie contract. While it is hard to part with someone who has the talent of Barkley, if the former No. 2 overall pick does not prove to the new coaching staff that he can stay healthy while showing the burst he had his rookie season, the Giants will have no choice but to let him walk.
While in Buffalo, Schoen helped accumulate a plethora of effective running backs through the draft, and he’ll do that here. In his first two college seasons at Michigan, UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet carried the ball 168 times for 850 yards and 12 touchdowns. A year ago, Charbonnet broke out after transferring to UCLA, rushing for 1,137 yards and 13 touchdowns on 202 attempts.
With a talented roster returning to Westwood for UCLA this season, it will be no surprise to see Charbonnet lead UCLA to historic heights this season and improve his draft stock along the way while displaying his physical running nature and explosive speed. He’s got loads of potential.