After losing Adoree’ Jackson for seven games last season, it became abundantly clear that the NY Giants had a massive problem with their depth at the cornerback position. While players like Fabian Moreau, and at times Cor’Dale Flott, were rather solid, they weren’t enough to help the Giants defense get to the level they needed to be during Jackson’s absence.
The good thing about this, however, is that there are great options in both free agency and the draft this offseason, giving the Giants plenty of room to improve the position.
If the Giants decide to improve their depth at CB, they should target these five prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft. All of these players are full of potential and will more than likely be available around when the Giants make their first, or even second-round selection:
5. Miami CB Tyrique Stevenson
To start things off we have Tyrique Stevenson out of Miami, a 6-0, 214-pound corner who has one of the highest floors out of anyone in the draft. This is due in most part to his incredible frame and high IQ that he uses to punish opposing receivers.
The only thing that somewhat hinders Stevenson’s ceiling in the league is the fact that he isn’t that great of an athlete. Despite this, his aforementioned frame and IQ make up for this more often than not. In 11 games last season, Stevenson tallied 27 tackles while allowing 17 catches on 40 targets for 353 yards and three touchdowns. In addition to this, Stevenson snagged two interceptions while breaking up five passes.
One of the main issues with Stevenson’s game is that he can occasionally become too quick to sit on underneath routes, which leads to him getting torched downfield. Despite this, Stevenson doesn’t really have many massive flaws in his game. He’s an exciting young talent and is just the kind of player general manager Joe Schoen could be looking for.
4. Mississippi State CB Emmanuel Forbes
Emmanuel Forbes is in an interesting spot as a prospect for the Giants. This is because he is likely to go early in the second round, meaning that if New York wants to bring Forbes in, they may have to slightly reach in the first round, or trade up in the second. However, for a player like Forbes and his potential, he very well could be worth either option.
Forbes is a 6-0, 180-pound prospect out of Mississippi State with a TON of potential to be an incredible player. During his time in college, Forbes made his name known as one of the best man coverage corners in the nation, allowing just three receptions while grabbing three interceptions in man-to-man snaps.
In 12 games with Mississippi State last season, Forbes racked up 48 tackles while allowing 31 catches on 58 targets for 284 yards and three touchdowns, all while snagging six interceptions and breaking up seven passes.
In these games, Forbes allowed 45+ yards in just two of them while also only allowing just 9.2 yards per catch. The big thing about Forbes, though, is that he likely needs to gain some muscle mass before he enters the league. While 180 pounds isn’t the worst weight for a corner, he is incredibly scrawny and has had too many moments of bigger receivers or backs running through him.
3. Maryland CB Deonte Banks
Despite missing the majority of the 2021 season due to a shoulder injury, Deonte Banks bounced back better than ever this past season and made his name known as one of the top corners in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Coming in at 6-2, 205 pounds, Banks is a pretty large corner and his ability in press coverage is incredible due to his physicality. While he may have some issues with his technique and footwork, his athleticism and aforementioned physicality make up for it more times than not.
In 12 games at Maryland last season, Banks racked up 35 combined tackles while only missing one, alongside allowing just 26 receptions on 60 targets for 258 yards and four touchdowns. Alongside that, Banks snagged one interception while breaking up eight passes.
Out of his 12 games, Banks only allowed 40+ yards in one game, allowed more than three catches twice, and allowed just 9.9 yards per catch. With how well he plays in coverage, Banks is an incredible tackler at corner, missing just one tackle all season long as we previously mentioned.
Banks is a tremendous all-around prospect, however, he has some issues he must fix early on during his time in the league if he wants to find success, mostly with his footwork. You see, when Banks is lined up in press, he has the tendency to stall his feet, which can really hurt his positioning if he loses the press.
2. Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.
The son of former All-Pro Joey Porter Sr. is making way into the league to terrorize opposing offenses the same way his dad did. During this most recent season at Penn State, Porter Jr. dominated the defensive side of the ball, playing so well, in fact, that he will more than likely be selected in the first round.
Porter may not be the most explosive athlete, but his combination of size and IQ allow him to dominate opposing receivers off the line of scrimmage with ease. The only big problem with Porter’s game, however, is he had quite the issue with finishing tackles this season, having a missed tackle rate of 17.6 percent. However, this is the only season where this has been a problem, so we’re confident that he will improve.
While Porter missed a couple of games this past season due to appendicitis, he still played at an incredible level for Penn State, allowing just 15 receptions on 30 targets for 143 yards and zero touchdowns in 10 games.
Looking at Porter’s stats from the 2022 season is pretty incredible, as he had four games in which he didn’t allow a single catch, only allowed 30+ yards once, and the longest catch he gave up all season was 25 yards, the next highest is 12. This kid has star CB written all over him.
1. Georgia CB Kelee Ringo
There’s no question that Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo will be a name to watch once late April comes around. Ringo, who just helped the Bulldogs win another National Championship, is the real deal. A Tacoma, Wash., native, he balled out in the SEC and several mock drafts have him going in the first round.
Not only that, but those same mocks have the NY Giants taking him when they’re on the clock. Ringo checks a lot of boxes for the Giants. This team needs a young talent to come in and make an immediate impact for the secondary. At 6-2, 210 pounds, Ringo has impressive size and speed. He’s got great defensive abilities.
While he obviously wouldn’t be perfect in his rookie year, who better to help him grow as a player than defensive coordinator Wink Martindale? Ringo is a true playmaker and if he’s still available when it’s time for Schoen to send his pick in, then we very well could see him end up donning a Big Blue jersey next fall.
5 WRs the NY Giants should monitor early on in the 2023 NFL Draft
Considering how poor the NY Giants receiving core was in 2022, it only makes sense that Joe Schoen looks to address this problem through the draft.