The 2023 NFL Draft is officially in the books, and boy was it a wild weekend in Kansas City. In total, 259 players were drafted. Seven of those 259 players are now members of the New York Giants.
Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll, the Giants front office and coaching staff were very busy this weekend, doing everything possible to improve the franchise's roster. Schoen’s Trader Joe nickname from the 2022 NFL Draft was revived, but unlike last year when he traded down to accumulate more picks, this year he aggressively traded up to select his guys.
The Giants started the draft process with 11 picks, but after multiple trades, Big Blue only ended up making seven selections. Darren Waller was traded to the Giants for a third-round pick, so he is technically part of the 2023 draft haul Schoen pulled in. It’s time for everyone’s favorite post-draft exercise: draft grades. Let’s grade every pick from Schoen’s second draft at the helm. Spoiler alert: he nailed the weekend.
Round 1, Pick 25: Maryland CB Deonte Banks
Grade: A
What’s not to like about Deonte Banks? Banks was one of the biggest risers in the pre-draft process, mainly due to his absurd athleticism. After seeing the top two cornerbacks and top four wide receivers coming off the board, Schoen smartly moved up one spot to select his guy. After seeing the Giants get leapfrogged for DeVonta Smith in 2021, Giants Nation can't be mad that we sacrificed a fifth-rounder and a seventh-rounder in order to select Banks.
At the 2023 NFL Combine, Banks ran a blazing 4.35 40-yard dash, posted the third best defensive back broad jump in NFL Combine history, and recorded a ridiculous 42-inch vertical. Banks also posted a 9.99 Relative Athletic Score (RAS), which ranks third out of 2,212 scored defensive banks from 1987 to 2023.
Banks is a great fit on the Giants roster. Banks excels in man to man coverage and nobody leaves their corners in man to man situations more than Wink Martindale. Opposing quarterbacks completed just 43.3 percent of passes when targeting Banks in 2022. Banks was left on an island against Ohio State superstar Marvin Harrison Jr. in November, and gave up just 53 yards, which was the most he allowed in a single game in 2022.
Banks fills the biggest need on the Giants roster, CB2. The Giants finally have a CB duo in Banks and Adoree' Jackson - this will put fear into opposing offensive coordinators. Jackson only has one year left on his contract. If he departs next spring, the Giants already have his CB1 replacement
The only negative on Banks is he commits too many penalties, but that can be coached out of him. He brings an edge and physicality the Giants defense desperately craves.
They don't even talk to him 😏🤫
— New York Giants (@Giants) April 28, 2023
Deonte Banks' first press conference as a Giant 🎥: https://t.co/EzllQimJj6 pic.twitter.com/zkXgIxkBKr
Round 2, Pick 57: Minnesota OL John Michael Schmitz
Grade: A
Many mock drafts had Schmitz going to the Giants at No. 25 overall. Getting him at 57 is an absolute heist. Schmitz is the best center in the 2023 draft. PFF graded the Minnesota product as the top center in college football last season. His 2022 campaign was nothing short of spectacular, which led to him being named an All-American and First-Team Big Ten member.
Schmitz will start immediately for the Giants, which will plug one of the biggest holes on the team. The Giants now have three young offensive lineman in Schmitz, Evan Neal, and Andrew Thomas who will be on the team for the long run. Finding a Day 1 starter, especially one who is a first-round talent on Day 2, is great business. The league will regret letting Schmitz fall to the G-Men.
With his blue-collar mentality, Schmitz really is going to fit in quite well with the rest of the offensive unit. He wasted no time winning over the fanbase on Twitter shortly after he was selected in the second round. With the losses of Nick Gates and Jon Feliciano in free agency, Schoen knew he needed to get a stud center before the draft ended. He did just that with JMS.
Round 3, Pick 73: Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee
Grade: A
The Giants gave up a fourth-round pick to move up 16 spots to draft Jalin Hyatt, but it was absolutely worth it. Similar to Schmitz, Hyatt was mocked to the Giants in the first round earlier in the week, and to get him in Round 3 is crazy value.
Schoen said he considered taking Hyatt in Round 2 and for good reason. He is an absolute burner of a wide receiver. The Tennessee product had 15 touchdowns in 2022, the most in Tennessee history. Hyatt also posted 1,267 yards and averaged 18.9 yards per catch.
The Tennessee product adds an element to the Giants offense that they sorely lacked last season: deep-play ability. Hyatt had the second most deep yards in college football in 2022, according to PFF. Hyatt played mostly from inside the slot, which is similar to most Giants wideouts. There is optimism he can play on both the inside and outside.
His five-touchdown, 207-yard performance against Alabama last fall was absolutely legendary. Tennessee is considered the easiest offense in college football to play in, which may have led to Hyatt dropping. Have no fear. though, as Josh Heupel, Tennessee’s coach, coached Gabe Davis at UCF. Daboll compared Hyatt to Davis. That's amazing.
Round 5, Pick 172: Eric Gray, RB, Oklahoma Grade: B+
The Giants wanted to add running back depth behind Saquon Barkley, and they accomplished just that with this selection. Gray is a physical back who really broke out in the 2022 season. After playing more of a complimentary role at Tennessee during his first three college seasons, Gray transferred to Oklahoma.
Gray rushed for 1,366 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022. He differs a bit from most of Schoen's picks, as he is not a top graded athlete at his position. Gray ran just a 4.62 40-yard dash at the Combine. However, the 5-9, 205-pounder is a bit of a bruiser and he's got potential.
PFF's take on Gray: "Gray was really impressive in his final season of college, producing an elite 90.6 PFF grade in 2022. He graded well on both zone and gap plays, and while he's a little on the small size, he moves really well, posting a 96.2 elusive rating that was one of the best marks in this running back class."
Round 6, Pick 209: Old Dominion CB Tre Hawkins Grade: B
Tre Hawkins III's athleticism is off the charts. The cornerback ran a 4.42 40-yard dash, posted a 2.5 20-yard split, and 1.52 40-yard spilt. His overall RAS score was a 9.82, which is one of the top scores among draft-eligible defensive backs. He also plays a lot of press coverage, which makes him a good fit for Wink's system.
CB depth was an issue for the Giants leading up to the draft, but that's no longer the case. Adding Banks and Hawkins has Martindale pretty happy these days. Hawkins has all the tools to prove to be a late-round steal for the G-Men. He's got great size as well, checking in at 6-3, 195 pounds.
Round 7, Pick 243: Oregon DT Jordon Riley Grade: B-
There was a lot of smoke about the Giants targeting a defensive lineman early in the 2023 Draft, but they opted not to. However, they still decided to add depth to the roster. Jordon Riley started all 13 games for Oregon in 2022 and is 6-6, 338 pounds.
He is a massive human, but struggled some throughout college, and never posted a PFF grade of above 65.7. He was a pretty average college football player, so he may struggle to make an impact in the league. Look for him to compete with DJ Davidson for a roster spot.
Round 7, Pick 254: Houston DB Gevarrius Owens Grade: B-
The Giants decided to go the safety route to end the draft, throwing one more guy into the mix to compete to start next to Xavier McKinney. Owens excelled in coverage while at Houston, but missed 17.8 percent of his tackle attempts.
One of the drawbacks to this pick is that both defensive end Andre Carter and linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. were available, and likely could have contributed more to the Giants defense than Owens. Still, look for Owens to try and make a splash at camp.
Here's what ESPN's Steve Muench had to say about Owens: "Owens is a lean safety at his best reading the quarterback and breaking on passes thrown in front of him. He has the length, the instincts, and enough range to cover a deep half."
Overall Giants Draft Grade: A-
Schoen filled the Giants three main roster holes: CB, WR, and IOL. He also added a quality backup and some young depth pieces who have intriguing potential. Banks, Schmitz, and Hyatt all profile as Day 1 starters, which makes this draft a smashing success.
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