NY Giants grades for 2023 rookies during the preseason

The initial returns on Joe Schoen’s 2023 draft class look outstanding thus far. The Giants regular season will shape how we view this class, but with the opener coming on Sunday night, it’s become clear most of Big Blue’s rookies will play critical roles.

Schoen drafted three projected Day 1 starters (Deonte Banks, Tre Hawkins III, John Michael Schmitz), a key offensive weapon (Jalin Hyatt), two rotational defensive pieces (Jordan Riley, Gervarrius Owens), and a change of pace running back (Eric Gray) in April. All seven of those picks should see meaningful snaps in their rookie seasons, a true rarity. 

Here are our letter grades for NY Giants 2023 rookies during the preseason:

NY Giants CB Deonte Banks: A-

Banks had a rough first week of training camp, seemingly getting torched during every practice. The rookie quickly adjusted, something he will have to do while playing DB in the NFL, and became a standout defensive player in August. 

Banks showed out during the preseason, not allowing a single completion on four targets. No rookie cornerback had a better preseason than Banks. His play most definitely has people excited about what he can get done this campaign.

In early June, Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale spoke glowingly about Banks.

"He’s very instinctive ....what'd Ted Lasso say? He lives like a Goldfish. He’s got a short memory. He’s tough minded. He’s physical, he can tackle, and on top of that he can run. We are excited about him."

Wink Martindale

With Banks all set to start against the Cowboys in Week 1, he's going to have high expectations right from the start. The G-Men traded up to land him at No. 24 and people were fired up for the selection that night. Now, we'll see how he'll be able to do with the bright lights on him against Dallas in primetime.

NY Giants OL John Michael Schmitz: A

Joe Schoen is building an offensive line in New York. Schoen drafted Evan Neal in the first round last April, signed Andrew Thomas to a monstrous five-year, $117.5 million extension in July, and drafted Schmitz in the second round this spring.

Schmitz should have gone in Round 1 based on his summer play. The rookie has gone toe to toe with Giants star and recently rich DT Dexter Lawrence in camp, a player who was graded as the second-best DT in football, better than Aaron Donald, by PFF last season.

Schmitz will start immediately for the Giants, and it looks like the Giants have found their center of the future. If you watched Nebraska at Minnesota (Schmitz’s alma mater) Thursday night, you saw Minnesota’s offense unable to function without Schmitz, a 2022 All-American. He is that kind of player.

NY Giants WR Jalin Hyatt: A

The Giants selected Hyatt with the 73rd pick in the 2023 draft. Many thought Hyatt should have gone in the first round, and the Giants got him in the third round. If you watched the Giants viral draft room video, you know Schoen wanted Schmitz or Hyatt in Round 2, and somehow he got them both.

Hyatt has shown off his incredible speed this offseason. After playing his college ball at Tennessee, a comprehensive receiver-friendly system, many questioned if Hyatt could be an elite route runner in the NFL. All offseason, Hyatt has shown he can run routes.

The rookie had a rough preseason debut in Detroit, hauling in just one ball for -4 yards. Hyatt balled out in the next two preseason games, hauling in a 33-yard touchdown from Tyrod Taylor against Carolina and then dusting Sauce Gardner in the Jets game (the pass was incomplete).

Hyatt recently changed his number from 84 to 13, a famous wide receiver number in New York. Odell Beckham Jr. hauled in 91 Eli Manning passes for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns as a rookie wearing the number 13 jersey in 2014. If Hyatt comes near that mark this year, we will sing his praises.

His summer performance should earn him substantial playing time this fall, which was not guaranteed two months ago.

NY Giants RB Eric Gray: C+

The Giants had a loaded running back room entering training camp. Gray, a 2023 fifth-round pick, was a roster lock, but it was uncertain what role he’d play on the Giants offense.

Gary Brightwell, the Giants third-string running back and lead kick returner, suffered an injury early in camp, and we have yet to see him back on the field. This created a massive opportunity for Gray to seize Brightwell’s job, but he failed to do so.

Gray rushed for just 36 yards on 17 attempts in the preseason, and struggled mightily in pass blocking. In just 11 pass-blocking snaps, Gray allowed one hit, six hurries, and seven pressures. PFF gave Gray a brutal 12.4 pass-blocking grade for his efforts, indicating Gray is unplayable. Sterling Shepard was curiously returning punts in the Giants preseason finale. It's a bad sign for Gray that Shepard, still recovering from last season's torn ACL, is returning punts ahead of him.

Gray has plenty of intriguing traits and had a chance to push Brightwell to the wrong side of the roster bubble, but failed to capitalize.

NY Giants CB Tre Hawkins III: A+

No Giants player has improved their standing within the Giants organization more than Hawkins this summer. The historically athletic sixth-round corner entered camp fighting for a roster spot and special teams job, and ended camp as a starting outside cornerback.

Hawkins's highlight reel this summer has included making uber-athletic plays, coming downfield to make tackles, making pass breakups against both Giants veterans and the opposing team's starters in preseason games.

Hawkins's athletic traits allow him to blitz, come up and play the run, and cover ground quickly, three essential characteristics of Wink's defense. Oh yeah, and he’s nasty. Just watch this sequence from Hawkins during and Old Dominion game last fall.

We haven’t seen that side much yet, but I’m sure we will this fall. Hawkins is the complete package and looks like a sixth-round heist.

NY Giants DT Jordon Riley: A-

Riley’s mission was evident this summer: make the roster. The 6-5, 325-pounder is not your prototypical rookie, which may have helped him in camp and the preseason. The Oregon product is 25 years old, the same age as Sexy Dexy, who is embarking on his fifth NFL season. Riley has played a ton of football, including six college seasons, which gave him a leg up on some of the other Giant rookies.

He impressed the coaches early in camp, which led them to give him reps with the first-string defense in the Carolina game, and boy, did he deliver.

Riley has carved out a nice role as a defensive lineman reserve, and displayed the ability to play a bigger role if called upon.

NY Giants DB Gervarrius Owens: B+

Owens entered camp entrenched in the depth chart battle at safety. The rookie had a chance to jump as high as the No. 2 spot, a starting spot. Safeties Jason Pinnock and Dane Belton had the two best summers (outside of Hawkins) on Big Blue’s defense, pushing Owens down the depth chart.

Owens, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, currently sits fourth or fifth on Big Blue’s safety depth chart, depending on how the Giants view veteran Bobby McCain, who surprisingly made the 53-man roster.

Seventh-round picks are no guarantees to make NFL rosters, but Owens did. He posted the third-highest coverage grade on the Giants this preseason, according to PFF, allowing just one catch for eight yards on four targets. Owens also showed the ability to blitz off the edge this summer, which could be quite valuable. 

Wink likes to rotate in defensive players, so we could see some of Owens on the field for the Giants this fall. He could prove to be another late-round steal for Schoen and Co.

READ MORE: Does Jalin Hyatt have WR1 potential for the NY Giants?