NY Giants 7-Round Mock Draft: Big Blue goes with Zay Flowers at No. 25

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: draft season. In just under three weeks, more than 250 college football players will be drafted into the NFL, changing the trajectory of both their lives and the franchises they are drafted to.

It’s a huge draft for Joe Schoen’s NY Giants. Despite winning a playoff game in 2022, the Giants entered the offseason with many holes. Schoen filled some of those holes by signing Bobby Okereke, trading for Darren Waller, re-signing Daniel Jones, and franchise tagging Saquon Barkley.

Significant holes remain for Big Blue, especially in the interior of the offensive line and in the secondary. Schoen has a prime opportunity to fill the holes in the 2023 NFL Draft. Here is the latest seven-round NY Giants mock draft:

NY Giants Round 1 Pick: Zay Flowers, WR Boston College

Entering the offseason, the biggest need on the Giants roster was wide receiver. The front office addressed that need to some degree already. The Giants re-signed Darius Slayton, re-signed Sterling Shepard, signed speedster Parris Campbell Jr., veteran Jeff Smith, and former Duke Blue Devil Jamison Crowder to join a wide receiver room that already has Isaiah Hodgins, Collin Johnson, and Wan’Dale Robinson as well. That is a pretty strong room, but it lacks an alpha.

Enter Zay Flowers. Flowers draft stock has been soaring over the last month, so he may not be available when the Giants come on the clock. In this scenario, he's available, as is USC's Jordan Addison, but the Giants elect to go with Flowers for a variety of reasons.

For starters, Schoen loves versatility. In the last three seasons, Flowers has played 1,285 snaps, 816 outside, and 466 in the slot. At 5-8, 182 pounds, Flowers might seem a little small to play on the outside, but his blazing speed and big catch radius will allow him to be successful in the slot or outside.

Despite playing on the worst team in the ACC in 2022, Flowers caught 78 balls for 1,077 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2022. He would be the WR1 Danny Dimes has not had in his four seasons in blue.

NY Giants Round 2 Pick: Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia

Cornerback may be the most pressing need for the Giants. Adoree' Jackson is the Giants CB1, but the group outside of him is rather unappealing, and that is putting it nicely. That group is currently comprised of Cor'Dale Flott, Leonard Johnson, Darnay Holmes, Aaron Robinson, Amani Oruwariye, Zyon Gilbert, Rodarius Williams, and Nick McCloud.

Enter Kelee Ringo. At one point Ringo was a consensus first-round pick, but he has seen his stock fall a bit due to some inconsistent play. Ringo has star potential, due to his gaudy athleticism. Ringo, who stands at 6-2, 207 pounds, ran a blazing 4.36 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.

Ringo has a rare combination of elite size and great speed, which makes him an ideal fit for Wink Martindale’s man coverage. Ringo also had a ton of experience playing in man coverage while at Georgia. In the last two seasons, Ringo posted four interceptions. He showed up in the biggest moment for Georgia during the title win over 'Bama, as Bryce Young threw a pick-six to Ringo, which clinched the National Championship for the Bulldogs.

Ringo is ranked 40th overall on ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.’s big board, so getting him at No. 57 would be a tremendous value. Being a secondary leader who won back-to-back National Championships is nothing to sneeze at.

NY Giants Round 3 Pick: Olusegun Oluwatimi, C, Michigan

You better believe the Giants will address the interior of the offensive line in the upcoming draft. Schoen and company could take advantage of a deep interior offensive line class and wait until round three to address the big need.

Olusegun Oluwatimi is much better than the typical third-round pick. After three seasons at Virginia, the center transferred to Michigan, where he developed into a scary monster. In 2022, Oluwatimi won the Outland Trophy, awarded to the best interior lineman in college football, the Remington Trophy, awarded to the best center, was named First Team Big Ten, and was a consensus All-American.

It’s impossible to have a better season than that. The center gave up just three sacks in his final three college football seasons, and none came in 2022. At 6-2, 309 pounds, Oluwatimi is a true stud.

PFF gave Oluwatimi an 83.0 run-blocking grade and a 76.7 pass-blocking grade in 2022, which are very good. The center is also very intelligent, having graduated with an Economics degree from Virginia. He would immediately become the best center on the Giants roster.

NY Giants Round 4 Pick: Chase Brown, RB, Illinois

Saquon Barkley is playing the 2023 season under the franchise tag, which makes his future with the Giants somewhat uncertain. His backup Matt Breida is back on a one-year contract, but has some durability concerns.

No matter what the Giants decide to do regarding Barkley and a long-term extension, they need to get a younger running back in the fold. Chase Brown is a perfect fit. Brown was the featured player in the Illinois offense the last two seasons, rushing for over 1,000 yards in 2021 and 2022. In 2022, Brown received an absurd 328 carries and rushed for 1,643 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also had 240 receiving yards.

In 10 of Illinois's 12 games played in 2022, Brown rushed for 108 yards or more. He is a true workhorse running back. Brown ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at the Combine, showing that he poses the speed element to go along with his significant power.

The NFL gave Brown a prospect grade of 6.12, indicating he’d be a good NFL backup running back immediately with the potential to develop into an NFL starter. That is exactly what the Giants are looking for.

NY Giants Round 5 Pick: Stetson Bennett, QB, Georgia

This may seem a little early to pick a quarterback, but make no mistake about it, the Giants are drafting a quarterback later this month. Daniel Jones’ new contract will have large cap hits, and the Giants will want his backup to be on a cheap contract - keep in mind Tyrod Taylor will be a free agent after next season.

Bennett is an ideal backup for the future. Bennett is deceptively athletic and showed that off at the Combine, running a 4.67 40-yard dash. The former Georgia quarterback knows how to get it down when it matters most, evident by his two National Championship rings.

In matchups against the top quarterback in the 2023 draft, Bennett beat Anthony Richardson, CJ Stroud, Hendon Hooker, Will Levis, and Bryce Young, the consensus top five quarterbacks in the draft. Simply put, he is a winning ball player who knows how to overcome adversity.

NY Giants Round 5 Pick: Jarrett Paterson, G, Notre Dame

With the second of the Giants two fifth-round picks, let's get some more interior linemen. Patterson is a versatile interior lineman, having played both center and guard during his time at Notre Dame.

While at Notre Dame, Patterson was a team captain. NFL Draft Analyst Lance Zuerlein noted that some of Patterson’s strengths include “No wasted motion in ripping hands into the block, connects to block and is hard to disengage from, and sifts through the second level, keying on blitzes.”

He would be a solid addition to the interior lineman room and could compete with youngsters Josh Ezeudu and Marcus McKethan for playing time.

NY Giants Round 6 Pick: Mikel Jones, LB, Syracuse

The Giants will travel up to western New York to make this pick, and add some much-needed depth to their linebacking room. Jones is a perfect fit for Wink Martindale’s blitz-heavy defense. PFF gave the Syracuse linebacker an 88.1 pass-rush grade in 2022, one of the highest in the country for a linebacker.

Jones is also extremely versatile, having played snaps on the defensive line, deep, in the box, at corner, and in the slot during his college career. Bobby Okereke will be one of the Giants starting inside linebackers, and Jarrad Davis, as of now, will be the other. Jones and second-year player Darrian Beavers could push Davis to see time early in the season.

Linebacker was a major issue for the G-Men last season, but Schoen has clearly looked to address things over the past month or so. He'll look to bring in more talent during the NFL Draft, with Jones being a guy who could be a late-round steal for him.

NY Giants Round 7 Pick: DeMarcoo Hellams, S, Alabama

The Giants have three seventh-round picks and five picks in the final three rounds. I would be shocked if they made all those picks. Last year the Giants made 11 selections, mostly because they had little cap space and were re-tooling the roster. Now in win-now mode, the Giants are looking for veterans.

Regardless, Hellams would be an ideal seventh-round pick. The Giants need to add some safety depth after the departure of Julian Love to Seattle. In four seasons at Alabama, Hellams has been tested by SEC offenses. He picked off four passes, and made 261 tackles. The safety is 6-1 and weighs 208 pounds, the ideal size and weight for a modern NFL safety.

NY Giants Round 7 Pick: DJ Dale, DL, Alabama

Let's stay at Alabama and add some depth to the defensive line. Dale is a 6-1, 302-pound bulldozer of a man and he had a great 2022 season. Dale had three sacks and 10 hurries across 12 games.

PFF gave Dale a very good 80.5 grade. Dale, a former four-star recruit, would give the Giants some more depth at defensive line. Schoen has preached about how important defensive line depth is as he felt the Giants line wore down late last season. Dale wouldn’t be asked to play much, but he has all the tools and traits to be a contributor when called upon.

NY Giants Round 7 Pick: Adam Korsak, P, Rutgers

The Scottish Hammer is back for 2023, but why not give him some competition? The Giants sent a large contingent to the Penn State-Rutgers game in November and Rutgers' Pro day. It could have been to see an intriguing younger punter. Adam Korsak won the Ray Guy Award in 2022, which honors the top punter in college football.

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