4 NY Giants who have raised their stock the most with 1 preseason game left

The optimism and excitement surrounding the New York Giants is palpable. Joe Schoen went out this offseason and added some major pieces, including tight end Darren Waller, linebacker Bobby Okereke, wide receiver Parris Campbell Jr. and more.

Schoen's 2023 draft class has produced more this summer than the general manager could have ever dreamed. Cornerbacks Deonte Banks (first round) and Tre Hawkins (sixth round) are both in line to start, and John Michael Schmitz (second) will start at center. Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt has created fireworks and should get the ball early and often.

In Big Blue's preseason win against Carolina Friday night, the offensive starters played one series, marching right down the field and scoring on Carolina's defense, which played primarily starters, furthering the excitement. While the starters garner the excitement, the summer is about the young players fighting for starting and roster spots. Here are four Giants who have raised their stock the most with one preseason game left:

4. NY Giants QB Tommy DeVito

The Giants signed Tommy DeVito as an undrafted free agent out of Illinois in May, and he has been one of the pleasant surprises of the summer. The New Jersey native has thrown for 243 yards and one touchdown this preseason.

DeVito's early success in the summer is likely because he's a seasoned quarterback. The quarterback played five college seasons, four at Syracuse and one at Illinois, completing 594 of his 941 pass attempts for 6,516 yards and 43 touchdowns. He also threw just 16 college interceptions. We have also seen DeVito's athleticism and ability to carry the ball this summer. In college, DeVito had 10 touchdowns on the ground.

The Giants preseason opener against Detroit was our first chance to see DeVito in an NFL game, and he delivered. He showed poise, confidence, and smarts. He threw this dime of a touchdown to Tommy Sweeney:

With his play for Coach Dabes, DeVito has solidified a practice squad spot if another team does not claim him. We've been quite impressed with the youngster.

3. NY Giants DT Jordon Riley

With the 243rd pick in the 2023 draft, New York selected Jordon Riley, a defensive lineman from Oregon. Most Giants fans had not heard of Riley before camp started, but they have undoubtedly heard about him this summer.

The 6-5, 325-pound man has added tremendous depth to a defensive line room that already features Pro Bowlers Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams and veterans Rakeem Nunez-Roches and A'Shawn Robinson.

Schoen's goal this offseason was to add depth to their interior defensive line after watching the D-line wear down last fall. He joined the Giants broadcast booth on Friday and spoke glowingly about Riley. "Riley, for a seventh-round pick, has made some impactful plays this evening. We are excited about him." Giants announcer Bob Papa also noted that Daboll raved about Riley's size and athleticism in the pregame production meeting.

Riley was a monster on Friday night. The Oregon product made multiple big-time plays, but none was more significant than a 4th-down tackle for loss that put New York's offense on the field. The Giants offense went down the field and scored a touchdown to take a 21-3 lead. There is nothing coaches love more than turnovers leading to points.

One thing to remember about Riley, he is not your prototypical rookie. Riley is a seasoned football player who played six seasons in college at four different colleges. He is 25 years old, the same age as Lawrence, the All-Pro defensive tackle.

Defensive tackle DJ Davidson, the Giants 2022 fifth-round pick, was on the PUP list when the summer started, recovering from an ACL tear. Riley got extra reps because of it and has leapfrogged Davidson on the depth chart, which puts the big man in an excellent spot to make the 53-man roster.

2. NY Giants DB Jason Pinnock

The Giants let 2022 starting safety and team captain Julian Love walk this offseason, creating an opening in the starting secondary. Big Blue signed veteran Bobby McCain this offseason, and he got the first crack at replacing Love. However, he has been thoroughly outplayed this summer by Jason Pinnock.

Pinnock began to gain steam within the Giants organization and nationally after making the ridiculous interception early in Giants training camp. Seriously, how in the heck was he able to come down with this ball?

One preseason game remains, but Pinnock has locked up the starting safety job. The young safety had a dominant week in Detroit, thriving in joint practices, and then he had a dominant preseason opener. The Pittsburgh alum was the best player on the field during the opener. Pinnock played five snaps, recording a pick on the first play of the game, a tackle for loss on the Giants second defensive play, and a fourth-down pass breakup against rookie tight end Sam LePorta.

Giants second-year safety Dane Belton has had a phenomenal summer, with an interception in the Detroit game and a crazy forced fumble\fumble recovery during joint practices. Quite frankly, Belton could not have performed better this summer. Yet, Pinnock has been even better.

1. NY Giants CB Tre Hawkins

No player has had their stock improved more this summer than Hawkins. After being drafted in the sixth round by Big Blue this spring (a pick that was acquired in the Kadarius Toney trade), Hawkins has flown up the depth chart.

In the modern NFL, sixth-round picks are no guarantees to make the 53-man roster. Hawkins, who was drafted due to his uber athleticism, started the summer playing with the third-team defense, but has shot his way up to a starting job alongside Banks on the outside.

When the summer started, Adoree' Jackson and Banks were the two projected outside corners, with Cor'Dale Flott and Darnay Holmes expected to battle for the slot job. Hawkins has been impressive enough this summer to give Giants defensive coaches the confidence to play two rookies, him and Banks, as the two outside corners while moving Jackson, the team's best corner, to the slot.

Hawkins has allowed just 30 yards through 61 snaps this preseason while racking up five tackles. PFF has Hawkins as Big Blue's highest-graded cornerback this preseason, ahead of Flott, Holmes, Jackson, and Banks.

Hawkins did not allow a reception during Friday's win over the Panthers. Giants DB coach Jerome Henderson said that he should have gone earlier in the draft, and it's hard to argue with that after watching him in coverage Friday.

Hawkins has shot up from an athletic sixth-round pick with intriguing traits to an opening-day starter in four months—a meteoric rise. He's going to be a player to keep a close eye on in 2023, no doubt about that.

READ MORE: 4 NY Giants who impressed in the preseason win over Carolina