The 2023 campaign wrapped up for the NY Giants last weekend and now the full focus is on the offseason. After going 6-11, general manager Joe Schoen knows there's a ton of pressure on him to get things right in free agency and the NFL Draft.
Come late April, the G-Men will be on the clock with the No. 6 overall pick. There are plenty of different directions this team can go in, but it's also clear there are plenty of great options for Schoen and Co. In this piece, we take a look at four players NY should focus on if they decide to stay at No. 6 and not move up to land a Daniel Jones replacement at quarterback:
4. OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu
Drafting an offensive lineman with a pick this high will never be the type of pick that sells jerseys, but a strong offensive line is a necessity. Especially when you consider the Giants had the 30th ranked OL unit in all of football, bolstering the men up front could be the move.
Olumuyiwa Fashanu, a tackle out of Penn State, is a name to pay serious attention to who could play opposite of Andrew Thomas and replace Evan Neal. At 6-6, 319 pounds, Fashanu is light on his feet and can run a 5.1 40-yard dash. Now, a lineman won't usually be expected to run that far, ever, but it speaks to his athleticism.
He is regarded as a better pass-blocker than run blocker, but for a team that led the league in sacks allowed, protecting the quarterback would be a welcome sight. Fashanu has success with reach blocks and even getting to the second level, so despite it being the weaker part of his game, his run-blocking has a high ceiling. There really isn’t too much downside to making Fashanu a New York Giant besides him not being a "splashy" pick.
3. OT Joe Alt
If the Giants opt to go for an offensive lineman, it should be Joe Alt out of Notre Dame. The only problem is he may not be there at No. 6 with how widely regarded he is and the Cardinals and Chargers picking ahead of Big Blue. If this is Schoen's vision and he's available, he should be the pick. Simply put, there aren’t really any weaknesses in his game. Alt is equally as good of a pass-blocker as he is a run-blocker, and those are A+ grades no matter where you look.
Like Fashanu, Alt has great size (6-8, 315) and is quick on his feet. In the past two years, Alt has allowed only one sack and eight total pressures. Those are video-game numbers for an offensive lineman. Teams need to protect their quarterback and Alt makes sure they are protected. He also has a great ability to open up running lanes.
If Saquon Barkley can get near 1,000 yards rushing with one of the worst units in football blocking for him, imagine what he can do with more competent linemen (if he stays, that's another story). Again, linemen won't sell the tickets, but there are two good ones at the top of the draft for the Giants to keep an eye on.
2. WR Malik Nabers
Since Odell Beckham Jr. was traded to Cleveland, the Giants haven't had a true outside threat at receiver. We hoped to get that with Kenny Galloday, but we all know how that turned out. Jaylin Hyatt showed flashes with his limited snaps this year, but he seems to be more of a Mike Wallace-type who just burns downfield. The Giants need a true No. 1 receiver and the phenom out of LSU could be the answer.
At 6-1, 188 pounds, Malik Nabers has the size needed to be a team's No. 1 guy and he also has the skill. In his final college season with the Tigers, he had 89 catches for more than 1,500 yards. Those are impressive numbers in any conference, even more so when you consider some of the SEC defenses he had to go up against.
When you look at Nabers' game as a whole, there are pretty few, if any, weaknesses. There's a big reason he's considered the No. 2 receiver to go behind Marvin Harrison Jr. and you can see it when you watch him play. If Nabers is still available when the Giants need to send a pick in, it could be too tough for Schoen to pass up on him.
1. WR Rome Odunze
If the Giants aren't going to make a move for a new QB, Rome Odunze needs to be the pick at No. 6. He will give the Giants that true No. 1 receiver/downfield threat they have been missing. Odunze can do it all. He had two straight seasons with over 1,100 receiving yards and saved his best season for last as he accumulated 92 receptions, over 1,600 yards and 13 touchdowns in his final campaign.
Not only does Odunze show it on the field, but he's also got the prototypical size you want your outside receiver to be at 6-3, 200 pounds. A big reason for Michael Penix Jr.'s success in 2023 was because he got to throw to Odunze. This is a receiver who makes a QB's life easier and the college football world got to see that for the past two years.
If the biggest complaint is that he just needs to gain a little more muscle, Giants fans should be banging down Schoen's door to draft this guy. In a dream world, the Giants take Odunze at No. 6 and trade back late into the first round to take Penix (or he could be available in the second round). Schoen made a splash last year in landing Deonte Banks at No. 24 overall. We hope another brilliant decision is made in his second draft too.