The New York Giants appear to have nailed the 2023 NFL draft. CBS Sports draft analyst Chris Trapasso lists the Giants’ class as the eighth-most impactful of the 2023 draft.
Trapasso lists the Giants’ most impactful rookies as the first four players they selected in the draft: cornerback Deonte Banks, center John Michael Schmitz, wide receiver Jalin Hyatt and running back Eric Gray.
Giants general manager Joe Schoen went into the draft with some specific needs and just happened to find a cornerback and center with his first two picks.
It was going to be receiver or cornerback for Giants in the first round, and after an unprecedented run on the wideout position, the G-Men snagged an ideal on-an-island defensive back for Wink Martindale’s super-aggressive scheme in Banks.
Schmitz is extremely high floor because of his experience, smooth movements in the run game and anchoring plus recovery skill in pass protection.
The Giants were also in the market for a deep threat at receiver and depth in the backfield with Saquon Barkley’s status up in the air.
Hyatt isn’t a perfect receiver prospect. He is stupidly fast on the field and will be relied upon early to provide the Giants another vertical threat. I love his pairing with established downfield stud Darius Slayton. Gray was a sneaky-good grab later. He provides a delightful blend of power through contact and twitch to elude defenders. The former Oklahoma star is ready to be an asset in the pass game right away too.
The top-rated draft classes per Trapasso were Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Seattle.
