New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen will waste no time hitting the road this year. With the college football season now underway, he’ll pay a visit to Ohio Stadium in Columbus this weekend.
Schoen revealed that his first scouting stop will take place this Saturday night when he attends a game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
The game between No. 2 OSU and No. 5 Notre Dame is already being billed as, potentially, one of the best games of the entire year.
In fact, The Athletic named it the No. 1 game “scouts can’t wait to see this weekend.”
This is the most-anticipated game of the weekend, for both fans and evaluators. Ohio State third-year sophomore QB C.J Stroud (6-3, 220) showed gradual maturation last season, and his development in 2022 should provide important context for his ceiling projection. His ability to layer throws and stay on time as a passer is very impressive for his age, but I’m looking to see more mobility from him this season, especially if he has to run away from Notre Dame fourth-year edge Isaiah Foskey (6-5, 260). Attempting to keep Foskey at bay will be third-year junior LT Paris Johnson Jr. (6-6, 315), who is making the move from guard to his more natural left tackle spot. It looks like a lean year for tackle prospects, but Johnson has the talent to emerge as an early first-rounder.
Notre Dame must replace starters at quarterback, running back and wide receiver from last season. But the Irish return experience on the offensive line, and third-year junior TE Michael Mayer (6-5, 251) is arguably the best player in the country at his position. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, will be better on defense in 2022 — if only because they can’t be any worse. NFL scouts are very high on fifth-year senior CB Cameron Brown (6-0, 194) and S Josh Proctor (6-2, 194), as long as both stay healthy.
The Giants don’t really have a glaring need for offensive tackles or edge rushers, but you better believe they’ll be keeping an eye on quarterbacks, tight ends and cornerbacks.
