What are the New York Giants and general manager Joe Schoen going to do in Round 1 of the 2023 NFL draft? Long-time Giants beat writer Ralph Vacchiano believes he has an idea.
In the latest mock draft from FOX Sports, Vacchiano has the Giants selecting Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes at No. 25 overall.
However, as Vacchiano notes, that selection is based solely off of how the board played out in front of them. Four potential wide receiver targets and three other cornerbacks were all taken, leaving Schoen and the Giants little to pick from. Accordingly, they settle for Forbes.
This feels like a nightmare scenario for the Giants. The top four receivers and top three corners are gone in a year when they’re desperate for help in both spots. All is not lost, though. The next tier of corners is better than the next tier of receivers, and Forbes is a ball hawk who had 14 interceptions and a Division I-record three pick-sixes in his three-year career. Though very slender at 166 pounds, Forbes’ 4.35 speed and nose for the ball make him dangerous.
Although Vacchiano tries to sugarcoat the pick a bit, this would be a nightmare scenario for the Giants and a likely opportunity to explore a trade down.
Forbes may have been a ballhawk in college but his 166-pound frame isn’t going to cut it against the NFC East’s tall, physical wide receivers. Nor will it cut it against the ground-and-pound nature of the division.
In order to make this pick work, Forbes would have to bulk up considerably in order to maximize his physical style of play.
