Pro Football Focus often takes a unique approach to their mock drafts in an attempt to break up the monotony. An example of that was their market-implied mock earlier this week.
On Tuesday, they shifted gears again and released their analytics mock draft. An explanation of what that is can be found below.
Each pick in this mock draft was made by factoring in a player’s statistics and grading from college, along with the value of the player’s natural position. While taking one of the best running back prospects we’ve seen in quite some time in the top 10 may seem fun, it isn’t the best allocation of resources given the depth at the position in this year’s draft.
When looking at team needs, we made sure to consider the long-term outlook of how the player fits in a roster, not just their impact in 2023. Expiring contracts, age in the position group and overall skill level in the group were all part of the process when mocking each player to their respective teams.
As a result of this approach, this mock draft played out differently than many others — especially outside of the top 10.
When pick No. 25 overall came around, all of the top cornerbacks and several of the top wide receivers were already gone. That left the New York Giants with Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee.
The Giants could really use a cornerback here to play in Wink Martindale’s blitz-heavy scheme, but because of the run on cornerbacks earlier in the draft, it doesn’t make sense for the G-Men to reach on a prospect. Instead, they take Bresee, who has fallen a bit down draft boards but would be a good pickup for general manager Joe Schoen and company. They have their starters filled out for this season, but Leonard Williams is a free agent after this season, and there’s no succession plan currently in place.
USC wide receiver Jordan Addison was one of the few still on the board when this pick was made but PFF opted to pass in favor of the interior defensive lineman.
Bresee is an intriguing prospect and would fill an area of need in 2024. It would also beef up an area that general manager Joe Schoen admitted he was concerned with and one he may not yet be satisfied with after adding several pieces in free agency.
It’s not exactly the splash pick Giants fans would be looking for but it isn’t a bad one, either.
