The New York Giants added Oregon defensive tackle Jordon Riley in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft. He is a player that few had on their radar and even fewer had a pre-draft grade on.
That stuff doesn’t matter to Giants general manager Joe Schoen, who plucked Riley because he is fit for defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s scheme.
“Big body guy. It’s hard to find these guys,” said Schoen. “When you get into the 7th round, you are looking for guys that maybe it will be hard to get at different areas. And another guy we spent time with, big run stopper in there, 6-foot-5, 330.
“You walk out to practice and there’s this 6-5, 330-pound guy, who piques your interest right there. Again, some of these guys in different schemes may not have the production, the tackles, the sacks. But for what Wink looks for in terms of size, length, knockback — he possesses those traits.”
Martindale likes to run a fluid rotation up front and has enough depth now to run it after Schoen went out and got him some more pieces. Riley is just the latest of those.
Schoen signed Rakeem Nunez-Roches, aka ‘Nacho’, and A’Shawn Robinson in free agency as depth for starters Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams along the line. The addition of Riley along with last year’s draftee, D.J. Davidson, will make the unit even more flexible.
And while many draft analysts weren’t aware of Riley, you can bet the Giants were after scouting (and subsequently drafting) his Oregon teammate, Kayvon Thibodeaux, in 2022.
