The New York Giants opened the 2023 preseason on Friday night at Ford Field and fell to the Detroit Lions by a score of 21-16.
The game was a tale of two halves as the defense played above board over the first two quarters before deep reserves faltered late. There was more consistency on offense but that wasn’t necessarily a good thing as the O-Line struggled from the kickoff to the final whistle. The lacking depth there is a genuine concern.
But not all was bad. In fact, there was quite a bit of good, especially as it relates to the team’s 2023 NFL draft class.
Whose stock is up and whose is down after the preseason-opening loss? Let’s take a look.
Stock up: Jason Pinnock
It’s Jason Pinnock kind of day on Giants Wire and across most Giants platforms, and deservedly so. The safety played just five snaps on Friday night before being pulled due to a stellar performance. How often do you hear that? Two passes defensed (one on fourth down), a tackle for a loss and an interception.
Stock down: Korey Cunningham, Wyatt Davis
It was a brutal showing for the Giants’ offensive line outside of rookie center John Michael Schmitz. Korey Cunningham and Wyatt Davis were at the center of the struggles, routinely giving up pressures, QB hits and sacks. They also struggled to run block effectively. The one saving grace for Davis is that he saw time at tackle, which was out of position for him.
Stock up: John Michael Schmitz
John Michael Schmitz pieced together a solid performance in his NFL debut and particularly excelled in pass protection. He was a little more spotty as a run blocker but played about as well as the Giants could have hoped. Of the team’s 2023 draft class, he had the best night and took another step toward securing a starting job.
Stock down: Rodarius Williams
Now on the bubble, it was an underwhelming night for Rodarius Williams. After finding his way back from various injuries over the past two seasons, Williams was inconsistent with his tackling and didn’t inspire much confidence as a whole. It was a step back after two solid joint practices with the Lions and it puts his future in an even more precarious position.
Stock up: Jordon Riley
Jordon Riley was an under-the-radar star on Friday night. You’ll see just one tackle in the box score — a run stuff inside the 10-yard line — but his presence was felt elsewhere. The big-bodied seventh-round pick was eating up numbers along the offensive line and although no flags were thrown, he was drawing should-be holding penalties. It was a quiet performance that was actually quite loud.
Stock down: Oshane Ximines
Tomon Fox raised his stock while Oshane Ximines hurt his. He was unable to set the edge multiple times against the Lions and just generally seems like a liability against the run. His stock was further damaged by Fox producing more as a pass rusher (two QB hits to one) despite playing fewer snaps.
