Following the 2023 NFL draft, the New York Giants and general manager Joe Schoen were heaped with praise and high grades.
And why wouldn’t they be? Schoen called the names of three players who had been mocked to them in Round 1 and were considered among Mel Kiper Jr.’s top 50 prospects — and each of them addressed an area of need.
Even later on in the draft, Schoen found prospects with remarkable athletic scores, adding speed and versatility to both sides of the ball.
But there was one holdout when it came to the Giants: USA TODAY’s Nate Davis.
Davis gave the Giants their lowest draft score (C-) and took aim at third-round pick Jalin Hyatt, calling him “smurf-ish.”
26. New York Giants (C-)
Athletic first-round CB Deonte Banks and C John Michael Schmitz are upgrades at their respective positions. But as nice a player as Jalin Hyatt (Round 3) is, puzzling that GM Joe Schoen opted for another Smurf-ish receiver rather than finding QB Daniel Jones a rebounder.
But the shade didn’t end there. Davis continued his Giants’ criticism on Tuesday with the release of his post-draft power rankings, where Big Blue saw a four-spot drop.
18. Giants (14): They basically kept the band intact — right, Saquon? — TE Darren Waller perhaps tantamount to an additional guitarist. But can HC Brian Daboll’s follow-up album really match the unexpected debut?
In reality, the Giants improved their roster substantially. They got faster, more athletic and more versatile at the skill positions, bigger on the defensive interior, and added quality depth at a number of positions.
If anyone can actually look at the Giants’ projected 2023 roster in comparison to their 2022 roster and not see improvement across the board, they’re simply being dishonest.
