A Very Early, Three-Round New York Giants Mock Draft

Welcome to Mock Draft Season!

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Feb 22, 2023 3:16 PM EST

In this story:

For many, Mock Draft Season is the most wonderful time of the year as NFL enthusiasts and media try to anticipate what their teams might do to add to their rosters.

So ahead of next week’s NFL combine, I’ve put together a three-round, Giants-only mock draft using Pro Football Focus’s mock draft simulator. I tried to combine need and value.

Here’s what I came up with--mock away!

Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt (11) pulls in a first down catch Vanderbilt defensive back Ja'Dais Richard (34) during the first quarter at FirstBank Stadium Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn.
George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

R1, No. 25: WR Jalin Hyatt, 6-1, 180 lbs., Tennessee

Hyatt has decent listed size and, more importantly, speed, which the Giants desperately need, especially if they move on from UFA-to-be Darius Slayton. The speed alone could force opposing defenses to devote umbrella coverage against him down the field, freeing up opportunities.

RELATED: Jalin Hyatt Scouting Profile by Nick Falato

However, there are questions about how much his production was related to the scheme, his play strength, and his route tree—he primarily lined up in the slot for the Vols--not to mention his contested catch ability. Notes NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah of Hyatt:

He is at his best when he can stay on the move without having to gear down and work back to the quarterback. He has easy speed, destroying cushions immediately, and he can find another gear with the ball in the air. He tracks the ball naturally over his shoulder and can make plays above the rim. After the catch, he is not very shifty or elusive, but he can simply run away from tacklers. … Overall, Hyatt is a home run hitter with reliable hands.

While on the topic of concerns, another with the Biletnikoff Award winner is his slender frame, but there’s no denying that he can leave a trail of fire behind him when he takes off down the field, and to that, Hyatt told FanSided that he is aiming to run a 4.29-second 40-yard dash.

Feb 2, 2023; Mobile, AL, USA; American offensive lineman O'Cyrus Torrence of Florida (56) practices with American offensive lineman John Michael Schmitz of Minnesota (74) during the third day of Senior Bowl week at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile.
Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

R2, No. 57: C John Michael Schmitz, 6-3, 315 lbs., Minnesota

It’s time for this franchise to look at drafting a legitimate center who played actually played the position in college and who could potentially hit the ground running at the spot if pressed into starting action right out of the chute.

RELATED: John Michael Schmitz Scouting Profile by Nick FalatoSchmitz, who has a wrestling background, is a bulldog at heart regarding pass protection. Per Pro Football Focus, he allowed just eight pressures and two sacks in 2022.

An equally solid run blocker, Schmitz had a strong week at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, where he helped improve his draft stock, and he could end up being one of the first interior offensive linemen to hear his name called on draft weekend.

Schmitz is regarded as one of if not the best center prospects in the draft—he’s currently atop of NFL Draft Bible’s list, which also notes that Schmitz has “good technique and intelligence to go along with his experience” at the position. If he is sitting here at No. 57 when the Giants are on the clock, the Giants should run to the podium with the pick.

R3, No. 89: DI Kobie Turner, 6-3, 290 lbs., Wake Forest

I’ve been saying this since the off-season began and will say it again: The Giants need defensive line help, regardless of what happens with the contracts for holdovers Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams. Those two players have played a lot of snaps of late due to injuries on the line, and we saw that catch up to Lawrence, who had to have his practice reps managed late last season.

If this team wants to optimize its defensive front, Lawrence and Williams need to have their workloads reduced. The only way to accomplish this is by adding to a rotation that should have D.J. Davidson (once cleared from his season-ending ACL) injury) and Ryder Anderson.

RELATED: "The Conductor:" The Many Talents of Wake Forest DT Kobie Turner

Turner, who transferred to Wake Forest after spending the first four seasons of his college career at Richmond, is a bit on the light side, but he’s been very productive in college, recording 103 pressures (14 sacks) in 985 pass rush snaps and 85 STOPS.

Turner, ranked as the second-best interior defensive lineman among the 2023 draft-eligible prospects by Pro Football Focus, is also versatile, having played everywhere on Wake Forest’s defensive line except for the nose guard. He also has experience on all the special teams, further boosting his potential value at this spot.

NFL Draft Bible adds this regarding Turner, nicknamed "The Conductor" for his musical background:

Turner’s motor runs hot. He makes plays downfield in pursuit and has a history of punching the ball out. As an athlete, Turner displays good agility for an interior player. His core strength, balance, and lower-body control are impressive. The redshirt senior fires off the line quickly and with good leverage. He compresses and uncoils his body at the snap with ideal extension out of his stance. This sometimes leads to Turner flashing an explosive first step. He is able to get skinny and shoot gaps as a penetration player.

Oregon's Noah Sewell lets out a yell as the Ducks hang on to defeat Utah during the final home game this season at Autzen Stadium.
Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

R3, No. 100 (via Chiefs): LB Noah Sewell, 6-3, 250 lbs., Oregon

Although the Giants anticipate having a healthy Darrian Beavers back in 2023, they still need depth at the inside linebacker position that last year saw at least four different starters have their numbers called--and not because of injury.

Enter Noah Sewell, the younger brother of Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell and NFL Draft Bible's second-ranked inside linebacker prospect. The younger Sewell wasted no time making his presence felt on the Ducks' defense, leading the team in tackles as a freshman.

By the time he finished his college career, he had posted 218 tackles, 20.5 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, nine pass breakups, two interceptions, and three forced fumbles.

Sewell is more of a downhill player whose pass-rush game is still a work in progress but who has proven to be a decent enough blitzer. NFL Draft Bible notes that Sewell "excels against the run and can add value as a pass rusher early in the NFL," but that the 21-year-old must still "refine his work in coverage, develop his instincts, and clean up his tackling" as he doesn't always wrap up his man and he often comes in too high.

That said, Sewell does have good functional speed, which the Giants have lacked on defense at the position. His run-stopping ability could help rectify a significant problem on the Giants last season--the run defense--in which the linebackers seemed to have issues filling holes.