Five NFL Combine Prospects to Watch for Giants
The NFL Combine is quickly approaching, and while there isn’t always value in watching players, not in pads, run the forty-yard dash, and bench press, the workouts always hold weight in terms of players gaining buzz. This is a great opportunity for New York Giants fans to get familiar with some athletes that will hear their names called this April in the NFL Draft.
Jalin Hyatt
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Tennessee WR Jalin Hyatt
Listed at 6-0 and 185 pounds, the 2022 Biletnikoff Award winner Jalin Hyatt lit the college football world on fire in 2022 as the leading receiver for an up-tempo Tennessee Volunteers offense. The hype has been building for Hyatt since his six-catch, 207-yard, five-touchdown performance against the Alabama Crimson Tide, and he’s sure to turn heads in Indianapolis at the Combine.
Hyatt’s frame is certainly a concern, and NFL teams will get to judge that for themselves when they see him in person. If Hyatt can continue that 4.31 forty-yard dash time, or somehow even improve upon it, Hyatt could push himself from a fringe first-round pick into the Top 20 conversation.
Kelee Ringo
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Georgia CB Kelee Ringo
Many fans know Kelee Ringo as the Georgia Bulldogs cornerback that got beat by Jameson Williams in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship and Marvin Harrison Jr. in the 2023 College Football Playoff Semifinal. More realistically, Ringo is an elite athlete that in 2021, registered at 22.3 mph during practice.
Ringo is 6’2 and 215 pounds and made Bruce Feldman’s College Football Freak List at No. 6. Feldman said of Ringo, “a World Class junior sprinter from Arizona who ran a 10.43 100- and 21.18 200-meter time.”
Coming out of high school, Ringo was the fourth-ranked player in the nation and the top cornerback in the 2020 recruiting class. On the field, Ringo has put the tape together worthy of being a top 40 pick. Pair that with his athleticism, and Ringo could be on the rise.
Luke Musgrave
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Oregon State TE Luke Musgrave
At the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl, few offensive players turned more heads than Oregon State tight end Luke Musgrave. Musgrave was the only tight end to clock in over 20 miles per hour, hitting a top speed of 20.05 mph during the second day of practice.
On the field, Musgrave’s final season with Oregon State was cut short to 114 offensive snaps thanks to his suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 2. In those two games, Musgrave was targeted 15 times with 11 receptions, 169 yards, and a touchdown.
While the Giants might not prioritize drafting a tight end on day two of the 2023 NFL Draft, Musgrave would be a complementary tight end opposite Daniel Bellinger.
Devon Achane
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Texas A&M RB Devon Achane
Size-wise, Texas A&M running back Devon Achane isn’t the most impressive physical specimen. Listed at 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, he ranks tenth on the Texas A&M 100-meter time list at 10.14. Few players in college football have been as explosive in their college careers as Achane.
On the ground, Achane had a breakaway percentage of 42.8 percent, meaning that almost half of his rushing yards have come on runs of 15 or more yards. As a receiver, Achane wasn’t a focal point of the offense but had more yards after the catch than receiving yards, with 245 yards after the catch and just 196 yards.
Myles Murphy (98)
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Clemson DL Myles Murphy
The only trench player on this list, Clemson defensive lineman Myles Murphy is another player in the top ten of Bruce Feldman’s College Football, coming in at number three.
Murphy’s complete athletic profile is nothing short of impressive: 405-pound bench press, 335-pound power clean, 505-pound deadlift, 35-inch vertical, 10-foot broad jump, and 40-yard dash in the 4.5s.
Most players on this list could impress with speed and explosiveness, but perhaps no player at the NFL Scouting Combine will have a well-rounded dominant performance like Murphy should.
Consistency is something that Murphy needs to work on, but with Leonard Williams getting up there in age--barring a contract extension, he'd be a free agent after the 2023 season--the Giants will need to add more depth on the defensive line.
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