Giants Country

Mel Kiper Mocks This Receiver to the Giants

Can a team ever have enough receivers? According to ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr's latest mock draft, if you're the Giants, then no.

Quinn Slaven

Mel Kiper Mocks This Receiver to the Giants
Mel Kiper Mocks This Receiver to the Giants /
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The New York Giants re-signed Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard, and Isaiah Hodgins and added Jeff Smith, Jamison Crowder, and Parris Campbell to their receiver room.

Full house? Not so in the opinion of ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr, who, in his latest mock draft, has the Giants adding another receiver.

That would be USC's Jordan Addison, who also played some of his college career at Pitt. Addison was a scoring machine in college, collecting 29 receiving touchdowns and one rushing score. In 2021, he earned the Fred Biletnikoff Award, honoring him as the nation’s top receiver. Addison also found himself on the All-American roster that season.

According to Kiper, Addison would fit right into what's shaping up to be an improved Giants passing offense.

Addison put up huge numbers for Pitt and USC over the past three seasons, and he could be a plug-and-play starter, getting reps in the slot and outside. This is how the Giants' passing offense can take a big step forward.

Giants general manager Joe Schoen made improving the offensive weaponry around quarterback Daniel Jones a top priority this off-season. In addition to the receivers added/retained, he acquired tight end Darren Waller via trade from the Raiders and will have running back Saquon Barkley, who was tagged, back for at least one more season.

For Addison, the deep lineup of offensive firepower would play to his advantage. With great catch-in-traffic ability, Addison excels in man-to-man coverage. As Kiper pointed out, the receiver can stretch the field regardless of where he lines up and can help Jones develop his deep ball accuracy and confidence.

Though considered under-sized, Addison is NFL.com’s highest-rated receiver in terms of production. He impressed by earning separation downfield and over the middle, his speed drawing comparisons to Tyler Lockett and DeVonta Smith.

Following his award-winning sophomore campaign with Pitt, which included an ACC Championship, Addison headed for the West Coast to join the USC Trojans. Speculation circulated on whether the move was money-motivated, as Southern California represents a better market for NIL deals.

According to Addison, the move was strictly based on football.

"I was looking for a great coach and a good football opportunity," Addison told ESPN. "I'm still figuring myself out and what I want to do, and I feel like I have a great opportunity to do that where I'm at now."

Other top prospects include Quentin Johnston and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who have been mocked to the Giants in other drafts.

Kiper has stuck with a receiver to the Giants in the first round. In his first mock draft (January 25), he had Addison to the Giants; in his second, at the end of February, he mocked Johnston to the Giants.

Schoen’s offseason moves have allowed the team to take the best available on their board rather than force a need. Although they have loaded up on receivers, Smith, Campell, Shepard, and Crowder are all on one-year deals, and not all are assured a roster spot moving forward. 

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Quinn Slaven
QUINN SLAVEN

Quinn Slaven comes to Giants Country from Chicago Sports Nation where he has covered the Chicago Bears since April of last year. Born and raised in Iowa, he played four years of football at Simpson College as a safety and long snapper. While at Simpson, Quinn also covered a variety of sports for the college’s newspaper, The Simpsonian, and co-hosted a weekly radio show. Today, he coaches at the high school level in North Carolina. Outside of football and journalism, Quinn has spent the last several years working in media relations, serving as a spokesperson and advising major companies on public relations strategies. 

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