The following is my perspective, insights, and commentary about the upcoming NFL football draft and its prospects. It is written from the perspective of what I would do as the New York Giant General Manager. It is not a prediction of what the Giant front office will do, but rather what I would do. The player assessments of course are applicable for any football team.
1st Round:
2 Malik Nabers, WR, 6’0” 200 4.4.0 LSU
1/17/24 The conversation about Darius Slayton as being a WR1 or not persists. There are those who believe that if the OL was better, and if the QB was better, Slayton’s numbers would be better as well. Slayton improved this year to a career best in receiving yards, as well as reducing the number of balls dropped (3) for the season. And there are those who believe that Slayton is essentially a good WR2.
Nabers is a WR1. This past year he had 89 receptions for 1,569 yards. That is 17.6 yards a catch. LSU put Nabers out wide and essentially said, “go beat your man.” And that is what Nabers did. Good hands and good ability to go up and get the ball. Too often he had to wait for the ball, but still was able to beat the cornerback or safety. It wouldn’t be that simple on the next level. But a big-time prospect.
3 Amarius Mims. RT, 6’7” 340 Georgia
1/19/24 After watching some tape, I was shocked to see that Mims is 6’7” and 340 pounds. Because the first thing I see is footwork. The current NYG RT has poor footwork, bends at the waist and is too often out of position. Mims is totally different. One sees footwork, and one see balance. And able to do these things at that size? Impressive. Mims only played in seven games this year, due to injuries. The only other negative is when Mims puts both of his hands on his thigh, one immediate knows that the play is going to be a pass. But that can be corrected. Able to switch off with teammates and respond to stunts, Mims is such a pleasant surprise. Is he a 1st round talent? Yes. Is he a Top 10 prospect, probably not.
4 Keon Coleman, WR, 6’4” 215 4.45 Florida State
1/19/24 There is a lot to like about Coleman. Initially watching him one doesn’t realize how tall he is. His body is proportional and in sync. One also realizes that while he has good speed, it is not great speed. But fast enough. Huge production this year; 115 catches 1,506 yards and 19 TD. I like seeing production. From a value perspective. I have to look at the top receivers again (as I will be looking at them multiple time) and try to see what separates them. Coleman is better than a 2nd round pick. Real good hands, and an ability to go and track the ball in the air. Where he goes in the 1st round is hard to tell, as always there many variables in determining where a player falls to and eventually gets drafted.
5. Bo Nix, QB 6’2” 217 Oregon
1/22/24 What jumps off the screen (to me) his Nix’s athleticism. A good athlete, able to run from pressure, able to adapt his throws with various arm angles. Good athlete. Able to throw with a nice touch on the ball. The flip side to that is does Nix rely to much on floating the ball to his receivers? The time in the air will give NFL defenders time to recovery and knock away passes. A lot of balls are thrown to his receivers on the outside, some of whom are high prospects ((Troy Franklin) themselves and who are simply able to race past their defenders. I don’t see ball over the middle, balls that would be used in a West Coast offense that requires the quarterback to his receiver in stride. Nix will require multiple looks at.
6. Rome Odunze, WR 6’3” 215 4.34 Washington
1/26/24 I have watched some Nabers as well as Coleman. I will have to go back and look at both again. In watching Odunze, I get excited immediately by the possibilities. I see him in crossing patterns, and yes, he can play on the outside, although not used as frequently as Nabers was on the outside. 87 catches for 1,553 yards (17.9 average) is a good indicator of production. Utilized on end-arounds as well, Odunze’s speed instantly is a stressor for any defense. Odunze fits into the Giant trend of upgrading team speed, and is a top 10 draft prospect.
7. Drake Maye, QB 6’4” 230 North Carolina
1/26/24 The elephant in the room. Do the Giants take a quarterback to replace Daniel Jones, who is in the early stages of a huge multi-year contract. Maye has NFL QB size and an elite arm. He seems to rely frequent on that arm, as many of his arms are thrown off the back foot. He reminds me somewhat of Josh Allen. Allen, who did not have a high completion rate in college (sub 60%, perhaps something like 57%) still goes through stretches of turnovers due to bad mechanics and a belief that he can throw into a window of opportunity due to his arm. Maye is that player.
Maye is a redshirt sophomore and does not have that much experience. There is a correlation between college experience at quarterback and NFL success. Anthony Richardson seemed to be an outlier this year to that equation; Maye is not nearly as athletic as Richardson. Unlike Allen, Maye when rolling out does not particularly seem interested in pulling down the ball and running with the ball. Two sides to look at that: chance of less hits and therefore less injuries, the negative is that Maye is not really an RPO fit.
2nd Round:
1 Kamren Kinchen, FS 6’0” 205 4.45 Miami (FL)
1/22/24 Xavier McKiney, the NY Giants current free safety is about to become a free agent. While the Giant offensive needs are more pressing, one still has to look to improve and fill in weaknesses on the other side of the ball. Kinchen had five interceptions last year, and six the year before. These numbers caught my attention. In watching video on Kinchen, I saw him used in a variety of ways. He can play deep and converge on the ball while in the air for the interception.
This is elite play, many FSs in the NFL are not able to do this. And yes, Kinchen was used at times to blitz. He is a sure tackler, whether on the blitz or making an open field tackle. A very good player. Yes, I would want to be faster, and yes, I would want him to be a little bigger. He is what he is. Is he a 1st round selection? Maybe not. Could he fall into the second round as an early round pick? Hopefully.
2 Tyler Guyton, RT 6’7” 328 Oklahoma
1/26/24 Evan Neal is not anyone’s answer, and needs to be replaced at right tackle by the NY Giants. One doesn’t find tackles as low draft picks; sometimes one can stumble and find an offensive guard, but not tackles. Guton only has one full year of college ball. That is a negative. His footwork is okay, although he seemingly is flat footed at times. Perhaps a slight projection here, but a player that needs to be looked at some more.
3rd Round:
1 Cooper Beebe, OG, 6’4” 335 Kansas State
1/26/24 Last year I followed offensive guard Cyrus O’Torrence. I thought he would be a really good NFL player. The Bills took him last year in the 2nd round. He has become a plug-in player, good for the next 10 years. Beebe is not the same as O’Torrence, but is in the same paragraph. Just watched some more video. Can pull and get into the second level. A big person in the second tier. Doubtful that he lasts until the 3rd player. Will be a solid NFL player.
1/17/24 I am starting Beebe off as a 3rd rounder, reality is that he is probably a second half 2nd rounder; being that the Giants draft close to the top of the round, he probably is not a 2nd round idea. One is looking at Beebe in case he falls for some reason into the top of the 3rd round. Beebe can play either guard position, he played primarily LG this past season. Watching video: Wide base, good hands. Has the ability to pull, although not great speed. The best lineman on the field. The Giants are so lacking in talent on the OL, Beebe would be a solid addition.
4th Round:
- Gabriel Murphy, OLB 6’3” 260 UCLA
1/26/24 I have not been enamored with the number of games that Azeez Ojulari has missed the last two years. Micah McFadden has filled in; an upgrade is always a possibility.
There are multiple negatives with Murphy. What caught my attention was the 62 pressures this past year. An astonishing amount. Yes, he had 8 sacks. But pressure on the ball is a good thing. Yes, Murphy does not have length, and seemingly plays at one speed, a good speed, but has not twitch to add to that. 19 penalties in three years is a tough factor when assessing Murphy. It is one of the reasons why I don’t have him higher.
Waste Basket
1 Joe Alt, LT, 6’8” 315 Notre Dame
1/19/24 Moving Alt to the Waste Basket, as the Giants have an elite left tackle, and I am not interested in trading Thomas.
1/17/24 Alt is a left tackle. The NY Giants have an elite left tackle in Andrew Thomas. This is about doing due diligence. Alt is tall, and unfortunately too often plays high. Great length, but a lack of athleticism jumps out as well as a little stutter step footwork as he sets up to make a block on a pull or the next level.
Taliese Fuagu, RT, 6.6” 334 Oregon State
1/19/24 I just watched video on Amarius Mims, and I’m spoiled. Fugua is a step down. He plays too high, and his footwork is not the same as Mims. Not even close. Fuaga’s game is more about “I’m bigger than you, let me overwhelm you.” Fuagu,, meet Evan Neal. Someone will take Fuagu in the top 3 rounds. Not interested. I’ve seen enough and don’t want to see more.
Jayden Daniels, QB, 6’4” 210 LSU
1/19/24 Daniels is a top tier quarterback, and I just don’t love him. He seems to want to put the ball down and run with it, as if in doubt. Prefers to take off before looking down the field for a progression read. Not the biggest quarterback, Daniels will get hit and injured when he too often relies on his feet. Also, not in love with the arm. Too many throws on plays less than 20 yards down the field just aren’t crisp and targeted. These are the throws that a team lives on, and it just isn’t there. Too many throws the wide receiver had to stop and wait on the ball. That window of opportunity doesn’t exist in the NFL.
Barry Schustermann
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