The 2023 NFL draft is less than a week away. Undoubtedly you’ve been reading and hearing who the New York Giants should select with the 25th overall pick in Round 1, but what you haven’t been reading and hearing is who they should not take with that pick.
Alex Kay of Bleacher Report recently listed one prospect each team must avoid in this year’s draft. For the Giants, it was Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith.
While some analysts, such as Sam Monson and Steve Palazzolo of PFF, have New York going with a defender like Georgia’s Nolan Smith in the first round, Big Blue should instead prioritize fleshing out an offense that started slowing down late in 2022.
Kay is not alone in his opinion. The Giants absolutely should address the offense. They have 10 selections, however, and the targets on their draft board likely differ from the ones prognosticators have.
The solution for many is for Giants general manager Joe Schoen to select a small, fast wide receiver at No. 25. Kay is one of those believers.
Picking up a game-changer like Zay Flowers or Jordan Addison should do the trick, giving the G-Men the star-power they need to rejuvenate the passing attack.
No doubt, both players are talented and could add a much-needed dimension to the offense. But are they the best available players at No. 25?
The Giants are in need of many things this offseason. Schoen has packed the wide receiver room with new faces, mostly slot options, which is where Flowers and Addison would likely line up. They could use a more physical, bigger, durable deep threat.
I agree Smith should probably not be the pick, either, although he’s a fine prospect. He stands 6-foot-3, weighs 238 pounds, ran the 40 in 4.39 seconds at this year’s NFL combine, and is a two-time National Champion.
The Giants are pretty much set at edge rusher. They drafted another Georgia star, Azeez Ojulari in the second round two years ago and Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux with the fifth overall pick last year. That pairing has yet to be seen in action for a stretch due to injuries.
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