Giants’ Pre-Draft Visits Hint at WR Strategy

Everybody wants the Giants to add a wide receiver.

All offseason, they have been linked to seemingly every free agent wide receiver or potential trade candidate from Odell Beckham Jr. to DeAndre Hopkins to Tee Higgins and more. Even while the Giants brought back Darius Slayton and Isaiah Hodgins and signed Parris Campbell and Jamison Crowder, the reports linking the team to numerous wide receivers in the 2023 NFL Draft continue to flood social media timelines.

And it’s not entirely off-base.

The Giants would likely love to add another player to their wide receiver competition, and the list of players they’ve had known meetings with suggests that they are certainly looking to add to the position. However, general manager Joe Schoen has made it clear numerous times in the offseason that finding a “number one wide receiver” is not as pressing for the team as many believe it should be.

As a result, the Giants have spoken to wide receivers who are likely to be drafted at all different stages of the NFL Draft. Below we’ll dig into the receivers we know they’ve met with and when the Giants met with them in order to see who might be a realistic option and how they might fit the team.

Jordan Addison, USC (Combine, Top 30 visit)

Projected Round: 1st

We should start by pointing out that Addison was a top 30 visit. Each year, NFL teams are given a maximum of 30 pre-draft visits that allow them to bring prospects to their respective facilities for a personal meeting. Obviously, a player being invited for a top 30 visit is a strong indication that a team is not only interested in the player but thinks they could be a realistic option at a given draft slot.

Given that Addison is a projected first-round pick, it likely means the Giants would consider taking him at pick 25 if he were to be on the board.

He would also be a perfect fit for the team. Addison is a tremendous route-runner and has big play ability once the ball is in his hands. He showed a strong ability to alter his speed and the timing of his routes in order to beat varied coverages and seems to constantly create separation over the middle. He is also great in the screen game and can make defenders miss in the open field, which means he could be a tremendous asset that Brian Daboll can use in multiple alignments.

Zay Flowers, Boston College (Pro Day, Top 30 visit)

Projected Round: 1st

Flowers was another top 30 visitor and a receiver that we mocked to the Giants at pick 25 in more than a few of our staff mock drafts. There are few products in this draft as solid as Flowers, who had 78 catches for 1,077 yards and 12 touchdowns on a mediocre Boston College team. He’s not the biggest receiver, but he can line up in multiple spots. He’s great over the middle of the field and can change the game with his speed. Brian Daboll will love him.

Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee (Combine, Private Top-30 visit)

Projected Round: 1st-2nd

Another prospect who came to the facilities on a top 30 visit, Hyatt is the player we have mocked to the Giants in our most recent staff mock draft. Hyatt may not be a prototypical “number one wide receiver,” but what he does have is blazing deep speed, which is exactly what this Giants receiving corps needs. With Hyatt as a deep threat to take the top off the defense and Darren Waller, Isaiah Hodgins, and Parris Campbell operating underneath, there are more than enough options for Brian Daboll to be creative with how he attacks defenses.

Jalin Hyatt is the pick for the Giants in our NFL Mock Draft — KNOXVILLE, TN – September 24, 2022 – Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt #11 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the game between the Florida Gators and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Ian Cox

Quentin Johnston, TCU (Combine visit)

Projected Round: 1st-2nd

Johnston was the topic of discussion on Twitter this weekend when it was revealed that the NFL reportedly withheld a draft invite for him because they were worried about an “awkward TV moment.” The league allegedly believes that believes Johnston could be selected between picks “20-28” but also could also fall completely out of the first round.

We don’t want to read into the fact that the Giants didn’t bring him in for a top 30 visit. It’s possible they didn’t think he was a realistic option for them at pick 25 or maybe they were so blown away by their meeting at the Combine that they didn’t need to see more.

If he were somehow available at pick 25, he would be an ideal fit for the Giants. He has tremendous size at 6’4″ and 215 pounds, but he also has an elite athletic profile with good speed and short area quickness. He can use a quick step to beat defenders off the line or use his body to shield defenders and high-point a contested catch. There’s a good chance he emerges as the best wide receiver in this class, and he could be a coup for New York in the first round.

Marvin Mims, Oklahoma (Private Top-30 visit)

Projected Round: 1st-2nd

While not discussed as often as the names above, Mims has emerged as a potential first-round pick, which makes sense as to why the Giants likely wanted him in the facility as a potential fit for pick 25. He is a big-time playmaker who averaged over 20 yards per catch in 2021 and 2022.

While he’s a smaller receiver at 5’11” and 180 pounds, he plays physically and obviously has tons of deep speed. He might not be as versatile as some of the players listed above him and may be a better fit in the second round, but if the Giants are looking for a receiver who can be a deep threat, there are few better than Mims.

Tyler Scott, Cincinnati (Combine visit)

Projected Round: 2nd-3rd

Another good deep threat who will likely go in the middle rounds is Tyler Scott. He has basically the same measurables as Mims and the same elite deep speed, but played for a less-talented program and averaged “just” 16.6 yards per catch.

However, given the draft cost, getting Scott in the 3rd round might be preferable to having to take Mims in the first. Scott has proven the ability to make contested catches and make defenders miss in space underneath, which means he can be a more versatile weapon than just a deep threat. He has the profile of a tremendous complementary receiver in the NFL, which means he could fill out a Giants wide receiving corp that could have a slew of “number two receiver types.”

Rakim Jarrett, Maryland (Combine visit)

Projected Round: 2nd-4th

It’s hard to pinpoint where Jarrett will go in the draft as some mock drafts even have him sliding into the first round. Realistically, I think he’s more of a mid-round option for the Giants as a versatile receiver who has lined up in the slot and on the outside. He has good short-area quickness and change-of-direction skills which make him a good target over the middle of the field against man or zone.

However, he also proved valuable on sweeps and can make defenders miss when he has the ball in his hands, which makes him an intriguing weapon at the next level.

Trey Palmer, Nebraska (Pro Day visit)

Projected Round: 3rd-5th

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Palmer has elite deep speed. A former LSU prospect, Palmer was also a track star in the 100 meters. Considering how bad Nebraska was this year, him putting up 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns on 14.7 yards per reception is fairly impressive. He tracks the ball well and while he lacks the physicality of some of the other receivers here, he can win in multiple spots on the field. The fact that he has also played special teams is a big plus for him.

Andre Iosivas, Princeton (Local visit)

Projected Round: 4th-6th

Iosivas had a local visit, but the Princeton product has a lot of fans in the scouting community as well. At 6’3″ and 200 pounds, he’s a bigger receiver who also has the acceleration to gain extra yards after the catch. He’s not the athlete that some of these other guys are, but he’s not just a catch-and-lay-down possession receiver. He is also a former track star with a good vertical leap who can go up and high-point a contested catch. He’s many people’s favorite late-round receiving option.

Jalen Wayne, South Alabama (Combine visit)

Projected Round: 6th-7th

Wayne is another bigger receiver at 6’2″ and 205 pounds. He has long arms and was a versatile weapon at South Alabama, even playing running back in some instances. He’s a strong route runner who may not have great deep speed but does have the ability to manipulate coverage and get himself open across the middle. He’s also a strong blocker, which the Giants will love.

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