NFL
Giants Make the Same Mistake for 3rd Draft in a Row in Todd McShay Mock Draft
Tim Crean started writing about sports in 2016 and joined Sports7 in 2021. He excels with his versatile coverage of the NFL and soccer landscape, as well as his expertise breaking down sports media, which stems from his many years downloading podcasts before they were even cool and countless hours spent listening to Mike & The Mad Dog and The Dan Patrick Show, among other programs. As a longtime self-professed sports junkie who even played DII lacrosse at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, Tim loves reading about all the latest sports news every day and considers it a dream to write about sports professionally. He's a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan from Western New York who mistakenly thought, back in the early '90s, that his team would be in the Super Bowl every year. He started following European soccer — with a Manchester City focus — in the early 2000s after spending far too much time playing FIFA. When he's not enjoying a round of golf or coaching youth soccer and flag football, Tim likes reading the work of Bill Simmons, Tony Kornheiser, Chuck Klosterman, and Tom Wolfe.
Get to know Tim Crean betterUpdated16 Feb 2023
The New York Giants made massive improvements in 2022 under first-year head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. The team made the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and won a game for the first time since 2011. However, in the most recent Todd McShay mock draft, the ESPN draft guru predicts that with the Giants' No. 25 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the team will make the exact same mistake it has the past two years in a row with Zay Flowers.
Todd McShay mock draft has Giants' No. 25 pick as an undersized wide receiver
The Giants love picking undersized receivers in the draft lately.
In 2021, with former GM Dave Gettleman at the helm, the Giants picked Florida wide receiver Kadarius Toney No. 20 overall. At 6 feet, 194 pounds, Toney is a wideout with speed and athleticism but without the desired size to become a true WR1 in the NFL.
When the new regime took over ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft, Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll crushed the first round, picking pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and offensive tackle Evan Neal. However, in Round 2, they did the same thing the last front office did.
With the No. 43 pick in the second round, the Giants selected the 5-foot-8, 185-pound Wan'Dale Robinson out of Kentucky. Again, dynamic and athletic but too small to be a go-to target for Daniel Jones.
Neither pick worked out well for the G-Men.
Toney played 10 games his rookie year and nine games in season two before the Giants traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs. In his New York career, Toney had 41 catches for 410 yards, seven rushes for 82 yards, and three total touchdowns.
Robinson played one game in 2022, then missed three with a knee sprain. He then came back for five games and tore his ACL, ending his season. The rookie's first year finished with 23 catches for 227 yards and one receiving TD.
Now, the most recent Todd McShay mock draft has the franchise taking yet another undersized WR with the Giants' No. 25 pick. That player is 5-foot-10, 175-pound Boston College wideout Zay Flowers.
Could the Giants possibly not learn their lesson and draft the same type of player three years in a row? And if not, who should they take in the 2023 NFL Draft?
Who should the Giants draft?
There is nothing wrong with Zay Flowers in a vacuum. In fact, he projects as one of the best WRs in the 2023 NFL Draft. Some analysts even believe he can be a small-stature No. 1 wideout, ala Steve Smith Sr. Even Smith thinks that, as he revealed in a recent Twitter video.
The problem is, for every Smith, there are hundreds of sub-6-foot pass-catchers who didn't have what it takes to become WR1s in the league.
That doesn't mean Flowers can't become an incredible deep threat or a fantastic slot receiver. It's just that smaller outside WRs are incredibly rare.
So, if New York doesn't go the route proposed in the Todd McShay mock draft, who should they take with the Giants' No. 25 pick?
If TCU WR Quentin Johnson or Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (both over 6 feet) slide to No. 25, the G Men should snap them up.
If not, the Giants could look toward other positions of need, such as guard or linebacker. Guard O'Cyrus Torrence from Florida and linebacker Trenton Simpson from Clemson should be around at the Giants' No. 25 pick (as they are in the Todd McShay mock draft).
Also, the Giants have historically had the most success with multiple elite pass rushers. If Keion White from Georgia Tech or Nolan Smith from Georgia are still around when New York is on the board, they can't go wrong there, either.
