NFL Draft grades, Day 2: Joe Schoen’s picks for Giants in Rounds 2 and 3 are panned

New York Giants fans, along with NFL draft analysts, were impressed by the work Giants GM Joe Schoen did on Day 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft. Day 2? Not so much. Day 2 draft grades for Schoen’s work were not nearly as kind.

Schoen’s selections of wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson at No. 43, guard Josh Ezeudu at No. 67 and cornerback Cordale Flott at No. 81 were greeted curiously, if not with outright disdain.

Round 2 (No. 43) — Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky

Many of the 2,354 people who voted in our poll, hated the Robinson selection. Eighteen percent gave it an ‘F’ grade, 25 percent gave the pick a ‘D,’ and 37 percent called it a ‘C.’ Only 3 percent gave it an ‘A.’

Pro Football Focus called the Robinson pick “the biggest reach of the draft so far.” ESPN’s Mel Kiper said the Giants selected Robinson “a full round early.”

Why did Schoen pick Robinson?

Schoen said “we have a very clear vision for the player.”

“He’s a generator when the ball is in his hands. He can run after a catch. He can separate from DBs, he gets open. He played some running back at Nebraska. That’s a versatile piece you can use in your offense,” Schoen said. “If you look at some of the other guys, how you can use them, and if you look at Daboll’s past or you look at Kafka’s past in terms of the creativeness in their offense and the weapons they can utilize, I think you can kind of see what the vision may look like.”

Round 3 (No. 67) — Joshua Ezeudu, G, North Carolina

The 1,835 people who voted in our poll about this pick, liked it a little bit more than the Robinson pick. That, though, doesn’t mean they really liked it.

Thirty-nine percent gave the pick a ‘B,’ 35 percent a ‘C,’ 13 percent a ‘D’ and 7 percent an ‘F.’ Six percent liked it enough to give it an ‘A.’

PFF called the pick ‘Below Average,’ although it did say “Ezeudu has the potential and traits to become a starting NFL offensive lineman.”

Bleacher Report gave the pick a ‘B,’ with offensive line expert Brandon Thorn sounding optimistic:

“Ezeudu wins with good initial explosiveness out of his stance and lateral quickness that allows him to get to his spots quickly in pass protection while remaining square with inside-out positioning on rushers,” Thorn wrote. “He shows impressive refinement in his pass sets, mixing up flat, angled and vertical sets with independent hand usage and very good length to establish first meaningful contact.”

Why did Schoen pick Ezeudu?

“We like the versatility that he can play guard, he can play tackle, compete to start probably inside, with outside flex,” Schoen said. “I was fortunate enough to see him play live twice this year, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh. He’s a big man, and it’s impressive. Again, he could play multiple spots not only on a week-to-week basis but within a game, within drives. So it’s very impressive, and he’s an outstanding kid. You guys will like getting to know him.”

Round 3 (No. 81) — Cordale Flott, CB, LSU

The 1,655 voters in our poll regarding this pick were mostly unimpressed. Six percent gave the pick an ‘A,’ 29 percent a ‘B,’ 38 percent a ‘C,’ 18 percent a ‘D,’ and 9 percent gave it an ‘F.’

PFF liked this pick, rating it “good.”

Flott is an unusual size profile for a player that might need to find his role at the next level, but he has the traits to be an outside corner and contribute to this defense if he can pick up that responsibility. Flott had his best season in 2021, earning a PFF coverage grade of 84.8 and allowing 51.1% of passes thrown his way to be caught.

Bleacher Report gave the pick a ‘C.’

Why did Schoen pick Flott?

“I think position one, ideally, he’s inside, but he can play inside and outside. He has height, and he does have length. And again, the kid is 20 years old,” Schoen said. “So still young, still developing ... He’s got really good movement skills to play inside, but with the size and length, can play outside as well.”