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In version 2.0 of our 2023 NFL mock draft tracker for the New York Giants, wide receiver was once again the most popular pick for the Giants. This week, 16 of our 34 mock drafts (47 percent) have the Giants selecting a wide receiver.
This week, though, the receiver of choice is Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, chosen in eight of the 34 mock drafts (23.5 percent). Last week, Jordan Addison of USC was the receiver most often mocked to the Giants.
Smith-Njigba played in only three games in 2022, missing most of the season with a hamstring injury. The severity of that injury was questioned by at least one big-time draft analyst.
Draft Network writes:
Smith-Njigba is an outstanding route-runner and separator where his deceptive footwork, body control, ability to read leverage, make sight adjustments, and run to open space made him consistently available for C.J. Stroud to work him the football in 2021. He’s an extremely intelligent player with exceptional spatial awareness. He does well to continue working in scramble situations and he’s always competing to get open. Smith-Njigba has exceptional hands, ball skills, and focus at the catch point. He is decisive after the catch with excellent field vision. Everything Smith-Njigba does on the field is smooth, focused, and technically refined. He’s found production and is a threat to work all levels of the field. He does well to vary his release package to win early in routes, which allows him to gain leverage and get open.
While Smith-Njigba is an outstanding route-runner and separator, he lacks top-end speed. He is reliant on technique because he isn’t simply going to win foot races to run away from coverage. That explosive top gear is missing from his skill set. Ohio State moves him around the formation and puts him in motion, but he has primarily functioned from the slot and enjoyed free releases. He has the footwork and body control to beat press coverage but hasn’t been challenged much in that regard, so developing and proving his ability to play out wide may remain a question.
Because he wasn’t available, 2022 was a lost year to evaluate Smith-Njigba’s development and questions were left unanswered. Smith-Njigba has the makings of a productive NFL starter but he isn’t striking when the iron is hot when it comes to his last year in college going into the NFL.
2023 NFL Mock Draft Tracker
| Date | Mock | Round 1 (No. 25) |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Mock | Round 1 (No. 25) |
| 3/31 | CBS (Stackpole) | Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU |
| 3/31 | The Athletic (Feldman) | Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon (Trade up to No. 12 with Houston Texans) |
| 3/31 | Bleacher Report (Staff) | Joe Tippmann, C, Wisconsin |
| 3/30 | CBS (Trapasso) | Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State (Trade down to No. 31 with Kansas City Chiefs) |
| 3/30 | CBS (Edwards) | Brian Branch, S, Alabama |
| 3/30 | NFL.com (Frelund) | Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College |
| 3/29 | FOX Sports (McIntyre) | Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU |
| 3/29 | DraftTek | Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland |
| 3/29 | NFL Trade Rumors (Ulrich) | Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State |
| 3/28 | CBS (Brinson) | Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State |
| 3/28 | The Athletic (Staff) | Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State |
| 3/28 | ESPN (Tannenbaum) | Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee |
| 3/28 | NFL.com (Brooks | John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota |
| 3/28 | Walter Football (Campbell) | Jordan Addison, WR, USC |
| 3/27 | NFL.com (Edholm) | Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College |
| 3/27 | Dallas Morning News (Watkins) | Brian Branch, S, Alabama |
| 3/27 | Draft Countdown (Bosarge) | John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota |
| 3/27 | Draft Network (Sanchez) | Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College |
| 3/27 | Pro Football Focus (Spielberger) | Joe Tippmann, C, Wisconsin (Trade down to No. 29 w/Saints) |
| 3/27 | Walter Football (Campbell) | Jordan Addison, WR, USC |
| 3/26 | CBS (Wilson) | Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland |
| 3/26 | Chicago Tribune (Biggs) | Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU |
| 3/26 | Tankathon | Calijah Kancey, DT, Pittsburgh |
| 3/25 | NY Post (Serby) | John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota |
| 3/25 | Pro Football Network (Fragoza) | Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State |
| 3/24 | Yahoo Sports (McDonald) | Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois |
| 3/24 | Draft Countdown (Staff) | John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota |
| 3/24 | NFL.com (Reuter) | Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson |
| 3/24 | CBS (Fornelli) | Brian Branch, S, Alabama |
| 3/24 | Pro Football Network (Garrett) | Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson |
| 3/23 | FOX Sports (Auman) | Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College |
| 3/23 | NFL.com (Davis) | Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU |
| 3/23 | DraftPlex (Pruett) | John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota |
| 3/22 | Las Vegas Review Journal (Hill) | Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College |
| 3/22 | Sporting News (Iyer) | Brian Branch, S, Alabama |
| 3/22 | USA Today (Davis) | Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU |
| 3/22 | Pro Football Network (Rudell) | Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College |
| 3/21 | Pro Football Network (Mellor) | Clark Phillips III, CB, Utah |
| 3/21 | CBS (Prisco) | Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland |
| 3/21 | (ESPN) Kiper | Jordan Addison, WR, USC |
| 3/21 | NFL.com (Jeremiah) | Joe Tippmann, C, Wisconsin |
| 3/20 | Touchdown Wire (Farrar) | Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson |
| 3/20 | 33rd Team (Staff) | Joe Tippmann, C, Wisconsin |
| 3/20 | Draft Countdown (Hallam) | Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU |
| 3/20 | DraftKings (Simon) | Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee |
| 3/20 | Draft Network (Weissman) | Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU |
| 3/20 | NFL Mocks (Haas) | Jordan Addison, WR, USC |
| 3/20 | Draftwire (Risdon) | John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota (Trade to No. 31 w/KC) |
| 3/18 | Pro Football Network (Cummings) | Joe Tippmann, C, Wisconsin |
| 3/17 | Draftwire (Popejoy) | Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State |
| 3/16 | Pro Football Network (Hodgkinson) | O'Cyrus Torrence, G, Florida |
| 3/16 | Pro Football Focus (Sikkema) | Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College |
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