New York Giants mock draft tracker: Three directions to choose

This week’s New York Giants mock draft tracker provides an interesting split between three positions — wide receiver, cornerback/defensive back and center. Out of 52 mock drafts, 20 (38.5 percent) selected a receiver, 12 (23.1 percent) selected a defensive back and 11 (21.2 percent) selected a center.

Let’s look at all three positions — which appear to be the likely ones from which the Giants’ eventual first-round selection will come in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Wide receiver

Despite everything the Giants have done at wide receiver already this offseason — adding Parris Campbell and Jeff Smith in free agency and bringing back Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard — adding a receiver with their first pick remains a strong possibility for the Giants.

In a fantastic piece this week, BBV’s Tony DelGenio explained that in terms of positional value wide receiver is one of the smarter selections. In her own most recent mock draft, NFL Network analytics expert Cynthia Frelund selected Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers for the Giants at No. 25. Frelund says her picks “are based on optimizing for wins in the upcoming season only.” So, Frelund’s models are saying adding another wide receiver is the best way for the Giants to take a step forward in 2023.

Considering that Shepard, Wan’Dale Robinson and Collin Johnson all enter the season with injury/availability questions, and that Campbell and newly-acquired tight end Darren Waller have significant injury histories continuing to add to this position could be a smart play.

In this week’s tracker, Flowers and Quentin Johnston of TCU were each chosen seven times. Jaxon Smith-Njigba of Ohio State was the choice in four mock drafts. Perhaps significant is the fact that Giants GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll have dined with Flowers and Smith-Njigba, and that both Schoen and Daboll were at the TCU Pro Day on Friday.

Cornerback/defensive back

Why am I splitting this position between cornerback and defensive back? Because I am including Alabama safety/slot cornerback Brian Branch in the calculation, that’s why.

Branch is the 11th-ranked prospect on the Sports Info Solutions Big Board. SIS says:

Branch is a starting free safety who should spend most of his time playing in the slot. He has exceptional coverage skills, awareness, and physicality.

Branch was the most-often selected defensive back this week, as he was chosen four times. Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks was the choice in three mocks.

SIS says that Branch, listed as a safety, played in the slot 69, 71 and 73 percent of the time during his three seasons at Alabama. Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale considers his defense “position-less,” and the Giants annually seem to want to upgrade from Darnay Holmes in the slot. Those factors and the loss of Julian Love in free agency might make Branch an attractive option late in the first round.

33rd Team says:

Brian Branch is a tough, instinctive and highly productive defensive back who may not be a prototype for any one position, but an NFL team will be getting a very good football player.

One really interesting move at cornerback came in the mock by Bruce Feldman of Athletic, who had the Giants trading all the way up to No. 12 to select Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Of course, Feldman only vaguely references that the Giants would have to give up “some later picks” to make that happen.

Per the traditional Jimmy Johnson trade chart, there is a 480-point difference between the 12th and 25 picks. To cover that, the Giants would have to give up the 57th pick (330 points) and 89th pick (145 points) — although one of those could be a future selection. Either way, I can’t see Schoen giving up that much.

For comparison, the Harvard Draft Pick Value Chart shows a 62-point difference from 25 down to 12. That could be made up by surrendering the Giants’ fifth-round pick, 160th overall, which is worth 58.5 points. The Giants would still have a fifth-round pick, No. 172 overall. If Schoen felt generous, he could even toss in one of his three seventh-round selections.

Use the Fitzgerald-Spielberger trade chart, and the Giants could make that move by giving up their second fifth-round pick, No. 172.

If the Harvard or Fitzgerald-Spielberger charts were the standard, that move up the board is one that could be made.

Center

In recent years, it has become common for teams to select centers in the bottom half of Round 1. Could the Giants be the next team to do so?

If they want to go in that direction, they figure to have their choice of centers. John Michael Schmitz of Minnesota, selected for the Giants in six of our 52 mock drafts, in the consensus No. 50 prospect on the NFL Mock Draft Database Big Board. Joe Tippmann of Wisconsin, the choice for the Giants in five mock drafts, is the consensus No. 62 prospect.

They are different players. Schmitz is more technically sound and perhaps more powerful inside, but Tippmann is the more athletic player who can get into space and block on the move.

Which might the Giants prefer? Maybe we will find out.

The Giants could also wait on a center since Luke Wypler of Ohio State, Olusegun Oluwatimi of Michigan, Steve Avila of TCU, Cody Mauch of North Dakota State and Rick Stromberg of Arkansas could be among later options.