Giants NFL Draft rumors: Pauline — Giants want a cornerback in Round 1

Pro Football Network NFL insider Tony Pauline is reporting that the New York Giants want to select a cornerback with their first selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, but know they might not be able to land one of the players they desire.

Pauline writes:

The team covets a cornerback, but the top-rated players at the position will be gone.

I’m told that there is a faction of people in the building who want a receiver, either Flowers or Jordan Addison. Historically, the team likes players out of Boston College. Yet, there is also a faction who believe the Giants need a pure No. 1 wideout, and while Flowers and Addison are good receivers, they would just be adding to the list of bodies the team has at the position and it would be a lot of redundancy. In other words, they do not view either player as true No. 1 receivers for their team.

New York likes cornerback DJ Turner out of Michigan and center John Michael Schmitz. But would they select either with the 25th pick?

If Darius Rush is available to them in Round 2, and they haven’t taken a corner in the first round, I believe that is the direction they will go. A highly-rated defensive tackle or pass rusher could also be in the cards for the team at pick 25. Safety Brian Branch is a name that’s also being thrown around.

There have been other reports that the Giants might be prepared to move up in Round 1. Doing that for a desired cornerback might make sense.