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With the first of their two seventh-round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, 240th overall, the New York Giants selected Oregon defensive tackle Jordon Riley.
Riley is massive at 6-foot-5 and 338 pounds. He could be a depth piece at nose tackle or along the interior of the defensive line, which lacked a strong presence last year outside of Dexter Lawrence.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic has Riley ranked as the 31st-best defensive tackle in the draft.
Emory Hunt of Football Gameplan also offered a short breakdown:
Strengths:
- Well put together nose tackle that has some interior flexibility. Doesn’t particularly have to play Nose Tackle, he can serve as a 1-Tech or 5-Tech for certain teams. I think he can play either at the same level.
- Does have some functional strength to walk OL back into the pocket with ease. When he gets good contact & movement, he can collapse the pocket.
- Shows that he can lock out, extend, diagnose and then head toward the play.
Areas of Improvement:
- Not an overly explosive or twitchy athlete. He’s more of a lumbering type. Ball get-off sort of reflects that.
- Would love to see him consistently be able to escort OL out of the gap. He’s got the functional strength to do so on the regular.
And his bio from his time at Oregon mentions some standout performances:
Started all 13 games for the Ducks in final season of eligibility … Finished with 21 total tackles (seven solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, half a sack and one pass breakup … At least one tackle in 12 of 13 games with six mult-tackle performances … Played 331 snaps on defense and 70 on special teams … Earned an 82.4 tackling grade from Pro Football Focus, third-best among Oregon defenders … vs. No. 12 BYU (Sept. 17): Assisted on a sack in Oregon’s top-15 win … at Washington State (Sept. 24): Made three tackles and a TFL in the Ducks’ comeback victory in Pullman … vs. No. 10 Utah (Nov. 19): Matched season-high with three tackles and broke up a pass.
His athleticism apparently leaves something to be desired:
Jordon Riley was drafted with pick 243 of round 7 in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 2.80 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 1168 out of 1620 DT from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/J7bfnu56vP pic.twitter.com/E0ViLmnai4
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 29, 2023
What others are saying
CBS Sports gives the pick a ‘B’:
Tall, wide-bodied classic NT. Devours blockers inside but not much of an upfield rusher. This is when you pick a DT like this.
33rd Team grades the pick a ‘D’:
Jordon Riley is a massive man at 338 pounds. He boasts good length but is just an ordinary athlete. He has the size and strength to clog up the middle but is a run-stuffer only who will battle for a practice squad spot.
Giants round-by-round draft selections
Round 1 (No. 24 from Jacksonville) — Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
Round 2 (No. 57) — John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota
Round 3 (No. 73 from Los Angeles Rams) — Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee
Round 5 (No. 172) — Eric Gray, RB, Oklahoma
Round 6 (No. 209) — Tre Hawkins III, CB, Old Dominion
Round 7 (No. 243) — Jordon Riley, DT, Oregon
Round 7 (No. 254) —
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Poll
What grade would you give the Giants’ seventh-round selection of Oregon DT Jordon Riley?
This poll is closed
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9%
A
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24%
B
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45%
C
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15%
D
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4%
F
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