The New York Giants are in an interesting spot with the 2023 NFL Draft approaching, and while all of the attention is on what Joe Schoen will do with the No. 6 pick in the first round, there are some other players who could be considered sleeper prospect in this year’s draft that would fill needs for the team in the later rounds on days two and three.
The Giants had a massively disappointing season in 2023, going 6-11 and missing the playoffs after making a surprising run in 2022 during the first year of Schoen and Brian Daboll’s tenures. After the tough season, Schoen made many big decisions with the roster in free agency.
Schoen let veterans Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney walk in free agency. The Saquon Barkley decision led to him signing with the division rival Philadelphia Eagles. To reallocate the financial resources, Schoen pulled off a trade with the Carolina Panthers to acquire edge rusher Brian Burns,and then extended him on a big contract.
After the Giants’ moves in free agency, there are still some areas of the team that need to be addressed. Luckily, this is considered a very deep draft at many positions. We will specifically be looking at quarterback, defensive tackle and offensive guard with these three prospects that the Giants could target.
Spencer Rattler, QB, South Carolina
Those who watched the QB1 documentary are familiar with Spencer Rattler, and football fans who follow the college game are likely familiar with his journey.
Spencer Rattler was humbled while he was at Oklahoma. He played well in the 2020 season, but struggled in 2021 and was eventually benched for Caleb Williams. Spencer Rattler then spent the last two years with the South Carolina football program, and while he did not perform to the top of the draft standards he once had, he is in a much better place now in comparison to the end of his time at Oklahoma.
Rattler is not the best athlete, and he is going to be 24 years old come September, so there are some questions as to how much development he has left. Still, he operated the offense well at South Carolina, and that was consistently bad pass protection and not many weapons at his disposal outside of Xavier Legette. He showed solid arm strength and ability to make throws at multiple levels of the field as well.
The Giants could draft a quarterback at No. 6, but if they get shut out and end up drafting a wide receiver like Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze, it would make a lot of sense for the team to take a flier on Rattler to see what Daboll could do with him.
Christian Haynes, G, UConn
The Giants made a number of moves on the offensive line this offseason, signing Jon Runyan, Jermaine Eluemunor, Aaron Stinnie, Austin Schlotmann and Matt Nelson. Both Runyan and Eluemunor should play into the conversation for starting on the offensive line, while the rest are depth signings. Still, there is a need to bolster the position group, especially at guard. That is where Christian Haynes comes in.
While he did not play at a power program, Christian Haynes showed a lot of promise at UConn in his time there. He also received coaching from Jim Mora, a coach who knows what it takes to succeed at the NFL level. Christian Haynes could slot into one of the two starting guard spots alongside Runyan. That would form an offensive line that includes Andrew Thomas, Runyan, John Michael Schmitz Jr., Haynes, then either Evan Neal or Eluemunor at right tackle.
The offensive line has been a sore spot for the Giants for over a decade. To finally get it right, it is best to keep investing in the unit.
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