Super Bowl LVII is still a few days away, but mock draft season is already in full swing.
With both the Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl officially in the rearview mirror, many experts have started releasing their predictions for the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The latest to do so is ESPN draft analyst and insider Matt Miller, who this week published his two-round mock draft.
As Miller notes, "this is still a very early projection. We have the scouting combine in a month, along with pro day workouts and team interviews still ahead for prospects. A lot will change."
That being said, let's take a look at who was selected with the Giants' first two picks.
With the team's first-round selection at No. 25, Miller predicts the Giants take Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt.
"Hyatt exploded onto the scene in Tennessee's vertical tempo offense, catching 67 passes for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns, all while averaging a clean 18.9 yards per catch," writes Miller. "He is a certified deep threat, with one area scout telling me at the Senior Bowl that he'll likely run in the low-4.3-second range in the 40-yard dash. The Giants are desperate for a receiver who can stretch the field and be Jones' version of Stefon Diggs, whom coach Brian Daboll used so well while in Buffalo. Hyatt has the vertical speed to fit that role."
Hyatt totaled 41 receptions for 502 yards and four touchdowns through his first two years with the Volunteers before exploding in 2022. In his junior campaign, the 6-foot, 185-pound receiver caught 67 passes for 1,267 yards and a whopping 15 touchdowns. Hyatt set several Tennessee records this past season, including single-tame touchdown receptions (five) and single-season receiving touchdowns (15).
The explosive playmaker became the first player in program history to win the Biletnikoff Award, presented each year to the nation's most outstanding wide receiver. Hyatt was also named Unanimous All-American and First-Team All-SEC.
As for their second-round selection at No. 57, Miller thinks the Giants could address their interior offensive line with Wisconsin center Joe Tippmann.
"Tippmann can be coach Brian Daboll's New York version of Mitch Morse as an agile center who can pull, trap and lead block in the run game while captaining the offensive line," says Miller. "Tippmann could be drafted higher than this in April based on team need, as he's my No. 2-ranked center in the class."
Tippman saw his first significant action as a redshirt sophomore in 2021, when he played in 11 games with 10 starts at center. He helped block for the No. 2 rushing offense in the Big Ten with an average of 210.9 yards per game.
The 6-foot-6, 317-pound lineman shined in 2022, starting 12 games at center before declaring for the draft and forgoing the Guaranteed Rate Bowl this past December. He allowed just one sack and five total pressures on 338 pass blocking snaps, which helped him earn a selection as All-Big Ten Honorable Mention for the second consecutive season. Tippmann was also an Academic All-Big Ten honoree from 2020-2022 as he majored in Consumer Behavior & Marketplace Studies.
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah updated his ranking of the top 50 prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft.