A year after selecting twice in the top 10 for the first time in franchise history, the New York Giants won't pick until No. 25 as it currently stands in the 2023 NFL Draft. So, with less than a month until the first night on April 27, now is a good time to look at the depth of this year's class.
NFL Media draft analyst Lance Zierlein recently did just that, using three criteria by position:
- Star-caliber players
- Future starters
- Overall depth
"Generally speaking, I concentrated on prospects who are most likely to be drafted in Rounds 1 through 5," he wrote. "This year's class offers high-end talent across the board, but there are some positions that are particularly deep, including a tight end class that could become one of the best we've seen in a long time. Here is how I stack the position groups, from strongest to weakest."
Strongest positions in 2023 NFL Draft Class, according to Zierlein:
- Cornerback
- Tight end
- Edge defender
- Wide receiver
- Quarterback
- Interior defensive line
- Interior offensive line
- Offensive tackle
- Running back
- Safety
- Linebacker
"We saw 12 cornerbacks go in the first three rounds last year, including Defensive Rookie of the Year Sauce Gardner," Zierlein wrote about, in his eyes, the top position. "There might not be a Sauce in this year's class, but there appears to be a higher number of players who will be starters in the NFL. In fact, there will be big, long, explosive perimeter cornerbacks available in each of the first four rounds. I expect Christian Gonzalez and Devon Witherspoon to be the first two players drafted at the position, but we should see five, maybe even six, taken in the first round."
Zierlein added that this is "one of the most promising tight end classes" he has seen in a while.
"Michael Mayer, Luke Musgrave, Dalton Kincaid and Darnell Washington are the most well-known prospects and each is worthy of going inside the first 40 picks," he wrote. "But there should be starting-caliber players selected a little later on, including Luke Schoonmaker, Tucker Kraft, Sam LaPorta and Brenton Strange."
Meanwhile, wide receiver has been a constant theme in mock drafts. Here are his thoughts on the unit: "This year's group of wide receivers reminds me of the 2016 class, which saw Corey Coleman, Will Fuller, Josh Doctson and Laquon Treadwell come off the board first, in that order. There wasn't a true WR1 in that group, and I get the same feeling from the top of the current class. Second-rounders Michael Thomas and Tyler Boyd became two of the best receivers drafted in 2016 (with fifth-rounder Tyreek Hill leading the group), and I believe we could see a similar pattern develop from the 2023 crop. I expect Jalin Hyatt to become a dangerous complementary weapon, while guys like Zay Flowers and Josh Downs should become productive slot targets. But I'm not seeing the top-end talent that recent drafts have offered at wide receiver."
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah updated his ranking of the top 50 prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft.
No. 50 Zach Charbonnet, RB, UCLA
No. 49 Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa
No. 48 John Michael Schmitz, IOL, Minnesota
No. 40 Keeanu Benton, DT, Wisconsin
No. 47 Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia
No. 37 Steve Avila, IOL, TCU
No. 46 Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee
No. 45 Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson
No. 44 Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa
No. 43 Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan
No. 42 Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee
No. 38 Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State
No. 39 Cody Mauch, OT, North Dakota State
No. 36 Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson
No. 41 O'Cyrus Torrence, IOL, Florida
No. 35 BJ Ojulari, EDGE, LSU
No. 27 Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi State
No. 34 Joe Tippmann, IOL, Wisconsin
No. 32 Felix Anudike-Uzomah, EDGE, Kansas State
No. 31 Brian Branch, DB, Alabama
No. 30 Quentin Johnson, WR, TCU
No. 29 Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama
No. 28 Keion White, EDGE, Georgia Tech
No. 26 Calijah Kancey, DT, Pittsburgh
No. 25 Will McDonald IV, EDGE, Iowa State
No. 33 Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia
No. 24 Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
No. 21 Myles Murphy, EDGE, Clemson
No. 22 Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
No. 20 Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
No. 23 Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State
No. 17 Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
No. 13 Nolan Smith, EDGE, Georgia
No. 19 Broderick Jones, OT Georgia
No. 16 Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State
No. 18 Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee
No. 14 Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa
No. 15 Jordan Addison, WR, USC
No. 12 Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
No. 10 Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon
No. 11 Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida
No. 9 Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
No. 8 Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern
No. 7 C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
No. 5 Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois
No. 6 Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia
No. 4 Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech
No. 3 Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
No. 2 Will Anderson Jr., EDGE, Alabama
No. 1 Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
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