Folks, with the New York Giants season being over, it’s natural that a lot of fans have transitioned into NFL Draft mode. Fans and draft gurus are sharing their first mock drafts (you can find mine here). But I’m here to tell you that there are five NFL draft prospects that the Giants must avoid at all costs.
These players should be avoided for a variety of reasons. It could be their position, their ceiling, or their work ethic that factors in. Here is my list of players the Giants should avoid.
1. WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
Up first of my five NFL draft prospects that the Giants must avoid is WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba from Ohio State. Many people will only remember his incredible Rose Bowl game against Utah from the 2021 season where he had fifteen catches for 347 yards and three touchdowns. What people don’t realize is that he’s strictly a slot receiver.
In college 83% of his routes came from the slot. That’s a number that normally doesn’t improve in the NFL. The Giants already have a multitude of slot receivers on their team and they don’t need any more. Especially with their first round pick.
2. CB Kelee Ringo, Georgia
My favorite thing about a corner is when they take away one side of the field. Ringo doesn’t do that. He was tied for the eleventh most targets allowed in FBS in 2022. On top of that, he was targeted once every 6.6 passing snaps and allowed a reception on 53% of his targets.
Another concern about Ringo is penalties. He was tied for the fifth most penalties among corners in the FBS this year with nine. This can be costly in the NFL. I would not risk taking Kelee Ringo in the first two rounds.
3. RB Bijan Robinson, Texas
Up next in my five NFL draft prospects that the Giants must avoid series is running back Bijan Robinson. Robinson is a good player. One may even say that he is “touched by the hand of God.”
But at the end of the day, Bijan Robinson is a running back, which is a position that doesn’t matter. I would argue that running backs shouldn’t be taken until the third round at the earliest. There is virtually no way the Giants can make the mistake of drafting a running back in the first round again after they made that mistake in 2018.
4. TE Michael Mayer, Notre Dame
The Giants could absolutely use a pass catching weapon. With that being said, this tight end class is incredibly deep. There is no sense in taking a tight end like Michael Mayer in the first round when you can get one that will do the same job in the second or third round should you want to.
5. WR Nathaniel Dell, Houston
The last player of my five NFL draft prospects that the Giants must avoid is WR Nathaniel Dell. Dell had a great season for Houston this year with 109 catches for 1398 yards and seventeen touchdowns. With that being said, he is listed at 5’10” and 155 pounds. I don’t think he will measure up to be 5’10” at the combine. Being 155 pounds is also a major concern heading into the NFL.
He also took 67% of his snaps from the slot this season. The Giants already have an undersized slot receiver in Wan’Dale Robinson, they don’t need another.