The first day of the NFL Draft is in the books and now day 2 is upon us. The Giants went out and continued to bolster their secondary with the selection of Deonte Banks, but now the attention turns to what Joe Schoen and the rest of the Giants’ front office do in the second and third rounds.
Schoen has been known as someone who can really find value in these rounds, and as amNewYork reported earlier in the week, it’s when the Giants GM digs into the makeup of a player. New York could do a number of things with their picks on day 2, including still moving up in the draft.
“We’ll still move,” Schoen told reporters Thursday night after the first day. “We still have, like, our premium, second, third, fourth. We are in good shape from that standpoint if we want to move around.”
With day 2 set to begin in a matter of hours, here are a few names that fans should keep an eye on as potential targets for the Giants.
Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina
The Giants are still in need of an offensive weapon to boost the receiver group after going with a defensive player in the first round. Downs is one of the most detailed route runners in the draft and possesses big-play explosiveness that New York could benefit from. He may be undersized but Downs is coming off consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with the Tarheels and had made 11 touchdown passes last season, which was a new career best.
Marvin Mims, WR, Oklahoma
Mims is a big-time playmaker who averaged over 20 yards per catch in 2021 and 2022. While he’s a smaller receiver at 5’11” and 180 pounds, he plays physically, obviously has tons of deep speed and can be a deep ball threat. He visited the Giants during the draft process and when it comes to receiver help, Mims could be a good get in the second round.
John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota
The Giants are in need of a center after Jon Feliciano and Nick Gates are both no longer with the club. Schmitz could be the guy and he has the ability to be a player that comes in right away to compete for the starting center job. He can help with Giants’ run blocking and has been described as a good overall pass blocker as well.
Joe Tippman, C, Wisconsin
Another center that could have an immediate impact this season, Tippman wouldn’t be a bad choice either for Big Blue. The Giants have cycled through a number of centers since Daniel Jones arrived and it’s safe to say they’d like to have some consistency at the position with the QB locked up long-term.
B.J. Ojulari, OLB, LSU
A chance to play with his brother in the Big Apple is something that B.J. Ojulari sounded excited about at the draft combine. Whether it comes to fruition will be seen on Friday night. He had 58 tackles and 8.5 for loss with 5.5 sacks.
