Giants 2023 NFL Draft Grades: Joe Schoen receives high marks

Already deemed to be ahead of schedule after a surprising run to the NFC Divisional Round, the Giants carried that momentum into the 2023 NFL Draft by putting together one of the strong showings across the league. 

General manager Joe Schoen, now in his second year at the helm, continues to provide vast improvements for a roster that still had its fair share of holes to address this offseason despite their first playoff appearance since January of 2017.

Needless to say, he’s receiving high marks for his selections down in Kansas City this weekend. 

Best Pick: John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota

Schmitz was widely considered the best center available at the draft and very well could have been a first-round selection for a team in need of help in the trenches. Yet Schmitz fell into the Giants’ laps in the second round at No. 57 overall, providing a bona fide option at the position after Jon Feliciano and Nick Gates departed in free agency. He’s a tough, gritty talent that will further bolster a Giants offensive line that needed refining for both Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley.

Worst Pick: Tre Hawkins, CB, Old Dominion

There’s no question that the Giants need to bolster their secondary, that’s why they went with Deonte Banks with their first-round pick. Hawkins is obviously a bit of an unknown coming out of Old Dominion being a sixth-round pick (209th overall), but there were other options on the table that were rated higher than Hawkins — who currently has a ceiling of starting out as a special-teams player. Of course, there’s an abundance of time to prove otherwise.

Sleeper Pick: Jaylin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee

There are size concerns with Hyatt, but this was a potential first-round talent that fell to the Giants in the third round. He has deceptive speed that…