The season has come to an end for the New York Giants, but there are reasons to be excited about the future. In his first year as head coach, Brian Daboll led New York to a 9-7-1 record and a playoff victory in the wild-card round despite fielding what most believed was a talent-deficient roster.
This offseason, the franchise has to make a decision on quarterback Daniel Jones. There may not be a better option available, however. Beyond sorting through the quarterback conundrum, the Giants have needs to address at wide receiver, cornerback and the interior offensive line.
Here's a 2023 NFL Draft projection for the NFC East squad:
2023 NFL Draft
No. 26 overall: Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU
Darius Slayton has played out his rookie contract. The possibility exists that he could return, but are New York's problems solved? A healthy Wan'Dale Robinson will certainly uplift that unit, and Isaiah Hodgins has played well enough to fill a roster spot. However, they lack a No. 1-caliber wide receiver capable of winning consistently.
Johnston is a lengthy wide receiver with great top-end speed. He has flashed big-play capabilities but will need to become more reliable to reach his full potential.
Round 2: Garrett Williams, CB, Syracuse
Williams does a good job of staying in-phase up the boundary, but he missed most of the season with a torn ACL. Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale values man coverage skills, and the Giants sorely lacked that this season. The team parted ways with veteran cornerback James Bradberry last offseason knowing it would have to deal with the consequences. A second-round pick is not guaranteed to succeed, so cornerback is one position New York could afford to be volume shooters in this draft class.
Round 3: Henry Bainivalu, OG, Washington
New York's interior offensive line needs to improve. Bainivalu is a tall interior offensive lineman, but he has good upper body strength and blocks with good leverage relative to his size. The Husky is a more polished run blocker right now and has had some repetitions pulling and blocking in space.
Round 3: Carrington Valentine, CB, Kentucky
General manager Joe Schoen is doubling down at the cornerback position. In an ideal world, both work out and serve as the starting boundary cornerbacks for quite some time. The odds of getting one starter increase by taking two. Adoree' Jackson has one year remaining on his contract but is scheduled to carry a salary cap hit in excess of $19 million next season.
Valentine has been exposed to zone coverage at Kentucky but looks more like a man-coverage player. He should test well at the NFL Combine but had limited ball production in Lexington.
