With less than three weeks remaining until the NFL Draft, speculation and rumors have been running rampant as to what direction the New York Giants might take the 25th overall pick.
Despite adding several significant pieces to the roster this offseason, there remain several holes the team needs to fill, including cornerback, interior offensive line and wide receiver.
Obviously, the organization can’t fill all these needs in the first round. Let’s take a look at three players projected to be taken after Day 1 who deserve to blip on New York’s radar.
Luke Wypler, C Ohio State
With Jon Feliciano leaving for the San Francisco 49ers via free agency, Big Blue is in need of a new starting center. While the team signed former Pittsburgh Steeler J.C. Hassenauer on Thursday, he has just seven starts in his three-year career.
Assuming the Giants do not select Minnesota’s John Michael Schmitz or Wisconsin’s Joe Tippmann in Round 1, grabbing Ohio State’s Luke Wypler in Round Two (57th overall) could be a viable option. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound Wypler was a two-year starter in Columbus and received Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors for his work last fall. He only allowed one sack for the entire campaign.
Wypler is athletic, technically sound and would help create holes for Saquon Barkley while keeping Daniel Jones upright. He has excellent strength as demonstrated by 29 bench press reps at the NFL Scouting Combine. By NFL standards he does have short arms, on the more critical front.
Cedric Tillman, WR Tennessee
Tillman might be seen as the "other" Tennessee Volunteer wideout in this draft class, as his former teammate Jalin Hyatt is the one that has drawn all the buzz. But Tillman has shown that he can be just as productive as Hyatt.
In 2021, he caught 64 passes for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns while acting as the program's first 1,000-yard receiver since Justin Hunter in 2012. Unfortunately for Tillman, an ankle injury that would require surgery limited him to just six games played in 2022. In that small space, he still posted 37 receptions for 417 yards, and three touchdowns.
The New York Giants are in need of a wideout with the size to come up with contested balls and be a red-zone target to complement Darren Waller. At 6-foot-3, 213 pounds, Tillman would fill that role. If not for his ankle injury last season, Tillman may well have built a higher profile to this juncture. Getting him outside Round One could wind up being a steal.
Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, CB TCU
Hodges Tomlinson plays much bigger than his 5-foot-9, 177-pound frame would indicate. In his last two seasons at TCU, he registered 91 tackles, was credited with 22 passes defended and made five interceptions. In TCU’s 51-45 upset win over Michigan in the College Football Playoff, Tomlinson recorded three tackles and broke up three passes.
According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed just a 34.6 percent completion rate when being targeted last season. This body of work helped him to land as a First-Team All-American in 2022.
Not only is Tomlinson excellent in pass coverage, he is feisty in run support. His aggressive nature seems like an ideal fit in New York DC Wink Martindale’s scheme. There may be concerns when he lines up against taller receivers, but there’s no denying his talent.
The New York Giants are very thin at the cornerback position and being to swipe right on a player the caliber of Tomlinson -- especially in the third round (89th overall) -- would give the secondary a much-needed boost.
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