The New York Giants need to add a new wide receiver to their offense this offseason. Thankfully, the 2023 NFL Draft class is loaded with talent at the position. The Giants could fill their need in the first round with a dynamic playmaker out of Boston College. Zay Flowers is a shifty wide receiver that could be a target for the Giants with the 25th pick in the first round.
Could the Giants draft WR Zay Flowers in the 1st round?
Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers will be one of the Giants’ top targets with the 25th pick in the draft this spring. Flowers is considered to be one of the best wide receivers in this year’s draft class after 78 receptions for 1077 yards and 12 touchdowns in his senior season.
At 5-foot-11, 172 pounds, Zay Flowers is not your prototypical WR1. He is an excellent route runner and real threat after the catch, but Flowers’s lack of size could force him into a slot-only role at the next level. However, Zay Flowers did play 66.6% of snaps on the outside during his collegiate career, despite not fitting the prototype for that position (PFF).
The Boston wideout possesses next-level athleticism and the ability to separate against tight coverage. Flowers plays bigger than his frame would suggest, posting a 58.3% contested catch rate in 2022 while racking up over 500 yards after the catch per Pro Football Focus.
Zay Flowers was recently mocked to the Giants by NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks. “The Giants could open their checkbook and re-sign Daniel Jones after the quarterback played his best football in 2022. Giving Danny Dimes a bona fide No. 1 wideout could help him take his game to another level in 2023,” Brooks said of his mock draft selection.
The Draft Network describes Flowers as “an electric player in space” that can make an impact at all three levels, and provides an offense with a “dynamic run-after-catch option.” His weaknesses, however, lie within his body type. Zay Flowers has a “lack of mass and height” and also lacks “functional strength as a run blocker,” per TDN.
While Flowers is looked at as a dynamic receiving threat that could excel from the slot in the NFL, that might not be exactly what the Giants are looking for out of their first-round pick. In the second round of last year’s draft, Big Blue selected a player with a similar skillset to Flowers in Wan’Dale Robinson.
The Giants’ 2022 draft pick showed a lot of promise before his rookie season was cut short due to injury. The Giants have high hopes for Robinson, though, and it seems like a selection of Zay Flowers might be a bit redundant considering the two players’ abilities to play the same role with a similar skill set.
Zay Flowers could still be a strong option for the Giants, however, if they trust his ability to play on the outside. Flowers is an explosive athlete with the route-running abilities to get himself open and make plays after the catch. The Giants are in need of an offensive playmaker and Zay Flowers fits the description.
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