The Giants want corners, and their actions on the NFL Draft professional day circuit point out they’re doing shut homework on among the prime cowl guys.
A Giants contingent took projected first-round South Carolina nook Cam Smith out to dinner final week the night time earlier than the Gamecocks’ professional day, a number of sources advised the Daily News.
Meanwhile, some league sources say to not ignore Smith’s school teammate, 6-2, 198-pound nook Darius Rush, when Joe Schoen is on the clock within the center rounds in late April.
The 6-1, 180-pound Smith is a well-liked prospect with spectacular size who “can play man coverage at outside corner and nickel” within the NFL, one coach mentioned.
Many scouts and coaches imagine Smith might land within the late first spherical, which is the place the Giants maintain the No. 25 general choose.
But a number of sources identified that Rush has had the higher spring, together with a robust Senior Bowl and a 4.36 40-yard sprint to Smith’s 4.43 on the NFL Combine.
And as a transformed vast receiver with solely two years as a beginning nook, Rush is seen as a growing defensive participant on the rise. He’s additionally an excellent gunner on punt protection.
Multiple sources imagine he might go anyplace between the second and fourth rounds.
“A lot of upside,” one scout mentioned.
Evaluators additionally appear to view Rush as a cleaner prospect than Smith. Some, subsequently, see Smith as a late-first spherical danger and a greater worth within the second.
That’s why the Giants do their homework, although, together with dinners out with gamers on their radar: to get to know the individual, not simply the participant, and discover out who might be a match.
And with the Minnesota Vikings (No. 23) and Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 24) each in want of out of doors corners — and choosing proper in entrance of the Giants — Schoen must have all choices on the desk.
He definitely has loads of wants on this roster, together with two that proceed to face out after the primary wave of free company at vast receiver and inside offensive line.
DRAFT NUGGETS
Texas operating again Bijan Robinson looks like a pure match for the Dallas Cowboys at No. 26 general after the discharge of Ezekiel Elliott, however it’s tough to see one of many draft’s most well-rounded prospects falling that far down the board. The Philadelphia Eagles (No. 10), Tennessee Titans (No. 11) and Detroit Lions (No. 18) are just some examples of groups to observe for an offensive weapon who might make a direct impression, in a draft with out a star vast receiver … Michigan State linebacker Ben VanSumeren blew groups away on the Spartans’ professional day final week with a 42.5-inch vertical, a 4.4 40-yard sprint, a 10-foot, 11-inch broad soar and 29 bench press reps. VanSumeren wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine, but when he had posted these numbers in Indianapolis, he would have topped all 2023 mix linebackers within the vertical soar and broad soar, tied for the most effective bench press, and completed second within the 40. The Giants maintain three seventh-round picks in April’s draft. VanSumeren is a candidate to be one in every of them, if not an undrafted free agent signing … The Giants have 10 picks within the 2023 NFL Draft, which might be held April 27-29 in Kansas City, Mo.: First spherical: No. 25 general. Second spherical: No. 57 (twenty sixth of spherical). Third spherical: No. 89 (twenty sixth). Fourth spherical: No. 128 (twenty sixth). Fifth spherical: No. 160 (twenty sixth), No. 172 (thirty eighth) compensatory choose. Sixth spherical: No. 209 (thirty second), from KC. Seventh spherical: No. 240 (twenty third) from Balt, No. 243 (twenty sixth), No. 254 (thirty seventh) compensatory.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com