NFL Draft 2024: Best available players for New York Giants on Day 3

The New York Giants on Thursday drafted their star wide receiver, LSU’s Malik Nabers, with the sixth selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. On Day 2, they added two pieces to their secondary in Minnesota’s safety, Tyler Nubin (47th) and Kentucky cornerback Andru Phillips (70th). Both Nabers and Phillips were top-30 visits for the Giants.

The Giants currently have only three more selections: No. 107 in Round 4, No. 166 in Round 5, and Pick 183 in Round 6. Oregon wide receiver Troy Franklin and USC wide receiver Branden Rice are still on the board, but I won’t list receivers below after the Round 1 selection of Nabers. Here are players that could interest the Giants on Day 3.

The Big Board after Day 2

Offense

Defense

Spencer Rattler, QB, South Carolina

Rattler is a mechanically sound quarterback with precise footwork and a quick release. South Carolina’s offensive line did him few favors in 2023, but he did a very good job navigating a bad situation while displaying exceptional competitive toughness and creativity. His arm talent allows him to access every field area, and he displayed anticipatory skills over the middle of the field. Rattler was 38 of 61 (62%) when targeting the middle of the field beyond 10 yards.

Rattler’s ability to throw with anticipation over the middle of the field, combined with his patience to wait for secondary throwing windows, shows not only good judgment but also an understanding of how to properly vary his targets between the hashes depending on the coverage/play; this could, and should, be enhanced if he is presented more time to throw – something he did not have in 2023.

Rattler forces some deep throws. From the 2022 film I saw, his decision-making improved from 2022 to 2023, but it wasn’t consistent. However, his vision against zone coverage, combined with his touch, was a positive. Overall, Rattler can efficiently work quick game and operate the short-intermediate parts of the field well. While his arm isn’t huge, he has very good arm talent and can push the football down the field at a functional rate. He may best fit into a West Coast scheme that is predicated on quick-timing and sound fundamentals, but he isn’t limited to that offense.

Joe Milton III, QB, Tennessee

If there’s a developmental quarterback I want to take a swing on, it’s Joe Milton III and the Howitzer attached to his torso. He started his college career at Michigan and transferred to Tennessee, where he backed up Hendon Hooker. He started all 12 games of the 2023 season, passing for 2,813 yards with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also had seven rushing touchdowns with 299 rushing yards. He is far from a finished product, but well worth the risk on Day 3 with Brian Daboll as the coach.

Jaylen Wright, RB, Tennessee

In today’s NFL, explosive plays are paramount on offense, and Jaylen Wright does a great job flipping the field for the offense; Wright had 34 explosive runs, 43 missed tackles forced, and averaged over nine yards a carry in five games through the 2023 season. Wright is explosive with breakaway speed, light feet, and the mentality to run through opposing tacklers. He’s not going to be a pile mover in the NFL, and I wish he was used more as a receiver in college; I believe there’s more meat on the bone with his receiving ability, but Tennessee coach Josh Heupel’s offense didn’t feature the running back in their passing attack.

Wright can improve in pass protection, but his ability to identify and locate is sound – he just needs a bit more help with his overall technique of absorbing the contact and steering the defender away from the pocket. Wright is an excellent change of pace back who is very elusive. He has the upside to eventually be a 1a in a running back by committee but may need to start as a valuable second option with game-changing ability. The value of speed in an offense carries a lot of weight and Wright provides that.

Theo Johnson, TE, Penn State

Johnson is a rare athlete who had limited production in college. The Giants had Johnson in for a Top-30 visit. Johnson has an above-average blend of size and speed for an NFL tight end. He has a ton of potential with not a lot of college production. He can play in any system and is a functional blocker that is technically sound, albeit not dominating. His play strength won’t be an issue, but it won’t be a true asset either.

Johnson’s ability to deceptively run routes and disguise his breaks will lead to more separation; that, coupled with his natural hands and ability to extend away from his frame, should provide wider throwing windows for quarterbacks at the next level. Johnson should be productive early in his career and can carve out a role on any offense.

Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas

Many had Sanders valued as a Day 2 selection, but the two-time First-Team All-Big 12 selection, who set Texas’ single-season school record for receptions by a tight end with 54 in 2022 is still on the board. Sanders is a good athlete who isn’t the most precise route runner but offers a useful skill set as a move-type of tight end.

Sanders is functional as a blocker on the move, and he makes catching the football in stride look easy. He started 27 of 39 games with 99 catches for 1,295 yards and seven career touchdowns with just four drops. The 6’4, 254-pound TE should come off the board soon.

Mekhi Wingo, DL, LSU

Quick, adaptive, and flexible – Wingo is great in a phone booth with a slippery nature and an authoritative punch that can stun an offensive lineman. He has an array of moves and understands how/when to strike to maximize separation while staying low into contact. Wingo flashed the ability to also win on the edge, which can give defenses a versatile option who isn’t a liability across the line of scrimmage.

Wingo’s ability to get upfield to disrupt wasn’t necessarily maximized in LSU’s ODD defense where he played 4i-shade and 4-technique in non-passing situations; that fact, combined with the gap-exchange element of laterally moving at the snap limited his penetration ability through the gap he was aligned over pre-snap. Still, his excellent lateral agility and low center of gravity while moving allowed him to successfully attack the half-man of blockers, but it’s plausible that his burst could be successfully employed as a 3-technique in an even front, while also being an asset in a defense like Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen uses, one that frequently uses twists to create four-man pressure.

Wingo is an elite competitor who will win over the fanbase of the team that selects him. He’s versatile, plays with excellent leverage, and is a different task to frame due to his lateral movement skills and low nature. However, that low nature can get him in trouble against bigger guards who quickly set him and control his chest. Despite that, he’s a good and disruptive football player with efficient hands, a plan, and the short-area-quickness to win as a pass rusher at the next level.

Javon Solomon, edge, Troy

Javon Solomon is an incredibly quick pass rusher with effective bend, burst, and hand usage to separate from offensive tackles. He is a high-side rusher who is best utilized from a wide stance. His ability to bend through contact with a relentless motor will give him a shot as a situational pass rusher. Solomon’s size and anchor ability are question marks. He’s not a terrible run defender, but he was in an aggressive attacking system at Troy that did not have him anchor in place often; when he did, double teams uprooted him at the lower level of competition.

In the right system, with the correct usage, Solomon can be a good asset on defense, especially if he’s a situational pass rusher who gets to pin his ears back and hunt the quarterback.

Teams covet natural pass-rushing skills with the necessary burst to threaten tackle’s high side and the pass-rushing savvy/timing to adjust when appropriate. The NFL speed will be an adjustment for Solomon – and his smaller stature could pose a problem – but he’s an undersized rusher I am willing to take a shot on.

Gabriel Murphy, edge, UCLA

He’s a 23-year-old edge defender who has sub-31-inch arms – not good! Still, like Solomon, he’s an explosive threat off the edge who fits Bowen’s Wide-9 system. Murphy had 16 tackles for a loss, eight sacks, and 61 pressures in 2023. He began his college career at North Texas before transferring to UCLA for his final two seasons. He started 41 of 50 college games and could be a productive situational pass-rushing specialist.

Tyrice Knight, LB, UTEP

Tyrice Knight is a productive linebacker with above-average eyes in the box and a solid feel for sifting through traffic. He’s a solid overall athlete who is a bit tight in his hips but sports impressive explosive ability when going downhill. Knight was effective as a box linebacker and used his eyes and ability to dip around/under-blocking attempts from offensive linemen to tackle the running back successfully; he reacts quickly to his run keys, which helps him most of the time, but misdirections would lead him astray. Still he dled the FBS with 75 STOPs (PFF) for a reason – he hawks ball carriers down and finds ways to make difference-making plays.

Knight has to get stronger when stacking and shedding offensive linemen; once an offensive lineman gained his chest, Knight was too frequently driven off his spot and eliminated from the play. Knight is functional in zone coverage and maintained eye contact often with the quarterback, which allowed him to make plays on the football, but also led to slip-ups on the backend in the shallow and intermediate zones. Knight doesn’t have much special teams experience, but I still think there’s upside in that area.

The Giants had Knight in for a Top-30 visit, and I understand why. Michael Ghobrial will find a role for him on special teams, and the Giants need depth behind Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden. Knight would push McFadden for snaps and offers a different skill set than the former Indiana Hoosier. Knight has questions about his game, and he’s an older prospect, but he has quality tape and traits that suggest he’s worth a Day 3 pick.

Audric Estimé, RB, Notre Dame

Not to be redundant, but I must add Notre Dame RB Adric Estimé, who was in yesterday’s article, as a possible option for the Giants in Round 3. The Giants had Estimé in for a Top-30 visit.

I get it, he ran a 4.71 at the Combine, which could drop him out of Day 2. Still, I really appreciate Estimé’s throwback-in-nature game and running style, which is combined with good footwork and vision. He’s physical and powerful, with good control and contact balance. He’s the type of back who can run through arm tackles and consistently pick up hard-earned yardage—a fan-favorite type of back. Still, he lacks receiving experience, is just a solid athlete, and lacks the home run-hitting value many other backs possess.

Estimé may not be the most explosive back, but he’s a patient football runner who should thrive in short-yardage situations with the upside of being a very good change-of-pace back to start with the body type to receive double-digit carries in the NFL. Estimé is best suited for a downhill rushing attack that features counter and power/gap concepts, but he has the vision, patience, and feet to play in a zone system. He has the upside to be a starter, especially if he proves himself as a receiver.