Good morning New York Giants fans, happy Saturday and welcome to the second day of Rivalry Weekend!
The schedule makers kicked things off on Friday with Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, Texas vs. Texas A&M, and Arizona vs. Arizona state.
Today we have:
- Ohio State vs. Michigan
- Clemson vs. South Carolina
- Oregon vs. Washington
- Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee
- Florida vs. Florida State
- Virginia vs. Virginia Tech
- Alabama vs. Auburn
- USC vs. UCLA
- Notre Dame vs. Stanford.
We won’t be highlighting all of those games today, but I’d encourage everyone to check out any and every game that interests you. I’ll try to highlight some games that should be interesting from a Giants’ draft perspective.
(15) Michigan vs. (1) Ohio State
FOX – noon
I’ve been waiting for this game to talk about Ohio State again. The Buckeyes are once again absolutely stacked with talent and have multiple players the Giants could — should — consider at the top of the draft. The most obvious is safety Caleb Downs, who might be the best player in the draft but will likely be a phenomenal value for whoever drafts him due to being a safety.
Unfortunately for Downs, safeties don’t have enough of an impact on a down-to-down basis, or rely enough on rare athletic traits, to be a “premium” position like a cornerback, edge defender, offensive tackle, and wide receiver. Selecting Downs in the Top 5 or Top 10 could be foisting unrealistic xpectations on the young man, effectively forcing him to be a “Gold Jacket Or Bust” player before he steps foot on the field as a rookie.
Depending on how things shake out, the Giants could also take a long look at wide receiver Carnell Tate in the first round. There are some lingering concerns regarding Tate’s 40 time with regard to the draft, but that hasn’t stopped him from absolutely thriving this year. I’m fond of saying that “size is not a skill”, and neither is speed. Tate has great size, incredibly sticky hands, and the ability to be a vertical threat as well as a precision route runner. Tate is questionable with an undisclosed injury, but he has had an excellent season as Ohio State’s 1b receiver.
Ultimately, this is one of those games that is just jam packed with NFL players. As usual, my best advice is to watch, enjoy, and take note of who jumps off the screen.
Players to watch
(15) Michigan
- Justice Haynes (RB – 22) *questionable
- Jaishawn Barham (EDGE – 1)
- Derrick Moore (EDGE – 8)
- Jyaire Hill (CB – 20)
- Zeke Berry (S – 10)
(1) Ohio State
- Austin Siereveld (OT – 67)
- Carnell Tate (WR – 17) *questionable
- Max Klare (TE – 86)
- Kayden McDonald (iDL – 98)
- Arvell Reese (LB/EDGE – 8)
- Sonny Styles (LB – 0)
- Davison Igbinosun (CB – 1)
- Caleb Downs (S – 2)
Washington vs. (6) Oregon
CBS – 3:30 p.m.
The ghost of the Pac-12 lives! It wasn’t all that long ago that this game would essentially determine which team would determine who would represent the Pac-12 in the College Football Playoffs. Sadly, the Pac-12 has fallen by the wayside and these teams are now in the Big 10, which still just feels weird.
We’ve talked about Oregon a fair bit, and quarterback Dante Moore will be the most influential player in this game. The Giants don’t need a quarterback, but Moore declaring for the Draft could allow the Giants to auction off the right to draft him (or Fernando Mendoza) if they finish with a top draft pick.
But for the Giants, I want to focus on Washington receiver Denzel Boston. Boston is a big (6-foot-4, 210-pound) receiver who’s worked his way into the first round this year. Boston isn’t getting the same buzz as Jordyn Tyson, Makai Lemon, or Carnell Tate, but he has been a very good deep threat who also has upside as a possession receiver in “gotta have it” situations. He has sticky hands, great concentration, and is a surprisingly fluid route runner. He could be a great option if the Giants decide to add a highly-drafted receiver but aren’t in the top 10, or engineer a trade down.
Players to watch
Washington
- Jonah Coleman (RB – 1)
- Denzel Boston (WR – 12)
- Tacario Davis (CB – 8)
- Ephesians Prysock (CB – 7)
(6) Oregon
- Dante Moore (QB – 5) *red-shirt sophomore
- Isaiah World (OT – 76)
- Emmanuel Pregnon (LG – 75)
- Iapani Laloulu (OC – 72)
- Kenyon Sadiq (TE – 18)
- A’Mauri Washington (iDL – 52)
- Bear Alexander (iDL – 1)
- Mateo Uiagalelei (EDGE – 10)
- Dillon Thieneman (S – 31)
Auburn vs. (10) Alabama
ABC – 7:30 p.m.
We pretty much have to talk about the Iron Bowl. These two teams always play each other tough, and this game is a highlight even when the two are far apart in the rankings.
Alabama is, as always, a focus for scouting, and there will always be future NFL players on the field in this game. QB Ty Simpson is probably the most interesting player in the game, and another one who could declare this year to avoid what could be a stacked 2027 quarterback class. He only has one year of starting experience, but has played very well this year and could be one of the first three quarterbacks off the board.
That said, Auburn defensive end Keldric Faulk is one of the top defenders in the upcoming draft class, and could be of interest to the Giants — depending on their defensive philosophy next year, of course.
Faulk is a big, powerful defensive lineman at 6-foot-6, 285 pounds who will likely be a 7-technique or 5-technique at the NFL level. He’s a power player through and through who depends on overpowering blockers and working through the whistle. Faulk won’t win with burst at the snap or bend around the edge, and will need to continue to develop his technique to beat blocker quickly at the next level.
Players to watch
Auburn
- Jeremiah Wright (OG – 77)
- Xavier Chaplin (OT – 65)
- Eric Singleton Jr. (WR – 1)
- Keldric Faulk (DE – 15)
- Raion Strader (CB -13)
Alabama
- Ty Simpson (QB – 15)
- Kadyn Proctor (OT – 74)
- Jaeden Roberts (OG – 77)
- Germie Bernard (WR – 5)
- LT Overton (DL – 22)
- Tim Keenan III (DL – 96)
- Deontae Lawson (LB – 0)
- Keon Sabb (S – 3)
- Bray Hubbard (S – 18)
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