New York Giants Draft: 3 potential Day 3 targets

The New York Giants possess a trio of selections on the third day of the NFL Draft. Who could they possibly target?

Unfortunately, the New York Giants don’t own 10 draft picks like they did last year. Following multiple moves (the trades for Isaac Yiadom and Leonard Williams along with the trade of Markus Golden), Big Blue possesses just six picks this year, three of which will be on Day 3 of the annual event (rounds 4-7).

Yes, much of the attention goes towards the ever-crucial early rounds. That’s why when you turn on the television you tend to see a great deal of Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson, as well as a few Trey Lance segments here and there. But the draft “steals” are intriguing; the act of rolling the dice on a not-so-popular player and the move paying off in a huge way is something that highly interests fans.

These “steals” usually occur on Day 3, a portion of the draft much more important than most people perceive it to be.

The Giants own a trio of choices on that day, one in the fourth round (No. 107 overall) and a pair in the sixth (No. 172 and 177 overall). The positions to target? Likely a running back, interior offensive lineman, and defensive back.

Who could be available? Who could the Giants scout with the draft creeping closer and closer?

RB Chuba Hubbard

The Oklahoma State running back was a star in 2019, having earned a first-team All-Big 12 selection, a unanimous All-American selection, and the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Award that season. But his down year in 2020 is what’s caused his draft stock to descend. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry this past season in comparison to 6.4 yards per carry in 2019. Hubbard additionally averaged 89.3 rushing yards per game in 2020 after averaging 161.1 rushing yards the year prior.

He’s not much of a receiving threat either, having only caught 53 balls in 33 total collegiate games.

But the Giants won’t need him to be a star. Amid the potential exits of Wayne Gallman and Alfred Morris (the former moreso than the latter) via free agency, the organization needs a reliable backup for whenever Saquon Barkley requires a breather or (and let’s hope it doesn’t get to this point again) suffers a health-related setback.

Despite his not-as-flashy 2020 campaign, Hubbard is still wildly talented. He’s patient after the handoff and is able to set up his blockers prior to aggressively hitting the hole and utilizes pure speed whenever he’s in space. Not to mention, Chuba additionally makes the right cuts and can still make something happen if the hole isn’t initially there — he employs above-average vision.

If he’s available, the Giants should definitely consider Hubbard; there wouldn’t be much downside to the move at all.

OG Bryce Hargrove

Bryce Hargrove started 11 games at left guard for Pitt last year and his efforts led to him becoming an All-ACC Honorable Mention selection.

He sports superb size at 6-foot-4, 320 pounds but still has great footwork and keeps his eyes up and head on a swivel, always looking for the next defender. Hargrove tends to reach for the opponent at times, but that’s something the Giants coaching staff could work on if he were to come to East Rutherford.

Drafting Hargrove would lead to the Giants initially utilizing him as a depth piece — there’s no chance he’d start right away. He would be a reserve interior offensive lineman behind Shane Lemieux, Kevin Zeitler, and Will Hernandez, although it’s still unclear whether Zeitler will be a cap casualty or moved this offseason.

That doesn’t mean Hargrove wouldn’t eventually be able to start though — the Giants drafted Lemieux in last year’s fifth round and he ended up starting the final nine regular-season matchups in 2020.

CB Kary Vincent Jr.

LSU cornerback Kary Vincent Jr. opted out of the 2020 season in order to prepare for the NFL Draft, and while he’s only 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, he’s superbly athletic and versatile.

Vincent sports great ball skills (he snags the ball at its highest point) and is aggressive enough to come up and hit. He additionally implements lighting-fast speed and can rush the passer; the on-field versatility from the secondary would be huge for defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who seeks that type of prestigious quality in his players.

Through 15 games in 2019, Vincent racked up 47 total tackles, four interceptions, and eight pass breakups for the Tigers.

The Giants will likely address the defensive backfield in the earlier rounds since they need an eventual long-term second cornerback to thrive alongside Pro Bowler James Bradberry. But for depth purposes, the front office will probably revisit the position on Day 3, which is when they could land Vincent.