We are under two weeks away from the NFL draft. And the conventional wisdom about the Giants is beginning to change.
Everyone thought general manager Joe Schoen would target a wide receiver in the first round. Especially after he spent all of March giving modest deals to No. 3 wideouts. But it sounds like this year’s crop of pass catchers has underwhelmed on the pre-draft circuit. So speculation has shifted to Plan B — a cornerback.
It makes sense. The Giants struggled to force takeaways in 2022. Plus Adoree’ Jackson is injury-prone and likely entering his final season in town. So they could certainly use a corner. And one potential option — Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes — has a big fan in ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.
I’ve been calling Forbes this draft’s “Splendid Splinter” because of his frame. He’s skinny — 6-1, 166 pounds. (No, I don’t know whether he can swing a bat like Ted Williams.) Forbes doesn’t play small, though, and in fact, he never missed a game for the Bulldogs. He was a ball hawk, picking off 14 passes with six pick-sixes. Those are fantastic numbers. You can’t teach his instincts.
Forbes can be a boom-or-bust player at times — he got beat deep a few times while playing against some of the country’s best wideouts in the SEC — but he could be an elite player. He has the speed (4.35-second 40-yard dash at the combine) and ball skills to immediately be a team’s No. 1 corner.
Kiper says Forbes is his No. 4-ranked corner, and he believes five or six will go off the board in the first round. The Giants pick at No. 25. So he figures to be in their range. It’s going to be a fascinating night come April 26. Schoen got handed a couple of relative layups last year with Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal. This year will be far more challenging. And much more important in the grand scheme of the rebuild.
James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.
