4 players Giants should keep an eye on at 2023 NFL Combine
With the NFL season now officially in the rearview mirror, it's time to shift focus to the 2023 NFL Combine.
Beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 28, hundreds of draft-eligible players will convene at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis as NFL scouts evaluate them on a variety of medical, mental and physical criteria.
The hope is for teams to get a better look at some of the prospects they’re interested in, as well as uncover any hidden talent that might have gone previously unnoticed. The Giants are no exception, so here are four players Big Blue should keep an eye on...
WR Jordan Addison (USC)
The 6-foot, 170-pound junior from Frederick, Md. transferred to USC from Pitt after enjoying a phenomenal sophomore season, where he had 100 receptions, 1,593 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns in 14 games with the Panthers and Kenny Pickett as his quarterback.
As a Trojan with fellow transfer Caleb Williams throwing him the ball, Addison couldn't replicate his breakout season but still played well on a team that had hopes of going to the College Football Playoff. In 11 games, the former Biletnikoff Award winner caught 59 passes for 875 yards and eight touchdowns, although six of those touchdowns came in the first four weeks of the season.
Addison had to leave the Pac-12 Championship Game against Utah on Dec. 2 with a left ankle injury, which he first sustained against the Utes on Oct. 15, causing him to the miss the next two games. Re-injuring the ankle made the wide receiver miss the Cotton Bowl against Tulane, but it was not considered serious or long-term.
CB Cam Smith (South Carolina)
After playing in just two games in 2019 as a redshirt freshman, Smith played in 30 games the next three seasons, including 22 out of 22 regular season games his last two seasons with the Gamecocks. He did miss the Gator Bowl this season against Notre Dame, though, declaring for the NFL Draft instead.
As a junior, the 6-foot, 188-pound cornerback accumulated 27 total tackles (23 solo, 4 assisted), five passes defended and added an interception. Throughout his career, the South Carolina native totaled 91 tackles, 18 pass deflections and six interceptions.
Statistically, Smith's best season came as a sophomore, when he lit up the stat sheet with 41 total tackles, 11 passes defended, three interceptions and a forced fumble.
CB Joey Porter Jr. (Penn State)
Born in Bakersfield, Calif, Porter Jr. traveled cross-country to play football at Penn State. After redshirting during his freshman year, he really came into his own during his sophomore season, where he played in 13 games and had 50 total tackles (39 solo, 11 assisted), four passes defended and an interception.
The 6-foot-2, 198-pounder missed some time toward the end of the regular season during his junior year with appendicitis, but he suited up in his final collegiate game against Michigan State on Nov. 26 and had one assisted tackle in the team's win.
After the regular season, Porter Jr. decided to forego playing in the Rose Bowl against Utah and declared for the NFL Draft. In 34 career games, he amassed 113 total tackles, 20 pass deflections, two tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and one fumble recovery.
Although his numbers as a junior didn't jump off the page like they did as a sophomore, Porter Jr. remains one of the best cornerback prospects in the draft.
OL O'Cyrus Torrence (Florida)
At 6-foot-5 and 347 pounds, Torrence certainly has the size to be an NFL offensive lineman. He also has the experience, starting in 13 of Louisiana's 14 games as a freshman, the first true freshman to start a game on the offensive line for the Ragin' Cajuns since Jesse Newman in 2004.
After that, Torrence started in 23 out of a possible 25 games for Louisiana, making his presence felt along with an offensive line unit that finished the 2020 season ranked fifth nationally and first in the Sun Belt Conference in tackles-for-loss allowed (3.64), as well as seventh nationally and first in the league in sacks allowed (0.82). He was named Second-Team All-Sun-Belt in 2020 and First-Team All-Sun-Belt in 2021.
Then, following head coach Billy Napier to Florida before the 2022 season, Torrence upped his game even more. Starting in 11 games, he was the first Gators offensive guard to be named a Consensus All-American and was also named to a slew of other honors, including First Team All-Sec and AFCA First Team All-America.