Analyzing Giants' undrafted free agent signings following 2023 NFL Draft
After their seven picks in the 2023 NFL Draft were generally well received by analysts, the Giants were not done with trying to find some diamonds in the rough. They’ve signed several undrafted free agents and invited many others to try out at rookie minicamp. They’ll be holding out hope they could be about to find the next Victor Cruz.
Last season, the Giants had good success with their undrafted rookies as Tomon Fox, Zyon Gilbert and Ryder Anderson all contributed, starting at least one game each. Anderson wasn’t even part of their initial UDFA last season but was signed a few weeks after the draft after a minicamp tryout.
Can they get similar contributions from any of these additions? Let’s review the players they brought in.
Illinois QB Tommy DeVito
DeVito is a local prospect who spent the first four years of his college career at Syracuse. He was a starter as a sophomore, throwing 19 touchdown passes with just five interceptions, but a leg injury in his junior year derailed his development. After transferring to Illinois, he completed almost 70 percent of his passes and threw 15 touchdowns with just four interceptions in 2022. He also rushed for six touchdowns.
The Giants entered the weekend with just Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor on the roster, so DeVito has a reasonably good chance to secure a spot as the third quarterback if he impresses during the offseason.
Pittsburgh OLB Habakkuk Baldonado
Depth at the edge defender positions was one draft need that went unaddressed for the Giants, so a player like Baldonado could get an opportunity to compete for playing time with the likes of Anderson and Fox.
Baldonado is a player who was projected as a potential late round pick by NFL.com, despite only registering two sacks in an injury-affected senior year. In 2021, Baldonado earned himself all-ACC second-team honors as he racked up nine sacks.
West Virginia WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton
Ford-Wheaton was a projected mid-round pick and regarded by many outlets as one of the top players not to be selected in this year’s draft. He has intriguing measurables at 6-foot-4, as he ran a sub-4.4 in the 40-yard dash at the combine and also posted a 41-inch vertical and good agility numbers.
Although Ford-Wheaton’s college production was at times underwhelming, he did catch 62 passes in 2022, including seven touchdowns. He has the skill set to compete for a roster spot as a developmental project and possible red zone target with the Giants, who also drafted wide receiver Jalin Hyatt on Day 2.
The rest of the Giants’ 2023 undrafted free agent signings
The Giants reportedly rounded out their 2023 group with Toledo inside linebacker Dyontae Johnson, Michigan cornerback Gemon Green, Charlotte long snapper Cameron Lyons, Ole Miss linebacker Troy Brown and East Carolina tight end Ryan Jones. All moves should be officially confirmed by the team within the next few days.
From this group, Green has good size and some special teams abilities, Johnson is versatile with some pass rush potential, and Brown was a three-time all-MAC selection with Central Michigan before transferring to the SEC and racking up 93 tackles last season.
Conclusions
With only eight roster spots open, it looks like the Giants went for quality over quantity as they selected a small group of players, some of whom were thought to be worthy of being drafted by some analysts. The odds that a few of these players help the team during the upcoming seasons seem good.
