One of the more entertaining parts of the pre-draft process is learning which pro comparisons are given to top prospects. It’s a measure that helps casual fans recognize potential and understand what sort of style certain players will bring to the NFL.
Pro comparisons also help break up the relentless monotony of mock drafts.
Late last week, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar offered up his comparisons for the top 50 prospects in the 2023 NFL draft class. Seven of them were compared to players who, at one point or another, suited up for the New York Giants.
Here’s a look at all seven prospects who were compared to current or former members of Big Blue.
Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois: Sam Madison
Sam Madison, who joined the Giants as a veteran in 2006, was a tremendous leader who helped solidify the secondary. He was a key piece on the team that took down Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in 2007.
Here’s Farrar’s take on the comparison:
Selected by the Dolphins in the second round of the 1997 draft out of Louisville, Madison transcended any concerns about his size (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) with great movement skills and the toughness to take any receiver right to the woodshed. Madison parlayed all that into four Pro Bowl appearances and two All-Pro nominations. Witherspoon seems to have the tools to possibly put up an equivalent NFL career, given the right home.
Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie joined the Giants in 2014 and spent four seasons with the team as their No. 1 cornerback. He earned one Pro Bowl nod while in East Rutherford and was named Second-Team All-Pro in 2016.
From Farrar:
There’s a little Richard Sherman to Gonzalez’s game in that he defends every deep fade with a curiosity that any quarterback would try such a thing, but Gonzalez also has a smoothness to his game that’s just unusual for his size, and he doesn’t have Sherm’s obvious desire to physically embarrass his opponent. That puts me in mind of Rodgers-Cromartie, who at his best was just impossible for receivers to shake.
Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech: Jason Pierre-Paul
The Giants selected Jason Pierre-Paul in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft and his impact was immediate. Over his eight seasons with the Giants, JPP recorded more than 430 tackles to go along with 58.5 sacks and a Super Bowl title. Most will recall his fireworks incident but both before and after that accident, JPP was dominant.
From Farrar:
The Giants selected Pierre-Paul out of USF with the 15th pick in the 2010 draft despite the fact that Pierre-Paul was quite raw, because his tools were off the charts. Sound familiar? Well, it took Pierre-Paul exactly one season to blow up in the NFL’s face, with a 17-sack, 72-pressure season in 2011 in which he was just about unblockable from anywhere in Big Blue’s fronts. I would not be at all surprised if Wilson was able to make the same jump.
Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee: Kareem McKenzie
The Giants signed Kareem McKenzie, a New Jersey native, in 2005 after he spent four seasons with the New York Jets. McKenzie would go on to become a dominant right tackle for what some would argue was the best offensive line group in Giants history. That unit helped lead the Giants to two Super Bowl titles.
From Farrar:
Selected in the third round of the 2001 draft out of Penn State by the Jets, the 6-foot-6, 330-pound McKenzie brought serious run-blocking attitude and eventually elevated technique to the right tackle position for the Jets and Giants through the 2011 season. Wright may not be your top choice if you’re into athletic, graceful blockers, but if you want a true earthdog who can announce his presence with authority, he’s the best offensive lineman in this class.
Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State: Darren Waller
Darren Waller, of course, was the Giants’ most significant offseason addition. He was acquired in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders and is poised to be the No. 1 target for quarterback Daniel Jones this season.
From Farrar:
Selected in the sixth round of the 2015 draft by the Ravens out of Georgia Tech, Waller overcame personal issues to become one of the NFL’s most explosive pass-catching tight ends. Musgrave doesn’t have Waller’s longer track speed (Waller ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at his scouting combine), but the 1.58-second 10-yard splits are identical, and from the deep play potential to the blocking issues to the occasionally maddening drops, Musgrave looks a lot like Waller to me.
Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee: Geno Smith
Geno Smith spent just one season with the Giants in 2017, primarily serving as the backup to Eli Manning. However, he made one very controversial start in a loss to the Raiders which ultimately led to the firing of then-head coach Ben McAdoo.
From Farrar:
It took Smith a long time to succeed at the NFL level for multiple reasons, but when he finally caught on all the way with the Seahawks, he combined athleticism, accuracy, velocity to the second and third levels, and leadership attributes to make himself into a franchise quarterback. Smith also had to adjust to the NFL from his college offense, and while that’s also the case for Hooker coming out of Josh Heupel’s Air Raid/veer system, Hooker has already shown enough to make his NFL graduation relatively seamless.
Drew Sanders, LB/EDGE, Arkansas: Connor Barwin
Connor Barwin spent the final season of his NFL career (2018) with the Giants where he appeared in 15 games with three starts. He recorded 12 tackles and one sack that year. He is best known for his time with the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles.
From Farrar:
The Texans took Barwin in the second round of the 2009 draft out of Cincinnati, and while Barwin always had a decent number of snaps in the box throughout his career with Houston, the Eagles, the Rams, and the Giants, he was primarily an edge guy — and a very good one at his peak, with three seasons of double-digit sacks. Sanders profiles pretty well in that same way.
