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The New York Giants have yet to truly address the wide receiver position in NFL free agency — outside of re-signing Isaiah Hodgins and WR/returner Gunner Olszewski, while bringing in another WR/returner in Isaiah McKenzie.
None of those players are expected to start, however, which makes wide receiver a clear need in the NFL draft. It’s long been rumored that the Giants could remake their WR corps with a new potential rising superstar like Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze at No. 6 overall.
But what if they go quarterback or offensive line in round one?
Bleacher Report scouting expert Derrik Klassen connected Big Blue to a different wide receiver prospect during an article on March 28. Citing “size and speed” as his top attributes, Klassen named the Giants as the number one “team fit” for South Carolina playmaker Xavier Legette.
“Big man run fast,” the analyst began jokingly. “Sometimes it’s that simple.”
“That’s certainly the gist of things with Xavier Legette,” he continued. “A fifth-year breakout, he brings outrageous speed and explosion for a 6’1″, 221-pounder. That athleticism shows up best when he has the ball in his hands. Once he’s a ball-carrier, he turns into a hulking mass of man barreling through defenses with serious speed.”
Klassen also listed the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams as potential landing spots for Legette in the NFL draft.
Xavier Legette Profiles as Upside ‘Day 2’ WR Talent in NFL Draft
Legette is viewed by some as a player who has yet to reach his ceiling.
“[2023] is the first year [Legette] had over 30 targets in his entire career, so of course he’s still green and should be moldable for whoever gets him,” an NFC national scout told NFL Network expert Lance Zierlein. Noting that “he’s a good kick returner, too.”
Legette “makes full use of his size and play strength in one-on-one battles” and “owns his space and [the] defender’s space when [the] catch is contested,” Zierlein scouted. The NFL Network analyst did acknowledge that his route-running could be smoother, but also credited Legette with “stealth acceleration.”
“Add toughness as a runner and run blocker to his profile of competitiveness and he becomes a Day 2 talent with the potential to develop into a starter,” Zierlein concluded.
The 6-foot-1 battering ram ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. Klassen compared him to former late first-round NFL wideout Kenny Britt, ranking him as the 13th best pass-catcher in the draft.
Derrik Klassen Likes Rome Odunze for Giants at No. 6
If the Giants go with a wide receiver in round one, Klassen appeared to like Washington star Rome Odunze as more of a fit than Nabers — assuming Harrison is off the board.
“Some receivers just catch the ball. Simple as that,” Klassen stated of Odunze within the same article. “Think of players such as Larry Fitzgerald, Mike Evans and DeAndre Hopkins. Skilled as they may be at other aspects of the position, the foundation of their games is that the ball does not escape their grasp under any circumstance.”
The Bleacher Report scout believes “ball skills” are Odunze’s best trait, and he named the Giants as the number one fit for the former Husky.
“At a fraction under 6’3″ and 213 pounds, the 21-year-old brings the exact type of frame you expect of a ball-winner,” Klassen detailed on. “He’s tall, long and well-built, perfectly sculpted for the task of bringing down difficult catches. From a technical standpoint, it’s hard to do it any cleaner than Odunze.”
The Washington playmaker caught “88.9 percent of his charted contested catch targets” according to Klassen, who concluded that “when we say Odunze catches everything, it’s not really hyperbole.”
“He’s a vacuum of space that footballs can’t escape,” the draft expert voiced. Odunze would immediately slot in as the NYG WR1 if he were selected in April.
