5 Senior Bowl standouts who could interest Giants

Saturday afternoon’s Senior Bowl game went down to the wire, with TCU wide receiver Jack Bech taking home the MVP award after capping off an impressive performance with the game-winning touchdown as time expired.

Bech’s performance will garner a lot of headlines, but let’s recap some of the performances from some other players who could fill a potential need for the Giants…

QB Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss

Dart, who this week told reporters that the Giants are a great organization he would “love to play for”, has perhaps played himself in contention to be a first-round pick with his performances this week. While Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders could be selected with the top two picks, Dart is now in the mix to be the next quarterback selected.

In Saturday’s game, Dart ran for a score, which he set up with a 39-yard deep throw to Bech. While he showed some questionable pocket presence on a couple of plays, his overall performance this week has raised his stock considerably. In fact, his rise is reminiscent of the Giants’ previous franchise quarterback, Daniel Jones.

OL Grey Zabel, North Dakota State

Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was coaching the National Team, so it stands to reason he will report back on some of the players he worked together closely with this week. Big Blue could be on the lookout for interior linemen in case Greg Van Roten leaves in free agency.

Zabel comes from a school that has produced some good NFL prospects in recent years. On a day when both offensive lines struggled, he looked more capable of staying in front of his man than most of his linemates as he took reps at right guard and center.

WR Jayden Higgins, Iowa State

Another standout for the National Team was Higgins, who had an impressive contested catch in the end zone that produced the game’s first score. After a productive season which saw him rack up almost 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns, Higgins has continued to boost his stock with a strong week in Mobile.

Higgins, who has an impressive 6-foot-4 frame and weighed in at 217 pounds earlier this week, showcased his physicality on that touchdown reception. He’s a projected Day 2 pick and if the Giants brought him in, he would pair nicely with Malik Nabers to give the Giants a deadly duo with size, athleticism and playmaking ability.

S Dan Jackson, Georgia

The Giants look set to overhaul their secondary this year and Jackson is a player whose instincts, attitude and hard-hitting style could interest them. The former walk-on ended up being a leader for the Bulldogs but could still be available on Day 3.

Jackson had an impressive play in Saturday’s game where he broke up a pass with a big hit over the middle. That came after he had social media buzzing during the week with another big hit to break up a pass in the end zone. In addition to his quick recognition and closing speed on these plays, it was also noteworthy that these were both clean hits.

DL Sai’vion Jones, LSU

New York could use some depth on the defensive line and Jones has to have impressed them with his performance on Saturday. The 280-pounder was virtually unblockable as he made multiple plays in the backfield, including stuffing a run for a loss and blowing by his man to create pressure that led to a sack.

What’s interesting about Jones is that he could potentially take some reps inside next to Dexter Lawrence, while also giving them an excellent edge-setting option in the defensive end rotation.