Three waiver-wire pick-ups who made a difference

I'm updating the scouting reports section.

The Giants claimed Isaiah Hodgins off of waivers from the Buffalo Bills in early November 2022. Due to the dearth of talent at the position, Hodgins quickly received playing time, playing in eight regular-season games with five starts. He finished with 33 catches for 351 yards (10.6 yards per catch) and four touchdowns. In the playoff game against the Vikings, Hodgins caught eight passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. However, he was limited to one catch against the playoff loss to the Eagles. Hodgins was originally drafted in the 6th round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Bills. He spent most of his rookie season on Injured Reserve and most of 2021 on the Practice Squad. Before coming to the Giants, Hodgins only played in two regular-season games, catching four passes for 41 yards. Hodgins lacks ideal speed, but he has good size (6’3”, 201lbs), runs good routes, and became the steadiest, most-reliable receiver on the roster. The question moving forward is his upside.

The Giants claimed Nick McCloud off of waivers from the Buffalo Bills in late August 2022. He ended up being a surprising contributor, being force fed into the starting line-up after Adoree’ Jackson was lost for most of the second half of the regular-season. McCloud played in 14 regular-season games with eight starts, accruing 43 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and seven pass defenses. He played in 57 percent of defensive snaps in those 14 games. He was flagged with two defensive penalties (illegal contact and roughing the passer). McCloud was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Bills after the 2021 NFL Draft. The Cincinnati Bengals claimed him off of waivers in September 2021 and cut him in November. The Bills then re-signed McCloud to their Practice Squad. McCloud combines good size (6’0”, 193lbs) and overall athleticism. He plays a physical game with decent anticipation. McCloud had his ups and downs in coverage, particularly against upper echelon receivers, but played better than expected.

The Giants claimed Jason Pinnock off of waivers from the New York Jets in late August 2022. Pinnock became a valuable addition, playing in 14 games with 5 starts (49 percent of defensive snaps in those 14 games). He missed three games due to shoulder and ankle injuries. Pinnock finished the season with 41 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three pass defenses, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. He was not flagged on defense. Pinnock was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Jets. He played in 12 games with two starts as a rookie, accruing 16 tackles, one pass defense, and two forced fumbles. Pinnock’s play improved as the season progressed. An aggressive and physical player with good speed, he was an asset as a run defender and blitzer. Pinnock also flashed at times in pass coverage.

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Giants also claimed offensive lineman Wyatt Davis, Tyre Phillips and Jack Anderson off of waivers in 2022, but the jury is still out on all three. Phillips contributed the most of the three:

The Giants claimed Tyre Phillips off of waivers from the Baltimore Ravens in early September 2022. He played in 12 games with five starts, including four games at right tackle when Evan Neal was out and the regular-season finale at left tackle. Phillips performed much better as a run blocker than pass blocker, where he struggled at times. He was also flagged with four penalties in his limited playing time (three false starts and one illegible down field). The 6’5”, 330-pound Phillips was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Ravens. In his first two years in the NFL, has played in 22 regular-season games with 13 starts, despite suffering an ankle injury in 2020 and a torn ACL in 2021. He has experience playing both guard and tackle. A big, powerful player with some pop to his run blocks, Phillips has to become a more consistent pass protector to push for playing time.