Post by plax on May 10, 2014 21:42:54 GMT -5
1st round, 19th overall selection: Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSU
Grade: A-
- As I stated in the Community Mock Offseason that we did in January, Giants owner John Mara made it clear that the offense was broken and needed to be fixed. The team went out and got a fresh offensive coordinator who comes from the Packers that saw their offense among the best in the league for years. Now they needed to go after play-makers to help Eli Manning, because that is what is most important. I wanted Eric Ebron because he would give Eli a tight end and reliable target at the position, something he has not had since Jeremy Shockey. Ebron filled two needs in one. However, with Detroit nabbing him, the Giants put their focus to receiver. It was rumored that the Giants were not even high on Ebron, so who knows what would have happened if he was there, but that does not matter considering he was not an option. Odell Beckham Jr. was my #3 ranked WR in the class and my #11 overall prospect in the draft. I love this pick. People look at his height and assume he is a slot wide receiver. He is not. He can play outside. He can high point the ball and come down with it. He reminds me of Hakeem Nicks in that regard. Nicks is a few inches taller, but Beckham is much faster, has better elusiveness, can create his own space easier, and is maybe even a better route runner. I told everyone to not be surprised if Beckham was an option, and the Giants felt he was a big-time player. Pairing him with Cruz and Randle can give the Giants one of the better receiving trios in the entire league. Was a great way to start the draft for the Giants.
2nd round, 43rd overall selection: Weston Richburg, C, Colorado State
Grade: A-
- Another great pick for the Giants here. The offensive line was one of the biggest issues with the team in 2013. David Baas got the boot, and the signing the Giants made to replace Baas in free agency was JD Walton, who cemented himself as one of the better centers in the league until injuries derailed him. Walton has not played since 2012, and the center position is possibly the most important one on the line. Richburg was my #1 rated center in this class and should come in as a Day 1 starter for the team. Richburg can also play offensive guard, so his versatility is very much welcomed. So after making a sexy pick in the 1st round, the Giants turn around and go with a non-sexy pick in round 2, but those are the kinds of picks that make the offense more sexy. Additionaly, I had Richburg pegged as a 30-45 guy in terms of where he should be picked, so this was a great pick and we can be looking at a 10 year starter for the Giants here.
3rd round, 74th overall selection: Jay Bromley, DT, Syracuse
Grade: C+
- Bromley definitely fills a need considering the Giants lost their best defensive tackle in Linval Joseph and depth in Shaun Rogers through free agency. Heading into the draft, the only serviceable defensive tackles that the Giants owned were Cullen Jenkins and Johnathan Hanksin. Mike Patterson and Markus Kuhn are also there, but the former is simply veteran depth and Kuhn is not that good of a player to be a part of the rotation. Bromley posted 10 sacks at Syracuse this past year and will be in the defensive rotation from Day 1. Tom Coughlin loves his Syracuse players, so this pick makes sense in that regard as well. There were probably 7-10 players that I would have rather wanted over Bromley, particularly due to the influx of talent at defensive tackle that remained at that point in the draft, but with the team hitting a need, I cannot in any way be upset about it. Overall, I had Bromley as an early 4th round selection and an under-the-radar player. Not the pick that Richburg and Beckham Jr. were, but another need was filled.
4th round, 113th overall selection: Andre Williams, RB, Boston College
Grade: A-
- As stated in my NYG Positional Review, the Giants should have been looking at a possible running back in the middle rounds of the draft, and they did just that with Andre Williams here. I will go on the record here to state that if Williams could catch a football, he would be a late 2nd round selection, easy. He was the most productive running back rushing the ball in 2013. A guy who is 227 pounds and built like a tank, Williams ran for over 2000 yards and averaged over 6.0 yards per carry. Brandon Jacobs finally hung up his cleats at the end of 2013 with one last stint in New York, and now Andre Williams is poised to take over that kind of role as a power back. Once again, he is not really a pass catcher at all, but that is what David Wilson and Rashad Jennings are for. I had Williams as a 3rd round talent, so this is also a great value pick in addition to filling a need.
5th round, 152nd overall selection: Nat Berhe, SS, San Diego State
Grade: B+
- Let me tell you, I am liking this kid - a lot. One of my favorite Giants players is currently Will Hill. But the dude is acting like a dope and continues to get hit on failing drug tests. Such a talented player wasting it all away. With that and a possible suspension for Hill, the Giants suddenly deep safety core got a little thin. Watching film of Berhe after we picked him, he looks just like Will Hill. He is a ferocious hitter and solid tackler for his size. He is instinctive, he hits a lot of the correct holes and lanes to make a play. The only knock on him is his size. However, many safeties in today's league are his size (the big safety thing is really not common at all - Kam Chancellor is a special talent in terms of size). I think he makes the team as a backup safety, and I could honestly see him taking a starting role next year with Stevie Brown and Antrel Rolle on contract years. Really underrated pick for us and one of my personally favorites. I had Berhe pegged as a late 4th round selection.
5th round, 174th overall selection: Devon Kennard, OLB, USC
Grade: B
- In this very deep linebacker class, the Giants were able to pick up Kennard with their compensatory pick in the 5th round. Kennard was one of the best prospects leaving high school and was productive at USC. He can play many spots, so his versatility can be big for the team depending on how the rest of the roster ends up. In all likelihood, he will be our backup SAM LB in 2014. The Giants picked up Jameel McClain to be the starter, but they had a void to back him up, so Kennard can be the guy to do that here. I had him around this range, so not really a value pick per-say, but he fills a need, making it a solid selection.
6th round, 187th overall selection: Bennett Jackson, CB, Notre Dame
Grade: C+
- In terms of need, this was not one of those picks. The CB position for the Giants is potentially the most stable on the team. In the new passing league, you can never have enough secondary players, and you can never have enough competition. He is probably the only drafted player who is on the outside looking in at a roster spot, but having him rated as a 5th round guy, I could not give him a bad grade. He will most likely compete with Jayron Hosley and Zack Bowman for one of the last CB spots on the roster.
Grade: A-
- As I stated in the Community Mock Offseason that we did in January, Giants owner John Mara made it clear that the offense was broken and needed to be fixed. The team went out and got a fresh offensive coordinator who comes from the Packers that saw their offense among the best in the league for years. Now they needed to go after play-makers to help Eli Manning, because that is what is most important. I wanted Eric Ebron because he would give Eli a tight end and reliable target at the position, something he has not had since Jeremy Shockey. Ebron filled two needs in one. However, with Detroit nabbing him, the Giants put their focus to receiver. It was rumored that the Giants were not even high on Ebron, so who knows what would have happened if he was there, but that does not matter considering he was not an option. Odell Beckham Jr. was my #3 ranked WR in the class and my #11 overall prospect in the draft. I love this pick. People look at his height and assume he is a slot wide receiver. He is not. He can play outside. He can high point the ball and come down with it. He reminds me of Hakeem Nicks in that regard. Nicks is a few inches taller, but Beckham is much faster, has better elusiveness, can create his own space easier, and is maybe even a better route runner. I told everyone to not be surprised if Beckham was an option, and the Giants felt he was a big-time player. Pairing him with Cruz and Randle can give the Giants one of the better receiving trios in the entire league. Was a great way to start the draft for the Giants.
2nd round, 43rd overall selection: Weston Richburg, C, Colorado State
Grade: A-
- Another great pick for the Giants here. The offensive line was one of the biggest issues with the team in 2013. David Baas got the boot, and the signing the Giants made to replace Baas in free agency was JD Walton, who cemented himself as one of the better centers in the league until injuries derailed him. Walton has not played since 2012, and the center position is possibly the most important one on the line. Richburg was my #1 rated center in this class and should come in as a Day 1 starter for the team. Richburg can also play offensive guard, so his versatility is very much welcomed. So after making a sexy pick in the 1st round, the Giants turn around and go with a non-sexy pick in round 2, but those are the kinds of picks that make the offense more sexy. Additionaly, I had Richburg pegged as a 30-45 guy in terms of where he should be picked, so this was a great pick and we can be looking at a 10 year starter for the Giants here.
3rd round, 74th overall selection: Jay Bromley, DT, Syracuse
Grade: C+
- Bromley definitely fills a need considering the Giants lost their best defensive tackle in Linval Joseph and depth in Shaun Rogers through free agency. Heading into the draft, the only serviceable defensive tackles that the Giants owned were Cullen Jenkins and Johnathan Hanksin. Mike Patterson and Markus Kuhn are also there, but the former is simply veteran depth and Kuhn is not that good of a player to be a part of the rotation. Bromley posted 10 sacks at Syracuse this past year and will be in the defensive rotation from Day 1. Tom Coughlin loves his Syracuse players, so this pick makes sense in that regard as well. There were probably 7-10 players that I would have rather wanted over Bromley, particularly due to the influx of talent at defensive tackle that remained at that point in the draft, but with the team hitting a need, I cannot in any way be upset about it. Overall, I had Bromley as an early 4th round selection and an under-the-radar player. Not the pick that Richburg and Beckham Jr. were, but another need was filled.
4th round, 113th overall selection: Andre Williams, RB, Boston College
Grade: A-
- As stated in my NYG Positional Review, the Giants should have been looking at a possible running back in the middle rounds of the draft, and they did just that with Andre Williams here. I will go on the record here to state that if Williams could catch a football, he would be a late 2nd round selection, easy. He was the most productive running back rushing the ball in 2013. A guy who is 227 pounds and built like a tank, Williams ran for over 2000 yards and averaged over 6.0 yards per carry. Brandon Jacobs finally hung up his cleats at the end of 2013 with one last stint in New York, and now Andre Williams is poised to take over that kind of role as a power back. Once again, he is not really a pass catcher at all, but that is what David Wilson and Rashad Jennings are for. I had Williams as a 3rd round talent, so this is also a great value pick in addition to filling a need.
5th round, 152nd overall selection: Nat Berhe, SS, San Diego State
Grade: B+
- Let me tell you, I am liking this kid - a lot. One of my favorite Giants players is currently Will Hill. But the dude is acting like a dope and continues to get hit on failing drug tests. Such a talented player wasting it all away. With that and a possible suspension for Hill, the Giants suddenly deep safety core got a little thin. Watching film of Berhe after we picked him, he looks just like Will Hill. He is a ferocious hitter and solid tackler for his size. He is instinctive, he hits a lot of the correct holes and lanes to make a play. The only knock on him is his size. However, many safeties in today's league are his size (the big safety thing is really not common at all - Kam Chancellor is a special talent in terms of size). I think he makes the team as a backup safety, and I could honestly see him taking a starting role next year with Stevie Brown and Antrel Rolle on contract years. Really underrated pick for us and one of my personally favorites. I had Berhe pegged as a late 4th round selection.
5th round, 174th overall selection: Devon Kennard, OLB, USC
Grade: B
- In this very deep linebacker class, the Giants were able to pick up Kennard with their compensatory pick in the 5th round. Kennard was one of the best prospects leaving high school and was productive at USC. He can play many spots, so his versatility can be big for the team depending on how the rest of the roster ends up. In all likelihood, he will be our backup SAM LB in 2014. The Giants picked up Jameel McClain to be the starter, but they had a void to back him up, so Kennard can be the guy to do that here. I had him around this range, so not really a value pick per-say, but he fills a need, making it a solid selection.
6th round, 187th overall selection: Bennett Jackson, CB, Notre Dame
Grade: C+
- In terms of need, this was not one of those picks. The CB position for the Giants is potentially the most stable on the team. In the new passing league, you can never have enough secondary players, and you can never have enough competition. He is probably the only drafted player who is on the outside looking in at a roster spot, but having him rated as a 5th round guy, I could not give him a bad grade. He will most likely compete with Jayron Hosley and Zack Bowman for one of the last CB spots on the roster.