I haven’t written a post since I’ve been vacationing in Southern California for 10 days, but I’m back at the perfect time: the NFL draft. But much has happened over the last two weeks, and two months for that matter.
First, the big news is the demise of Plaxico Burress. It’s a real shame, because the guy is so talented and never realized what he could probably have fully attained. He was one of my favorite players (the man had a place on this website’s main banner!) and the Giants wouldn’t have won the big one without him, but it’s obvious Plax no longer wanted to be a Giant. He wasn’t going to change his ways, clearly demonstrating that with his lack of communication to the Giant brass who through this entire ordeal supported him and said the right things. This behavior and the uncertainty of his trial pushed the Giants into a corner and they decided to cut their losses and move on. Burress may have been upset with the Giants trying to deny him his roster bonus and withholding game day checks, but clearly the man in the mirror was the problem.
In between that entire fiasco, the Giants had a great free agency period, but also lost some players. Gone are WR Amani Toomer, RB Derrick Ward, and S James Butler. Time to replenish via the draft. Admittedly, I do not watch a lot of college football, so I get most of my info on the draft by scouring the Internet, and watching NFL Network. In particular, I enjoy the combine. Who am I kidding? I just like NFL Network.
But I do know the Giants and have a good feel of how they draft. Going into this weekend’s crap shoot, the organization is in a great position. The only glaring weakness is the obvious number one wide receiver position, courtesy of Plax. A lot of teams would love to be in the shape the Giants are, but then again, the bar is raised now. Four straight playoff appearances. A Super Bowl title. A young and deep team. Another Super Bowl is the immediate goal. Back when the 2007 playoffs started, I just wanted Eli to get a playoff win under his belt. Times have indeed changed.
With a total of 10 picks (including five in the top 100), the Giants will surely trade a few of those for choices next year. While conventional wisdom would say drafting 10 players gives you the best chance, percentage wise, to get a hit on blue chippers, I’m not sure exactly how many roster spots the Giants will actually have. The team is very deep. Conversely, if the Giants are to pull off some draft day trade (Braylon Edwards’ rumors were prevelant by now have died down) for some of those picks, you’ll want to keep what’s left over to fill out the draft. As I have said in different posts, the Giants have options.
While best available athlete is the Giants’ way, I think they will focus on a few areas. Obviously wide receiver is on their radar. A few names I like are Hakim Nicks and Kenny Britt. Britt is particularly interesting being from Rutgers. Nicks might not be there, but I think Britt will be. But I will say first round picks on receivers scare me, as they seem to be boom or bust. Another area is depth on the offensive line. The Giants have been fortunate not to have any serious injuries the last few years. I admittedly cringe every time Kevin Boothe came in for Kareem McKenzie last year. I can see him at guard, but not tackle. Similarly, Adam Koets and Guy Whimper continue to be prospects who haven’t proven anything. A name I like is AZ tackle Eben Britton who probably would be there at #29. I also like the versatility of Oregon’s Max Unger, who can play all three line positions. He could be a second round selection.
With the linebackers, I’d like to see someone drafted to push and eventually replace (next year) Danny Clark as the SAM. Backup TE Darcy Johnson has talent, but the Giants won’t wait for it to translate onto the field and could grab one of a variety of pass catching TE’s in round two or three. As always in today’s NFL, don’t pass on a good corner. The Giants go four deep there, but injuries can happen and it wouldn’t surprise me if they grab something they like fairly early, especially with Kevin Dockery operating on a one year deal.
I think the most interesting selection could be a running back. With all the success the Giants have had with backs since Coughlin’s arrival, you begin to wonder how much it has to do with the offensive line? Right now, it’s Jacobs, Bradshaw, and the unproven Danny Ware. Many people are high on Ware. But I pose this question: if either Jacobs or Bradshaw got hurt, are you confident in Ware stepping up? Derrick Ward came from equal obscurity and we saw what he did here. But I think if a good running back is sitting there, particularly one that is well rounded (can run and catch) I think the Giants would bite. Remember, a playmaker doesn’t necessarily need to be a WR or TE. I want to see the Giants make the swing and screen pass part of this offense. That’s been missing.
I guess the point of all this analysis is, when it’s the Giants turn to pick, they will look at their draft board and ask themselves “who is the best player out there?†And that’s who they will probably take.