The Giants add to offense, LB corps in the the last rounds. The Giants never take Eli Manning off the field, and Tom Coughlin and offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride might prefer to punt rather than turn to what they consider to be gimmick formation. That probably will not change -- despite the addition of Jerrel Jernigan, the Giants' third-round draft pick on Friday, a small, fleet receiver from Troy who brings a Wildcat threat to his new team.

The more the NFL became infatuated with the Wildcat in recent years, the more Jerrel Jernigan would get excited. His skills fit the offense perfectly. He ran it well and often at Troy. "I enjoy watching it," he said. "Every time I see it, I say to myself, 'That's something that I can see myself doing when I go up there.'" If he does, it'll bring a whole new look to the offense of the Giants, one of the few teams left that have never run a true Wildcat play.

The Giants selected Greg Jones with the first of their three sixth-round picks, despite questions about his height (6 feet) and a subpar senior season. The reason: production. "He's played at a high level (and is a) very instinctive player," Reese said of the 185th overall pick. "He's another guy who's going to come in with a chip on his shoulder because I'm pretty sure he feels like he should've been picked a lot higher than where he got picked."

While some franchises might have adapted to select players who could help fill holes, it was business as usual for the Giants from the moment they drafted cornerback Prince Amukamara on Thursday night until their final selection when, as Reese put it, they "took a flier" on speedy Maryland running back Da'Rel Scott. They came away without any interior linemen and didn't grab any linebackers until the sixth round when they took Michigan State's Greg Jones and South Florida's Jacquian Williams.

More on first round pick Prince Amukamara.
Serby's Sunday Q & A with... Prince Amukamara.
Prince Amukamara's sisters made royal treatment nothing new for Giants' prized NFL Draft pick.

They booed Commissioner Roger Goodell at the draft, because that was a way of booing the whole sport. The boos weren't about the real courts where the NFL finds itself these days, just the court of public opinion. And as long as there is a game between the Packers and Saints on Thursday night, Sept. 8, as long as the doors are back open on the night the NFL is supposed to officially open back up for business, they don't care. Neither side.
If you want to know how much havoc -- and potentially how much damage -- the NFL's labor battle is inflicting on its on-field product, look no further than this week's draft. The league is so eager to trump the players and their decertified union that it isn't even letting most rookies drafted this week get copies of those playbooks or talk strategy their new coaches while the lockout is in effect.

Apr 30 - UPDATE With their final pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Giants selected Maryland running back Da'Rel Scott. This shouldn't come as a surprise to many that the Giants drafted someone to add depth to the backfield, but most people thought it would happen much earlier. That seems to be the theme of the Giants third day picks. Da'Rel Scott is brings a ton of speed to the table and could give the Giants a serious weapon in the passing game from the running back position.

Apr 30 - UPDATE The Giants have taken South Florida outside linebacker Jacquian Williams with their third and final pick in the sixth round of the NFL draft on Saturday. New York (10-6) used all three picks to bolster its defense, taking Michigan State inside linebacker Greg Jones and Iowa safety Tyler Sash before picking Williams, who was a teammate of defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, the Giants' first-round choice last year. Williams led South Florida with 71 tackles, including 11 for losses. He also had 2 1/2 sacks and one interception..

Apr 30 - UPDATE The Giants have taken Iowa safety Tyler Sash with their second of three picks in the sixth round of the NFL draft on Saturday. The choice of Sash came a little more than 10 minutes after New York (10-6) took Michigan State inside linebacker Greg Jones. Sash has a nose for the ball. He had 13 interceptions in just three years on the field, although only two came this past season. He could fit right into the rotation since veteran Deon Grant is a free agent and may not be back. Sash also had 79 tackles this past season.

Apr 30 - UPDATE The Giants did not have a pick in the fifth round. They have taken Michigan State inside linebacker Greg Jones with the first of their three picks in the sixth round. Jones was among the Spartans' all-time leaders in tackles for loss with 46 1/2 and third all time in tackles with 465. He led the team or tied for team lead in tackles in 31 of his last 39 games. Jones produced double-figure tackle games 20 times and led the led the team in that category four straight years, becoming only the second Spartan to accomplish that feat.

Apr 30 - UPDATE The Giants selected an offensive lineman in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. They selected Indiana tackle James Brewer with the 117th overall pick. Brewer is a right tackle, so he could be a potential replacement down the line for Kareem McKenzie, who has one year left on his contract. ... On the left side, the Giants have Shawn Andrews, David Diehl and William Beatty but the Giants could move Diehl to left guard with Rich Seubert on the mend. Shaun O'Hara should be ready to go by the season opener at center after undergoing two surgeries in the offseason.
General manager Jerry Reese called Brewer "a late bloomer" who only played one year of football in high school because he was concentrating on basketball. "He probably thought he was going to be a basketball player but you don't see a lot of 335-pound basketball players." Brewer played exclusively at right tackle in college but Reese said the Giants consider him a right or left tackle.

Apr 30 When Prince Amukamara arrived at Nebraska and was told his days as a running back were over, he wanted to transfer immediately. Four years later, the newest Giant is glad he stayed at cornerback. "You just have to switch your mentality from offense to defense," the 19th overall pick in this year's NFL Draft said Friday in his first press conference at the Giants' facility in East Rutherford.
Amukamara arrived Friday afternoon to get a tour of the Timex Performance Center, meet Tom Coughlin, and participate in his first NFL press conference. The Giants, never expecting to have a shot at him, did not have much contact with Amukamara during the pre-draft process. Cornerbacks coach Peter Giunta went through drills with him at the scouting combine but that's about it. Meeting Coughlin went as expected.

If the Giants got a steal with their first-round draft pick in Prince Amukamara, Friday night's second-round pick could end up being the grandest heist of all. Otherwise, the Giants could be left holding the bag. Marvin Austin comes to them as a risk. He was suspended for his entire senior season at North Carolina, was suspended for two games in 2008 and benched for two games in '09. All that will not matter if the 6-2, 309-pound defensive tackle can create havoc like the guy he was once compared to - last year's Rookie of the Year, Ndamukong Suh. If things work out, it's quite possible that, picking 19th and 52nd, the Giants came away with two top 15 players for a defense that had its ups and downs last year.

The team Friday night selected the North Carolina defensive tackle Marvin Austin in the second round of the NFL Draft, with the 52nd overall pick. One round later, they added a wide receiver in Jerrel Jernigan from Troy. From a talent standpoint, the selection of the 6-2, 312-pound Austin was a steal, as he was being compared to the top tackles in last year's draft because of his quickness off the ball and what Reese termed a "nasty" streak on the field. From a personal standpoint, it was a risk because of many character concerns. Which is why Austin can expect the same speech Bradshaw received when he makes his first appearance at the team's facility.

The New York Giants addressed needs at wide receiver and at the return game by taking Jerrel Jernigan in the third round of the NFL draft on Friday. A three-time first-team All-Sun Belt selection, Jernigan had 84 catches for 822 yards and six touchdowns this season. He also added 322 yards and three touchdowns rushing and two touchdowns in the return game, one on a punt return and another on a kickoff.
"He's a little guy, but he's extremely fast," Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross said of the 5-8, 181-pound Jernigan, who ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine. "(He has) just a great feel for the game. ...He's going to add some speed to our team on offense and special teams." As a receiver, he could quickly serve as an option in the slot, particularly since Steve Smith is in the midst of a delicate recovery from surgery to repair cartilage damage in his knee.

Apr 29 On the night before the Royal Wedding, the Giants found their Prince. In what was only a fairy tale-like scenario before the draft began, the Giants ended up with one of the top defensive backs in the NFL draft when Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara surprisingly fell into their laps. He was almost universally pegged as a Top 10 selection, but somehow fell all the way to 19. Now, all of a sudden, the Giants have a secondary filled with top picks.
It was widely believed Amukamara would be long gone well before the Giants' turn came up and, even though the position is not a glaring need, it was simply too much value to pass up. So, with the top running back in the draft, Mark Ingram, still on the board, and a quality left tackle, Anthony Castonzo, available, the Giants trusted their draft board and happily took Amukamara, whom Tom Coughlin said was "clearly the highest-rated player on the board.''
General Manager Jerry Reese said, "There are a lot of things to like about Prince." Unless you're Aaron Ross. The selection of Amukamara means the Giants' first-round pick in 2007 might very well be entering his final year with the team. Starting cornerback Corey Webster is signed through 2013 and Terrell Thomas joins Ross as a free agent following this upcoming season. The presence of all three players means it could be tough for Amukamara to get a lot of playing time this upcoming season.

The Giants entered the draft eying help on the offensive line. Florida center Mike Pouncey, who figured to be in their thinking, was selected by Miami with the 15th selection. Offensive tackle Nate Solder from Colorado, another player the Giants coveted, went off the board to New England at No. 17. Running back Mark Ingram of Alabama and tackle Anthony Castonzo still were on the board, but Amukamara's grade trumped them all, even though his interception total dropped from five in 2010 to zero in 2011.
Mark Ingram - It would have been a wonderful tearjerker ... son of a former Giant with the same name who currently is serving time in Beaumont, Texas. A Heisman Trophy winner out of Alabama who has handled himself with grace and class. Who talked about how neat it would be to play in the Big Apple for the organization that got his dad a Super Bowl ring 21 years ago under Bill Parcells. Who smiled alongside Justin Tuck yesterday morning as he posed in Manhattan alongside a Subway sandwich bust of him made out of chicken salad. Who has been compared to Emmitt Smith.

NFL News
HOT - 2011 NFL Draft Pick List and Results - Round 1
More here - Newton, three QBs in Top 10 highlight dramatic first round. The Carolina Panthers didn't pull any last-minute surprises, selecting Auburn quarterback Cam Newton with the first overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Apr 28 - UPDATE The NFL prepares to get back to business Friday, likely under 2010 rules, if a lockout isn't reinstated. All aspects of club-player relations will resume at 8 a.m. Friday - except for player transactions. The league is waiting until Friday before telling the clubs how to proceed on signings and trades.

Apr 28 This is a big draft for Giants general manager Jerry Reese. They all are. A scout at heart (and by job description), who moved up in the business based on his ability to project college players on the next level, Reese ran the draft for the Giants for four years as the Director of Player Personnel and began having final say in 2007, when he took over as general manager after Ernie Accorsi retired. Reese struck immediate gold, selecting five players who paid dividends as contributors to a Super Bowl winner.

The most obvious need is an outside linebacker, an ongoing issue for the Giants. This, however, is not the draft to find a first-round linebacker unless you are holding one of the top five picks, in which case you take Texas A&M's Von Miller, sit back and smile. There might not be another true linebacker -- not counting converted pass-rush defensive ends -- taken in the first round. Any other linebacker the Giants might take at No. 19 would be considered a reach.

The Giants like to say they draft the best player available, not just for need. But in the Jerry Reese era, they've certainly picked the right years to need the best player available. Cornerback Aaron Ross (2007), safety Kenny Phillips (2008), wide receiver Hakeem Nicks (2009) and defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (2010) all helped fill needs as rookies and became productive starters by their second seasons (Pierre-Paul notwithstanding). Many experts believe 19th overall is a bit high for Florida C/G Mike Pouncey, while others think this spot would be just right.

Rich Seubert says he has not followed the NFL Draft since the 2001 version, in which he was not included. The Giants' veteran offensive lineman, testament to the fact this process is not an exact science, also says he won't be watching tonight when his team makes the 19th selection in the first round. That's even though the selection may be an offensive lineman.
Everything is going all right with Seubert's knee right about now. Well, at least as well as he could hope after undergoing surgery to repair a torn patella tendon and torn MCL, as well as to fix a hole in the cartilage of his knee. "I feel good. I feel better than I thought I'd be feeling right now," he said. "We'll see how it goes. I still have to build up my leg muscles and maybe by June I can start jogging and see how it feels."

When is the last time you were surprised by something the Giants did in the first round of the draft? I mean really surprised - truly blown away. Not just caught off guard because the receiver you thought they were going to take went two picks earlier, so they took another receiver instead. I mean when was the last time they went for a player or position that you never imagined, that hardly anyone in the media had talked about in the weeks of hype before the NFL draft?