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Draft 2013 - Rounds 1 - 7 | Round
1: Pick-by-pick analysis
May 1 Special Report - Now that the draft is over, you must have looked over the list of the Giants' draftees and wondered: Why this guy? Why in this round? What about him, or that, or on and on? To ask questions about any draft class is not only valid but prudent. So let's ask aloud one question about each player the Giants selected. Tom Coughlin and John Mara both said repeatedly that they wanted to get better in the trenches, the offensive and defensive lines. Meanwhile Reese dropped a clue about having had more than just a passing fancy about the time now being right to develop a quarterback. So in looking at the Giants draft class, was it any coincidence that four of their seven picks represented the trenches and a fifth guy is the quarterback? Victor Cruz is the only restricted free agent still unsigned by the Giants, and Tom Coughlin is concerned. Speaking on WFAN Monday afternoon, Coughlin said he hoped at this point Cruz would have signed a deal and been involved in offseason workouts. The deadline for another team to sign restricted free agents to an offer sheet was April 19. Read more: Giants' Coughlin: Cruz contract situation 'has to be a concern'. When first-round draft choice Justin Pugh arrives for rookie minicamp next week, he will be issued his Giants helmet, pads and jersey. Chris Snee suggests he bring another piece of equipment. "Pugh, if you are reading this, get a credit card," Snee said. Let the initiation begin. The Giants rookie minicamp which is scheduled for May 10-11 will have more than just the 7 drafted rookies. It will also include guys who were on the practice squad, guys signed to reserve/future contracts who were not on an NFL roster last year, the undrafted free agents who signed the standard three-year deal, and a handful of tryout players hoping to convince the coaches to invite them to summer camp. Apr 30 The Giants did not know which specific players they would select in the NFL Draft, but they did have a definitive strategy as to what areas of need they wanted to address. Sure, they always attempt to pick the best player available when their selection rolls around, but this year - more than most years - they had a pre-set goal in mind. Get bigger and tougher up front. It was a shocker at the time when the Giants traded up and did so for a quarterback. Drafting Ryan Nassib in the fourth round and moving up and surrendering a sixth-round pick for a guy that Jerry Reese honestly hopes never plays had a lot of fans scratching their heads. There were cornerbacks, safeties and (gasp!) linebackers available in the fourth round. Eli Manning doesn't know Ryan Nassib, but he understands the challenges the youngster is about to face."It's not learning the stuff - you're going to learn it," he said. "It's knowing how to execute it on the field. When things break down or when your first read's not there and you have to go to your second read, you have to make good decisions and play at a high level each and every play." Three times since 2006, and twice since 2009, the Eagles and Giants have gone after the same position in the first round of the draft. Each time the Eagles picked first and each time the Giants, as it turned out, got the better player. Did it happen again this year? Chip Kelly and Co. better hope they did better than their predecessors in head-to-head picks with Giants general manager Jerry Reese and his personnel staff. This year it happened twice." Apr 29 Eli Manning kind of figured it would happen sooner or later. The Giants' franchise quarterback knew the team could draft a young quarterback prospect to learn behind him. So when the Giants traded up to grab Syracuse's Ryan Nassib, Manning felt it was good to finally have a highly regarded rookie in the quarterbacks room moving forward. Giants top pick Justin Pugh grew into football out of hockey. Perhaps no one has had Pugh's best interests at heart more than his stepfather. Pugh's parents divorced when he was in kindergarten and his mother, Carolyn, remarried a few years later. Pugh was rambunctious and spoiled to the core by his mother and sister when Frank Gavaghan came into his life. Gavaghan was a law-and-order guy. He put an end to Pugh's temper tantrums. Apr 28 Special Report - While you were you giving undivided attention to what the New York Giants were doing in the 2013 Draft -- at least, you are paying attention now -- the three other NFC East teams also feasted on the available college players, with varying success. It is important to note that while we have no idea how well these players will develop, it isn't unfair to try to gauge which team -- Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington -- may have had the best draft. We need to take a close at what Giants rivals did since they'll play each other twice each this season, so let's do it. Report Card: Grading the Giants' draft. A lot of the players the Giants were eyeing had been picked. Alabama tackle D.J. Fluker, Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro and LSU safety Eric Reid were all gone. In fact, the Niners traded with the Cowboys to take Reid right before the Giants picked. So the Giants opted to fill a big need with an offensive lineman they feel can play tackle, guard or center. Apr 27 - UPDATE - The Giants selected Ohio guard Eric Herman and UMass RB Michael Cox with their two seventh-round picks. Herman, who is 6-foot-4, 320 pounds, started three seasons at right guard before moving to right tackle his senior season. Ohio University records pancake blocks, and Herman recorded team-highs, including 128 his senior season. Cox played for Michigan from 2008-11 before transferring to the University of Massachusetts. He started all 12 games at running back for UMass in 2012, recording 715 yards and five touchdowns on 198 carries. NFC
East News The
Giants finally added to the back of their defense in the fifth round, selecting
Richmond safety Cooper Taylor with the No. 152 pick overall. Taylor is a massive
safety who could flex to linebacker, with a 6-foot-4, 228-pound frame. He missed
a few games with a knee injury in 2011, and last year damaged his pectoral muscle
during a lift in June then broke a bone in each hand. The Giants had Taylor in
for a pre-draft visit, which may have been for a medical check-up. The
Giants made an interesting and uncharacteristic move in the fourth round of
the NFL draft, trading up six spots and picking Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib
with the 110th overall selection. Nassib is the second Syracuse player the Giants
and Syracuse-alum head coach Tom Coughlin have taken in this year's draft, joining
first-round offensive lineman Justin Pugh. Apr
27 The
Giants have used their first three draft picks this year on linemen, last
night adding Ohio State defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins with the 49th overall
pick, in the second round, and Texas A&M defensive end Damontre Moore with the
81st overall pick, in the third round. They join Justin Pugh, the Syracuse tackle
taken Thursday night, in what has been a display of the Giants' commitment to
get better in the trenches. Apr 26 - UPDATE - The Giants took aim at solving one of their greatest weaknesses last season by selecting Ohio State's run-stopping defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins in the second round Friday night. The Giants went pass rusher in the third round when they nabbed Texas A&M defensive end Damontre Moore, once projected as a first-round talent who likely scared some teams away with poor NFL Combine numbers. Moore, 20, collected 26.5 sacks in three career seasons with the Aggies, leading Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross to say, "The guy's production is off the charts when you compare him to the guys picked ahead of him at his position." The
Giants selected Texas A&M DE Damontre Moore with their third round pick. Moore
is an intriguing prospect, whose career got off to a blazing start, sharing the
limelight with All-American Von Miller at the "Joker" position during
his freshman season. Moore has been relentless in his attacks in the backfield,
as his 26.5 quarterback sacks are not only fifth-best among active players, but
rank sixth in school history. A collision-type tackler, he caused eight fumbles
during his 38-game career and has also been a capable performer on special teams,
where he was credited with a pair of blocked kicks. The
Giants passed on Florida DT Sharrif Floyd in the first round, but they went
defensive tackle in the second round. Johnathan Hankins is a big wide body who
will eat up space and hopefully solidify the run defense. The Giants finished
25th against the run in 2012. It has become clear that with their first two picks,
the Giants are making an effort to get stronger in the trenches on both the offensive
and defensive line. Apr
26 Giants
Shore Up Aging Offensive Line. More
on the Draft. Apr
25 - UPDATE - With
Alabama T D.J. Fluker and safeties Kenny Vaccaro and Eric Reid gone, the Giants
went for Syracuse's Justin Pugh to bolster the offensive line. The Giants passed
on Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, who was projected by some to be a top-five
pick. The Giants, though, need an offensive lineman who could potentially start
at right tackle this season and in the future.
Justin
Pugh is the first offensive lineman they've taken in the first round since
Luke Petitgout in 1999. Pugh played tackle in college, but his arms measured short
at the combine, so the pre-draft consensus was that he might be better used at
guard in the NFL. The Giants have an immediate need at right tackle and could
try Pugh there. And with starters Kevin Boothe and Chris Snee returning at the
guard spots, there doesn't seem to be room for him to play guard for them right
away. Jerry Reese watched what he called "tape after tape after tape" of Justin Pugh playing football for Syracuse over the last few months and kept an eye on one particular aspect of his game. With 32-inch-long arms -- a little short for an outside offensive lineman -- the Giants' general manager was looking for a reason to knock him out of the first round, for an opportunity to say his wing span was too much of a detriment to take him early in the draft. "I never saw that come into play," Reese said. | ||||||||||||
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