E-GIANTS
Dave Klein was the Giants' beat
writer for The Star-Ledger from 1961 to 1995. He is the author of 26 books
and he is one of only three sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls.
Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.
WITH RUEBEN RANDLE GONE, THE GIANTS HAVE NO ONE LEFT FROM THE 2011-2012 DRAFTS
By Dave Klein
When the Giants declined to offer wide receiver
Rueben Randle a new contract (he signed a one-year "show me" agreement
with Philadelphia last Wednesday), he became the last surviving draftee of 2012.
He was a second-round pick and now there are no players remaining on the roster
from that draft. None from the 2011 draft, either, by the way, since first-round
pick Prince Amukamara left for Jacksonville.
In fact, from 2007 through 2012, there are two - that's TWO - players on the current
roster, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (first in 2010) and long-snapper Zak DeOssie
(fourth in 2007). Coincidentally, general
manager Jerry Reese has been in command of the draft since that 2007 draft.
This is not intended to be overly critical of Reese. In some cases, injury played
an overwhelming role (David Wilson, Chad Jones). In other cases, injuries simply
could not be avoided (Amukamara), and as many general managers and scouts have
said over the years, "the draft is not a science, it's a roll of the dice."
But the other point to be made here is that with the loss of Randle and the questionable
condition of undrafted free agent Victor Cruz (knee, calf) the Giants are going
to have to upgrade their wide receiver corps, too, in addition to so many other
positional areas. Will this affect their
first-round selection, the 10th overall? Probably not. That still seems to be
an offensive lineman or a linebacker or a safety, but with eyes peels and fingers
on the button, a wide receiver must be claimed early in the draft.
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** Former
Giants' offensive lineman (but briefly) Geoff Schwartz visited the Pittsburgh
Steelers Thursday while his brother, Mitchell, played with Cleveland but recently
signed with Pittsburgh. ... Schwartz, signed as a veteran free agent for the 2014
season, was another who couldn't stay healthy. ... He played in all of nine games
over his two seasons. The various (and
self-proclaimed) draft experts have narrowed down their predictions for the Giants'
first-round selection, and not it appears you'll have the pleasure of observing
Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd, Notre Dame guard Ronnie Stanley, Notre Dame
tackle Ronnie Stanley, Michigan State guard Jack Conklin, safety Jalen Ramsey
of Florida State or Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott. ... Not bad - that's
many fewer potential picks from the 50 or so we were given just a month ago by
the experts. There is also a sleeper
in the top 10, Laquon Treadwell of Mississippi, and with the departure of Randle
coupled with the lack of serious depth behind Odell Beckham Jr. and the "iffy"
Cruz, a wide receiver might not be a bad idea. ... Besides, the 6-2, 220-poundeer
won't last until the second round. ... Tight end Martellus Bennett signed with
the New England Patriots, and the Giants were more than just casually interested
in re-signing "Marty B" when he became an unrestricted free agent in
Chicago. Oh, and weren't you thrilled
to learn that the Giants have decided not to raise ticket prices this year? One
might ask why they would, given the fact that in five of the last seven seasons
they failed to make the playoffs. ... Last season was especially gruesome, in
that they were part of a weak division and that they lost five games in the final
75 seconds or less. ... And word from the Denver Broncos is that they studied
game tapes of the last-second (38-35) loss to the then undefeated Carolina Panthers
prior to their meeting in the Super Bowl. ... Seemed to work out, didn't it?
Check out Dave's
website at E-GIANTS
where you can subscribe to his newsletters which
run much more frequently than what is available here. - Team Giants
NOW
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