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 four sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls. Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.

REESE REPEATS THAT ANY POSITION IS LIKELY TO PRODUCE
THE GIANTS' FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICK NEXT WEEKS

By Dave Klein
The theme of the day was, as always, "value above all."

So spoke Giants' general manager Jerry Reese when he conducted his annual pre-draft press conference Thursday at MetLife Stadium, and despite all efforts to prod him into saying something specific, he refused. As he always does. And, as always, he insisted on putting everything into a gray area.

So it's value first, position notwithstanding. That led to Reese's statement that when the Giants' turn comes up, which is 32nd and last in the first round, even if the players is at a position the team considers its strongest, he will be taken because of value.

"Of course, without a doubt," he said. "Without a doubt."

Any position? "Well, we might have to think a little harder about a punter or a kicker, but any other position."

Quarterback, too?

"Yes, quarterback, too. Without a doubt, if Andrew Luck is down there, you think we wouldn't pick him? If he's there, Luck is a Giant."

He tried to explain his stance, as he does every year. "There is a lot of value in each round," he said, "although we don't refer to them as rounds, rather rows. In the first row - our first row - there might not be 32 players we consider that high, but you have to make selections so that's what you do. We never try to assess where positional needs are, it really is all about value, about the best available player."

And yes, he reiterated that if the best available player in the 32nd position is a quarterback, he would be the Giants' first round choice.

He had another interesting point of view, one that caused him to remind the attending audience that last year's draft produced three or four outstanding players who, for one reason or another, didn't get to play much in 2011.

Like cornerback Prince Amukamara, for instance. He was the first round pick, "but he didn't play much. He got hurt. So he's ready now to play for us. The second round pick [defensive tackle Marvin Austin] didn't play at all. Fourth-rounder James Brewer [offensive tackle], only played a little. Only the third round pick, Jerrel Jernigan, got some action, and he looked like he was gaining confidence and knowledge as the season went on.

"So if you look at it," he concluded, "we've got a lot of high draft picks coming in this spring. Besides, we had the labor issue last summer so we didn't really get to see much of our rookies in action."

So faced with the problem of too many players with equal value, say the last 15 or so spots in the first round, Reese insists he cannot afford to be choosy about position. "We'll take the best players available," he said, "and we really like the team we have, too."

EXTRA POINTS - Wide receiver Domenik Hixon, fully recovered from his knee injury last season, is ready to go now. .. "The toughest part of last year was when the guys were losing games," he said. "I was on the sideline and I couldn't do anything to help. The winning was the easy part - for me - because they were doing great and I could just sit back and be enthusiastic and cheer them on."

The injury cost Hixon most of the season and, indirectly, made a local hero out of free agent wide receiver Victor Cruz, who was forced into a starting role and responded with phenomenal numbers, Pro Bowl qualifications and a growing fan base. ... Now it's Cruz who is the starter in the slot, not Hixon, but with the departure of Mario Manningham, Hixon gets another chance. "I just want to play," he smiled. "You can't let your past hold you back in the present."

He then added a phrase worth remembering, saying: "We are the luckiest guys in the country. We play a kid's game for a king's ransom."

Tight end Travis Beckum, who suffered a knee injury in the Super Bowl, along with starting tight end Jake Ballard, has healed "100 percent perfectly," he smiled, and added that he has been walking around the locker room asking players which knee had the surgery - "and they can't see a difference."

He commented on the changing role of the tight end in today's game, noting that "I am lighter than tight ends used to be [he'll play at 240-245] and I'm faster. I'm like a 'slot' tight end, but I have to block and I head the coaches tell me I am one of the four or five best blocking tight ends in the league. I also think I run my routes well, and I know I get certain plays designed to "put me in space" as a receiver, too."

The newest tight end, Martellus Bennett, who spent the first four years of his career with the Dallas Cowboys, is just anxious to get started. ... "I liked my time with the Cowboys," he said. "I liked the players and the coaches and the organization. But it was time for me to move on and find a better situation for myself."

Translated, that means away from certain Hall of Fame tight end Jason Witten, behind whom the 6-6, 245-pound Bennett found himself stationed. "Dallas put a good offer on the table," he said, "but it wasn't about the money. I need to get a starting job."

With the injuries to Ballard and Beckum, the Giants represented the perfect opportunity. When asked to recall his scouting report of Bennett (second round, 2008) he said: "We thought he was a big, good-looking athlete who should really do well in this league. He has the skill set to do everything. He's a huge man. He's a gigantic man and he can run. He's long. He can catch the ball. He had been buried behind Witten in Dallas and didn't get to play that much. So he's going to get a real good opportunity to show us what he can do here."

Reese said there was nothing new on the Osi Umenyiora front. ... The defensive and wants a new contract although he has one year left on his existing deal and said he doesn't want to be on the bench behind ends Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul. ... "I am still open to talks with Osi regarding his contract," Reese said. "There has been a little talk, but there's a long way to go before we play and a lot of things for us to do. That's on our plate as well."

The possibility of moving "way up" in the first round doesn't carry much reality. ... "Teams want lots of draft choices and it's usually not worth doing," Reese said. ... When someone suggested it doesn't have to be draft picks but "unhappy players," (see: Umenyiora) he smiled and said: "We'll see."

Finally, there was a rumor circulating "from good inside sources" that the Giants were going to trade Cruz to the Chicago Bears for running back Matt Forte. ... It proved to be baseless, so relax, Giant fans, "The Croooze" is staying put, at least for now.

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

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