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IN THE WAKE OF THE 2014 DRAFT, By
Aaron Klein They started things off Thursday night with the 12th overall pick and took LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., then praised their first-rounder, stating that he was the guy they wanted all along. That's no surprise, really, but the general manager Jerry Reese, head coach Tom Coughlin and vice-president of player development Marc Ross genuinely seemed thrilled. In taking Beckham the Giants passed on such players as offensive lineman Zack Martin, a fan and media favorite and who might have been the choice had Beckham been off the board. Interestingly, of the many strengths Beckham brings to the table are his ability to run routes with precision and his dangerous skills as a return specialist. In truth, the Giants had a problem with Rueben Randle's imprecise routes and struggled with the return game since David Wilson went down with a neck injury; Randle was among the players who tried to make things happen. They used the second-rounder on Colorado State center Weston Richburg who is probably the most pro-ready center and could push for the starting job in 2015 if not this season. Many, including E-GIANTS, projected that the Giants could very well target a center in Round 2 and Richburg was the favorite. In the third round, the Giants grabbed Syracuse defensive tackle Jay Bromley, a big run-stuffer who became the third collegiate team captain in three rounds for the Giants. Some have questioned their selection of Bromley so early as he had been projected as a Round 4-5 pick. There are also criticisms of his smallish hands and the possibility that he'll be ineffective on passing downs in the pros. However, he's become a leader, a tireless worker and bulky two-gap, 4-3 tackle. We heard from fans wondering if Bromley was a reach or if Beckham was truly a need. Why not a tight end? Weren't there better offensive linemen? In a seven-round draft, a single pick can't typically make or break a draft. It's all a process and while the Giants may have high expectations that some of their new toys can contribute right away, they may also have a long-term plan for others – meaning that they may be willing to wait for Richburg or Bromley, as they've waited on others in the past (with various results). However, they definitely improved their overall average grade this year with their fourth-round pick of Boston College running back Andre Williams. Even Reese admitted that he was a little surprised he was still there. Smart? Williams writes poetry, is writing a book and is a student teacher. He was also a Heisman finalist after the 2013 season ended after averaging over 167 yards per game. The biggest (only?) knock on him is that he hasn't proven to be much of a pass receiver, though the Giants will work with him on that aspect of his game and insist that B.C. rarely used him in that role. His presence on the roster speaks volumes: that they don't know if or when Wilson will be back; that Wilson, if he does fully recover, may never be an every-down back; that the signing of Rashad Jennings and re-signing of Peyton Hillis were designed as short-term solutions and that Williams could be the long-term starter. While he's smaller, he reminds many of former Giants' bruiser Brandon Jacobs, though he has better speed than the retired running back, who was bigger than most linebackers. Where do the Giants go from here? With two fifth-rounders, one compensatory, and a sixth – they smartly traded their seventh-rounder last season for MIKE 'backer Jon Beason – they filled defensive gaps based purely on value with a nod toward shortfalls on the depth chart. Well, that's the theory, but the team didn't draft any more offensive linemen or defensive ends. None, though sixth-round pick Devon Kennard (6-3, 249) was an outside and middle linebacker as well as defensive end at USC. Remember that Reese said before the draft that what the Giants did in free agency would have nothing to do with the selection process, since he bases the draft on the old "best player available" theory. Of course, the out for him is that at any particular spot in the draft his board dictates more than need, so for the team to go through the entire process with one offensive lineman, a center at that, we are to assume that the board controlled his decisions. "We stay true to our board," Reese said. "There were some more offensive linemen we talked about at different times that were taken off the board around us, around the pick that we were making at the tim. Again, we did a lot of work with the offensive line in the offseason with free agency and we'll continue to look. We feel like we have more depth at this point and hopefully it will be able to hold up as we go through the season." One must assume that free agency did have an impact on the draft, in a part. Again, Reese won't draft a position just because the depth chart says so -- he follows the board. In fact, as of this writing the team hadn't signed any offensive linemen as undrafted free agents, instead focusing even more on defense with the exception of former USC tight end Xavier Grimble (6-4, 257), who played with three different quarterbacks in college and will compete for a roster spot or a job on the practice squad. Have something
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