SB Nation New York: All Posts by Jesse Bartolis

Hakeem Nicks seeking new contract?

2013-05-23T03:23:48Z

The New York Giants wide receiver corps is among the most dangerous in the league, but on top of that they have been appealing to fans because they don't come off as diva's with big time personalities and me first attitudes. But diva or not players got to get paid. Jason Cole could have the insight to why Hakeem Nicks wasn't available for the first day of OTA's.

As if the New York Giants and Victor Cruz weren't involved in enough of a stare down, fellow wide receiver Hakeem Nicks sent the team a little message by not showing up for practice Wednesday.

Pay day is coming soon for Nicks, too.

That was the unstated goal of Nicks' not attending the Giants' organized team activity practice, a source indicated Wednesday. Strictly speaking, Nicks didn't violate any rules. OTAs are, after all, voluntary. However, in the lexicon of NFL, voluntary is a synonym for mandatory.

Cole also writes:

The Giants are offering a deal closer to $7 million per year and that number is important in multiple ways. First, Cruz's contract will help set the parameters for Nicks, who the Giants consider to be their primary wide receiver – not Cruz, despite what the stats might indicate.

While Cruz is a dynamic player with the speed and quickness to play either in the slot or outside, 6-foot-1 Nicks is considered more of a class matchup problem for defenses. Thus, Nicks will likely command something much closer to the range of $10 million per year, if not more.

I think Cole's analysis here is spot on. Even though Cruz has been more productive and more healthy the last two seasons, the Giants best wide receiver and matchup problem for defenses is Nicks. The major questions that arise of course are: can the Giants pay both Nicks and Cruz? Both wide receivers will likely be looking for a figure in the range of $10 million per year while the Giants could point to the deal for Wes Welker as more towards fair market value for Victor Cruz, and highlight to NIcks' agent that Hakeem Nicks hasn't been able to stay on the field and sometimes the greatest ability is availability.

The other question is do the Giants think Cruz or Nicks or possibly both are replaceable? The Giants drafted Jerrel Jernigan with the hopes that he'd become the play-maker that Cruz has become. On the other hand Rueben Randle is a big-bodied athlete who can go up and catch the football -- more of a X receiver.

Many of us like to play armchair GM (myself included), but we never dream of doing so in a situation like the Giants might have on their hands right now.

How good can the Giants running game be?

2013-05-20T11:51:44Z

The story of how the New York Giants were the worst rushing team in the league in 2011 when they won the Super Bowl is well known because it sparked a lot of debate about the importance of the running game in the modern NFL. Despite winning the Super Bowl the Giants have shown through their actions that they were not satisfied with being a marginal running team -- actions like drafting David Wilson in the first round in the 2012 NFL draft and then Justin Pugh in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

And after bottoming out in 2011 (see chart below), I'm feeling the Giants could have one of the top running games in the league in 2013. One of the unheralded factors in why I think the Giants running game could be a strength of the team this year was recently highlighted by Pro Football Focus.

For those wondering how we determine a “success rate”, I’ll define it the same way a number of the teams we work with do: collecting 40 percent of required yardage on first down, 60 percent of required yardage on second down, and 100 percent on either third or fourth down.

The results are interesting.

Fullback Success No Success Total Plays Success Rate

Henry Hynoski 103 114 217 47.47%

Will Tukuafu 28 32 60 46.67%

Jed Collins 69 91 160 43.13%

Charles Clay 28 37 65 43.08%

Jerome Felton 108 144 252 42.86%

Vonta Leach 103 143 246 41.87%

Darrel Young 82 115 197 41.62%

James Casey 103 145 248 41.53%

Lex Hilliard 70 99 169 41.42%

Jorvorskie Lane 77 109 186 41.40%

The Giants’ “Hynocerous” leads the way in an indication of the Giants’ rushing attack being far more potent when he is on the field (he was also lined up at fullback for 15 of their touchdown runs). Behind him you get Will Tukuafu whose 46.67 percent puts the 39.27 percent of Bruce Miller (who finished 13th) to shame.

Fullback	Success	No Success	Total Plays	Success Rate
Henry Hynoski	103	114	217	47.47%
Will Tukuafu	28	32	60	46.67%
Jed Collins	69	91	160	43.13%
Charles Clay	28	37	65	43.08%
Jerome Felton	108	144	252	42.86%
Vonta Leach	103	143	246	41.87%
Darrel Young	82	115	197	41.62%
James Casey	103	145	248	41.53%
Lex Hilliard	70	99	169	41.42%
Jorvorskie Lane	77	109	186	41.40%

The Giants are one of the few teams who consistently use a fullback -- and according to Pro Football Focus are the team that benefits most from the play of their fullback. The continued importance of the run game to Tom Coughlin should not be understated and this year we I expect the Giants to have more rushing opportunities (last year they were 22nd in the league in attempts). Hynoski's continued development as well as the second year for the exciting Wilson and the addition of Pugh in the lineup sets up the Giants with perhaps their best running game weapons since 2008.

The Raw Data

Season	Yards Per Game	Yards Per Rush	Rushing TDs	Rushing Leader
2007	134.2 (4th)	4.6 (Tied 3rd)	15 (tied 7th	Jacobs (1009 yards)
2008	157.4 (1st)	5.0 (1st)	19 (tied 8th)	Jacobs (1089 yards)
2009	114.8 (17th)	4.1 (tied 19th)	14 (15th)	Jacobs (835 yards)
2010	137.5 (6th)	4.6 (tied 6th)	17 (tied 6th)	Bradshaw (1235 yards)
2011	89.2 (32nd)	3.5 (32nd)	17 (tied 6th)	Bradshaw (659 yards)
2012	116.4 (14th)	4.6 (7th)	18 (5th)	Bradshaw (1015 yards)

Just a few interesting thoughts on the data. Whether or not the Giants rushing game was the best in the league, or the worst -- they apparently like to run the ball in the red-zone more than most teams. And you can feel comfortable betting that the Giants get no less than 14 touchdowns rushing and no more than 19 rushing touchdowns.

The single highest rushing yardage in one season since 2007 was Bradshaw's 1,235 -- a number that Tiki Barber eclipsed in four of his final five season (the other year he had 1,216 yards).

A 3.5 yards per rush by any single running back is considered pretty awful, for a team it's just absolutely pitiful.

Before I started looking at the data I hadn't remembered that the Giants were a middling rushing team in 2009 -- a year after they were the best the league.

Justin Pugh the right reach for New York Giants?

2013-05-17T13:12:25Z

Much was made about how the New York Giants "reached" for Justin Pugh over other players in the 2013 NFL Draft (a claim that was also made here by me), but something I wanted to explore is the success rate of offensive linemen drafted early in the NFL draft. I classify early as first or second round -- those are the rounds you expect to get starters from. The rest of the rounds you hope you do.

Top 32 offensive tackles rated by Pro Football Focus:

Player	Round Drafted
Joe Staley	1st
Duane Brown	1st
Michael Roos	2nd
Ryan Clady	1st
Andre Smith	1st
Joe Thomas	1st
D'Brickshaw Ferguson	1st
Gosder Cherilus	1st
Andrew Whitworth	2nd
Anthony Davis	1st
Will Beatty	2nd
~~Jared Veldheer~~	~~3rd~~
Sebastian Vollmer	2nd
~~Tyson Clabo~~	~~UDFA~~
Eugene Monroe	1st
Russel Okung	1st
Nate Solder	1st
Orlando Franklin	2nd
Trent Williams	1st
Jordan Gross	1st
Mitchell Schwartz	2nd
Phil Loadholt	2nd
Matt Kalil	1st
~~Donald Penn~~	~~UDFA~~
Branden Albert	1st
~~Eric Winston~~	~~3rd~~
Sam Baker	1st
~~David Stewart~~	~~4th~~
~~Todd Herremans~~	~~4th~~
Roger Saffold	2nd
Anthony Castonzo	1st

Of the 32 highest ranked offensive tackles in the league-26 of them were drafted in the first two rounds.

17 of the 26 that were drafted in the first two rounds were drafted in the first rounds.

There is a perception that good players can be found throughout the draft and that is true, but the majority of good offensive linemen seem to come from the first round. There is enough evidence to suggest there is a high correlation between first-round tackle and successful player, but there is a question about whether or not Pugh can hack it at offensive tackle.

So the other question that arises is how often does a first-round offensive linemen bust?

Here are the first round offensive linemen drafted since 2008:

2008:

Jake Long, Ryan Clady, ~~Chris Williams~~, Branden Albert, Gosder Cherilus, ~~Jeff Otah,~~ Sam Baker, Duane Brown

2009:

~~Jason Smith,~~ Andre Smith, Eugene Monroe, Alex Mack, Michael Oher, Eric Wood

2010:

Trent Williams, Russell Okung, Anthony Davis, Mike Iupati, Maurkice Pouncey, (( ~~Bryan Bulaga~~ ))

2011:

Tyron Smith, Mike Pouncey, Nate Solder, Anthony Castonzo, ~~Danny Watkins,~~ James Carpenter, ~~Gabe Carimi~~, ~~Derek Sherrod~~ (INJURY)

2012:

Matt Kalil, Riley Reiff, David Decastro, Kevin Zeitler

Since 2008 there have been 32 tackles drafted in the first round. Of the 32 drafted Chris Williams, Jeff Otah (in large part because of injury), Jason Smith (not as good as No. 2 pick, but still been a starter), Bryan Bulaga, Danny Watkins, Gabe Carimi, and Derek Sherrod (a lot of injuries in his still young career) are the only players I would say are classified as busts. Bulaga I wouldn't say is a bust yet, but perhaps in time. Watkins and Carimi are possibly going to be cut this year.

Even if we count all seven of those players as busts that's 25 out of 32 players that have begun what appear to be successful NFL careers. Imagine any draft in which 25 first round picks were productive NFL starters -- it'd be perhaps the best first round in the history of the NFL.

These points are not absolute truths, but do give an insight into what the Giants might have been thinking when they selected Pugh over a player like Sharrif Floyd or Xavier Rhodes with the 19th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Pugh might never be an All-Pro player, but based on recent history it seems like there's a very good shot that Pugh will be a productive NFL starter -- and for a team that already has a number of play makers on offense (David Wilson, Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz) and a franchise quarterback -- it might be exactly what the Giants need to help find the consistency that has been lacking for their offense at times.

I still do not love the Pugh pick, and it certainly is not as exciting as when the Giants selected Nicks or David Wilson, but there is a lot of wisdom in taking an offensive linemen in the first round -- it's a position that might show a disproportionately higher success rate early in the draft.

New York Giants Sign Vet Tryout Frank Okam

2013-05-12T00:09:23Z

The New York Giants would make the "Where's the Beef" lady proud with all of the stockpiling of defensive tackles they have done this off-season, but you can add one more to the list. The Giants have signed veteran try out Frank Okam.

Okam is listed at 6-foot-5, 350 pounds and has played 5 seasons with three different teams -- the Texans, the Seahawks, and the Buccaneers. According to Pro Football Focus, Okam scored a -5.9 overall in 2011. The Giants have added serious competition to the defensive tackle position during this off-season and through the draft. The position is the most interesting position heading into training camp this off-season and there's a possibility that former second round pick Marvin Austin could be cut--if we're getting ahead of ourselves here.

The Giants current defensive tackles are Linval Joseph, Cullen Jenkins, Shaun Rogers, Johnathan Hankins, Marvin Austin, Markus Kuhn, Mike Patterson, Bobby Skinner, and Okam. It's likely the Giants only carry four, or maybe five with Joseph, Jenkin, and Hankins seemingly the only locks for three of the positions.

The additions of Okam and Curry means that two players will have to be cut on Monday.

In other mini-camp and Giants related news:

Here is a nice piece on Giants third round pick Damontre Moore. Moore is saying all of the right things. Anyone who read the pre-draft coverage here knew that I continued to rank Moore as a top 20 player in this class despite his slow forty yard dash. Hopefully he is mature enough to reach his potential and not just saying the right things, but doing the right things.

Pat Traina gives an overview of the Giants mini-camp. Pat is doing a little bit of driving the hype-train-a (yuck yuck) for this class

There’s something special about this draft class. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I haven’t been this impressed by a draft class since 2007 – and we all know how well that class turned out. What I’m getting at is I could conceivably seeing the bulk of this class contributing as soon as this year, be it at different points.

The coaches have been teaching the rookies the proper technique, and they’re also taking advantage of the players’ versatility to where they’ll have one guy who can play multiple roles. That’s smart coaching and roster building, and that’s why I believe this class might be one of the biggest draft contributors to a Giants team since the Class of 2007.

I like Cooper Taylor’s skill set A LOT. Granted he went up against fellow rookies, and he only worked in basic defensive packages, but there are just some guys who really rise above their competition, and I think Taylor is one of them. I am most interested to see how he holds up against the veterans once OTAs start, but I think he was by far and away the star of the mini-camp on defense.

It's very early, but I could see some validity in that statement. This class is not littered with skilled position players. I think the Giants believe Justin Pugh will win a starting spot on the offensive line either at right tackle of left guard. Their second and third round picks are guys who are specialists of sorts -- Hankins takes up a load of space and the And then from meeting with the media here are the tidbits that stick out for me.

Coach Coughlin

Q: It is not contact drills, but is there anybody unexpected that has jumped out at you the first couple of days?
A: There is a player here and there that flashes. Pretty much every play somebody does something that gets your attention a little bit. But to say any one continuous guy, I think probably that one of the things that continue to grow on you is the way the quarterback (Nassib) is. He responded to a new system – first time ever and was showing some ability to lead in the huddle and the huddle pays attention to him. The offensive line seems to have responded pretty well to him. He is throwing the ball, on occasion, well. But there have been others. The runner (Cox) has looked good on occasion – done some good things. Defensively the front, (Hankins) has made a nice play today. Moore made a play.

Coach Fewell had a death in his family and was not present for today's session.

From Tom Quinn

Q: Is Aaron Rossgoing to be back in the return mix?
A: I’m sure he will be in the mix. We do have to identify someone if they can be a punt returner that can make a difference because that’s something that’s been lagging the last couple of years. In ‘08 and ‘09 we were pretty happy with it. The last couple of years it wasn’t anywhere near where it needs to be, so we’ve got to find someone to step up and take that role.

Any guesses to who that will be. I for one hope that Jernigan gets another opportunity to prove that he learned how to catch the football--and that he also shows that he can do something with it once he does.

New York Giants News and Notes: Minicamp Day 1 Recap and Other Interesting Notes

2013-05-11T12:00:04Z

The first day of on-field practices are in the books for the 2013 NFL season. Here is the need to know information from day one. And also the information you might or might not care to know, but I found interesting anyway.

Giants.com has a number of interviews available including interviews with all of the draft picks and Jerry Reese discussing the signing of former Seahawk and Oakland Raider Aaron Curry.

Also for those wondering how Aaron Curry might nave stacked up since being drafted 4th overall by the Seattle Seahawks in 2009. In 2011 his last full season he graded a -6.7 overall which seems bad, but when you break it down further he had -.7 in run defense, a -2.4 in pass rush, and a -3.0 in penalty. He was a 0 (which is considered average) in pass coverage.

Curry had a few games where he was dominant scoring a 1.8 or higher three times. The Giants entire linebacking unit had 4 games with a score over 1.8. Curry's -.7 in run defense is also much better than Blackburns -7.1, or Boley's -4.5. While Curry has been a disappointment as a high draft pick, he is sadly, probably an upgrade to what the Giants had at linebacker last year.

Also, with the Curry signing the Giants now have three first round picks at linebacker and two top ten picks at linebacker (Curry, Rivers). Sure they weren't good enough to stay with their original teams, but a top ten pick is a top ten pick and if I know anything about first round picks the Giants should easily now have the best linebacker corps in the league.

Kevin Gilbride has an interesting take on the Victor Cruz situation from giants.com

Q:Victor Cruz wouldn’t be out here anyway, but is it kind of a headache until he signs?
A: I guess I have great confidence that it’s going to get done, so I don’t give it a lot of thought because I know he wants to be here, I know we want him to be here, the people that have to resolve that does not include me, and I’ll be honest with you I’m kind of excited until he gets back. I’m certainly looking forward to him getting back. I don’t want to give any impression contrary to that, but certainly I’m looking forward to seeing Jerrel Jernigan and what he can do inside. I think it’s about time that he steps up and I think we feel he has enough ability and he’s been here now long enough. Until Victor gets back, he’ll be the main guy inside at the slot position. It’s a chance for him to shine and step forward and do the things that we believe he can do and then whoever else shows up. I think we want to see what Louis Murphy can do outside, but really it’s JJ inside is the guy that… It’s going to be a great opportunity for him.

I know nothing of the Giants plans for Victor Cruz, but I don't think they're going to cave on the price they have set for him and would be okay with letting him go if it ever came to that, but I'll try not to get ahead of myself here, especially since I'm just guessing.

The Newark Ledger has the entire mini-camp roster. Matt Mcants is the only 2012 draft pick at the rookie mini-camp. Other interesting names to note are TE Michael Palmer (veteran tryout from Clemson)--Gilbride singled him out as a guy who had good day. Michael Jasper out of Bethel Tennessee. He was drafted by the Bills in the 7th round as a DL--he is 6'4 375 pounds. Do a google image search for him and check out the picture of him being a lead blocker--good stuff. Linebacker Jake Muasau is back as well.

Pat Trainia has a recap of the 1st day of practice.

It’s early, but a guy who seemed to be especially active was LB Charleus Dieusel (UDFA, Mount Union). He showed a good first step and in pass rushing drills, he had very little wasted motion in going for the strip. I’m not sure if there will be room for him on the final 53, and again, it’s early, but he’s one of the players who stood out in the morning workout and I could see him possibly becoming a mainstay on special teams this summer

Interestingly, Gilbride said his star of the first day was tight end Michael Palmer (veteran tryout, Clemson). I agree with the pick, as I don’t think I saw Palmer, a four-year veteran, drop a single pass in both practices. And I also wouldn’t be surprised if he’s somehow added to the roster if he has another strong showing on Saturday.

I can't remember if this has been linked yet,but Chad Jones has retired from football to pursue baseball.

There are three things to note from Ralph Vacchiano and one from Tom Rock.

Joe Danos joined the Giants as an assistant strength and conditioning coach, from Florida State where he had the same job. #NYG
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoNYDN) May 10, 2013

Matt Shauger was promoted from pro scout to Giants assistant director of pro personnel. #NYG
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoNYDN) May 10, 2013

And the Giants officially announced that Tim McDonnell, Wellington Mara's grandson, has joined the staff as a pro scout. #NYG
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoNYDN) May 10, 2013

I will say this: Nassib looked a lot better in his first minicamp practice than Eli did.
— Tom Rock (@TomRock_Newsday) May 10, 2013

New York Giants way too early projected 53-man roster

2013-05-06T12:12:10Z

The 2013 NFL Draft is over and while the New York Giants roster is nowhere being set, there is enough in place for me to take an educated guess at what the roster might look like on opening day. I know at times head coach Tom Coughlin and company catch flak for "playing favorites", but the Giants are a team that really tries to put the best 53 men on the roster. Plenty of unexpected players have made the roster -- like Duke Calhoun a couple of seasons ago -- so you never know what will happen.

Quarterback (3)

Eli Manning, David Carr, Ryan Nassib

Analysis: The only question here is whether or not Carr remains on the roster. The Giants believe they are a Super Bowl contending team and I think they will feel that Carr will give them a better opportunity to win a game this year if Manning is hurt.

Running Back (4)

David Wilson, Andre Brown, Michael Cox, Henry Hynoski

Analysis: The Giants don't go deep here with running backs this year, relying on David Wilson and Andre Brown. I picked Cox over Da'rel Scott or Ryan Torain because based on what the Giants have said about him he offers a nice complement to the two primary backs. However, the fact that Scott could be a return man and already knows the system could win him the job -- also at this point it'd be hard to speculate that a team would claim Cox off waivers if he was waived. I think this is a position where the Giants add another player if they feel that Nassib could produce this year.

Wide Receiver (6)

Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, Rueben Randle, Louis Murphy, Jerrel Jernigan, Marcus Davis

Analysis: Pretty straightforward here. The Giants top four options are a lock, I believe. I think Jernigan would have to have a terrible camp or injury to get cut. The Marcus Davis pick is the one I'm nervous about. The Giants did throw him a lot of money as an undrafted free agent and he has a lot of upside, but I'm not sure he'll produce enough in any special team role to make the team.

Tight End (3)

Brandon Myers, Bear Pascoe, Adrien Robinson

Analysis: Hopefully Robinson is ready to pick his game up this year, otherwise this position is very thin. I think Pascoe is on the bubble because a player like Larry Donnell offers a lot more potential than Pascoe, who is a guy coaches love to have on a roster but might never do anything special.

Offensive Line (9)

Will Beatty, Kevin Boothe, David Baas, Chris Snee, Justin Pugh, James Brewer, David Diehl, Brandon Mosley, Eric Herman

Analysis: This one is tough. The Giants don't like to cut draft picks early, but they might have to cut Herman unless he can also play center because the Giants love positional versatility. What might save Herman is that both Boothe and potentially Pugh could play center.

Defensive Line (8)

Justin Tuck, Linval Joseph, Cullen Jenkins, Jason Pierre-Paul, Damontre Moore, Johnathan Hankins, Mike Patterson, Adewale Ojomo (Mathias Kiwanuka)

Analysis: The Giants let Tracy go because of the numbers at the position and the needs elsewhere as Ojomo beats him out. Having Kiwanuka available as both a defensive end and linebacker creates space for other players. I think all of the above listed except Patterson and Ojomo are locks to make the team. I think Patterson's relative youth compared to Shaun Rogers gives him the nod.

Linebacker (7)

Keith Rivers, Dan Connor, Jacquian Williams, Spencer Paysinger, Mark Herzlich, Mathias Kiwanuka, Cooper Taylor

Analysis: To the surprise of no Giants fan the linebacker position looks very weak as of today. Even though I have eight linebackers listed only five are pure linebackers. Kiwanuka and Taylor are sub-package linebacker types. I think the Giants will sign a veteran free agent linebacker, but perhaps they are confident in Paysinger's ability to back up the outside linebacker spots.

Cornerback (6)

Prince Amukamara, Corey Webster, Jayron Hosley, Aaron Ross, Terrell Thomas, Buddy Jackson

Analysis: The surprise name here is Buddy Jackson the former PIttsburgh Panthers cornerback. Jackson is physically gifted -- he's 6-foot and ran a 4.37 40-yard dash during his Pro Day with a 40-inch vertical, and 15 bench press reps (pretty good for a cornerback). Jackson has more speed than any other Giants cornerback and could be a guy they see as a gunner. He beats out Alonzo Tweedy here for me -- the undrafted free agent who was a special teams ace at Virginia Tech because he has more upside as a cornerback.

Safety (4)

Antrel Rolle, Will Hill, Stevie Brown, Ryan Mundy (Cooper Taylor, Terrell Thomas)

Analysis: The first three spots are set to me. Mundy is another guy who should be a good special teams contributor. Taylor was counted under the linebackers a sub-package linebacker though he's actually a safety as well. I think Mundy could easily be off the team for any other position.

Special Teams (3)

Kicker -- Josh Brown; Punter -- Steve Weatherford; Long Snapper -- Zak DeOssie.

Thoughts?

New York Giants 2013 NFL Draft: What I would have done

2013-05-02T11:33:47Z

Jerry Reese has been the architect of two Super Bowl victories and multiple playoff teams. He is largely considered one of the best general managers in the game. I'm typing this from my living room. Still, one of my favorite things about football is the actual roster building so with the platform that Big Blue View provides, and with the fact that I'm not quite ready to let the draft go ... here's what I would have done if I was running the New York Giants draft room for the 2013 NFL Draft. In three years we'll look back and see who made the right decisions.

Round 1

Actual Pick: Justin Pugh, OL, Syracuse
Jesse's pick: Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State

The selection of Justin Pugh in retrospect makes a ton of sense because of how depleted the position became after the first round, but with that being said I still don't love the pick. I'm rooting for Pugh to make a few Pro Bowls and be a 10-year starter in the league.

However, Rhodes is the player I would have gone with here. My man crush in the draft is Alec Ogletree and the Giants need to improve their linebacker corps, but Rhodes offers better positional value and would be in the same class of my 15 elite players in the draft. Rhodes is a big, fast cornerback who had some of the best metrics in the game. Rhodes is a better press cover man than he is a zone coverage guy, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't get better at it with coaching. The cornerback depth outside of Prince Amukamara is a little scary.

Round 2

Actual Pick: Johnathan Hankins, DL, Ohio State
Jesse's pick: Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State

Hankins was actually my highest-rated player on the board here, but for the sake of being different I'll take Brown. Brown was slightly below Hankins on my board, but he's a terrific player. He might only be able to play WILL linebacker in the NFL, but that doesn't matter. He will be a very good linebacker for a long time. The Giants' two biggest needs after the draft are more talented cornerbacks and linebackers, and linebacker is actually a woefully thin position on the team.

Round 3

Actual pick: Damontre Moore, DE, Texas A&M
Jesse's pick: Damontre Moore, DE, Texas A & M

During the draft I was considering Moore as the pick in the second round and was pumped he was available in the third. He's young, but a good savvy pass rusher already. He has terrific length, tested well in all areas but the 40-yard dash at the combine, and was supremely productive in the SEC this year, and nearly as productive the year before. Moore was my favorite pick for any team in the draft.

If I had to pick a different player I like Corey Lemonier, the defensive end/outside linebacker from Auburn.

Round 4

Actual pick: Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse
Jesse's pick: Philip Thomas, S, Fresno State

During the draft I was rooting for Thomas or Khaseem Greene to be selected by the Giants. In this re-draft I already have taken linebacker Arthur Brown, so Greene would be redundant. Thomas was a ball hawk at Fresno State and the Giants safety depth is unsettling to me. I think Brown played well enough last year to warrant a shot to hold down the starting job all year and Will Hill flashed, but both are far from proven and I'd like to see more competition at the position (which Cooper Taylor might provide). There were a few other interesting players here: South Carolina DE Devin Taylor, WR Quinton Patton, and OL Oday Aboushi. I'll say that I traded up for Thomas, too, just to keep the number of picks the same.

Round 5

Actual pick: Cooper Taylor, S, Richmond
Jesse's pick: Ricky Wagner, OT, Wisconsin

The Giants finally go offensive line here. Picking Wagner this late doesn't bother me because I feel confident that he can be a starting right tackle. Wagner does not offer the same upside or positional versatility that Pugh does, but he is a guy who could be a very good run blocking right tackle in the NFL. Wisconsin offensive linemen are well-coached, and often find some measure of success in the NFL. Wagner played a successful left tackle for the Badgers and could even start early.

Round 7

Actual pick: Eric Herman, OL, Ohio
Jesse's pick: Marquees Wilson, WR, Washington State

A smooth receiver with good size (6-foot-3, 194 pounds), He has plenty of upside as a starting outside receiver in the National Football League and that's hard to find in Round 7. Wilson didn't get along with the coaching staff in college and left the team because of it -- a player quitting because of a coach is something that scares off NFL teams -- and it undoubtedly affected his draft stock. My take is that his coach doesn't have a great reputation and I'm on the side that WIlson is not uncoachable.

Round 7 comp pick

Actual pick: Michael Cox, RB, UMass
Jesse's pick: Tyler Bray, QB, Tennessee

Bray has maybe the best arm of any quarterback in the entire draft class. Now, he has a terrible reputation and as a result went undrafted, but with the second-to-last pick in the draft I roll the dice on Bray here. The Giants chose the well-regarded, intelligent, over-achiever type as opposed to the supremely talented, questionable character guy, but I go this way.

New York Giants draft grades, Rounds 4-7

2013-04-30T17:44:05Z

I discussed at length my thoughts on New York Giants draft picks Justin Pugh, John Hankins, and Damontre Moore earlier this week. Today we look at what the Giants did on Day 3 of the 2013 NFL Draft.

I've said this ad nauseum, but on Day 3 what you're looking for is value and guys who can do certain things well. Only a very small percentage of players taken on day 3 become long-term solutions -- and when they do they are more likely to be guys like Zak DeOssie who become the long snapper you rely on for years. Everyone points out the running back position, but even that position the majority of the better running backs are first- and second-round picks. With that being said I don't really "grade" any pick past the third round because my expectations are very tempered, but I'll highlight some things I like and don't like about the players.

More: Jesse's grades on Rounds 1-3 'Kudos & Wet Willies draft review

4th round - Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse

This was an interesting pick. This pick made more waves in the national meida than any of the other picks the Giants made, and much of that had to do with the perception that Nassib was going to be selected eighth overall by the Buffalo Bills in the first round. There is also the fact that a couple of media guys like Russ Lande of the National Football Post and Greg Cosell of NFL Films had Nassib as their number one rated quarterback (and Lande the No. 1 overall player).

As a fan you see this pick and you say, they moved up to get a quarterback? That's stupid. And as a fan you're right. We're invested in the team emotionally (and financially to a point), but we're not providing for our families based on how well the Giants play. As a fan you're thinking if Eli Manning gets hurt for an extended period of time the season's lost anyway and we might as well get a high draft pick.

But as a coach and general manager, and as scouts you're thought has to be that if the team takes a nose dive in any of these years I could lose my job -- just ask Bill Polian. Polian is one of the most decorated general managers in the league -- a guy who didn't have a losing season in a decade with the Colts. He lost Peyton Manning, had terrible backup quarterback play and is now working with ESPN. Having a backup quarterback can save seasons -- and jobs. It's important.

The other two benefits of having a young backup quarterback on the roster are a) It's cost efficient. Having Nassib will save the Giants half a million dollars or more moving forward over David Carr. Half a million doesn't seem like much, but with how often the Giants will be up against the cap due Manning's huge salary it makes a difference. B) The potential for future compensation is obviously intriguing. If Nassib never plays, he'll save the team 1.5 to 2 million dollars or more during his rookie contract, and if he develops the way they expect he could eventually take over the starting job or brign back a second-round pick in a trade. I think it's a sound theory when you have a long-term franchise building goal in mind. It makes sense. Still as a fan, BOOOOO!!!!! He doesn't play linebacker or cornerback.

Now Nassib as as player. Nassib has some great strengths First, he's intelligent. An anonymous scout/player personnel guy said (not to me) something along the lines that "Nassib is the smartest player we've interviewed in a long/long time."

Nassib is also tough -- he hasn't missed any time and shows up at practice. He's a hard worker who has good anticipation -- he can throw some guys open. He is a leader and was productive on a bad team. There's a lot to like. Now he's a limited athlete, who is also shorter than ideal, and has average to slightly above average accuracy for a prospect. He should be a very high level backup player who could be a starter in a few years.

What I like about Nassib to the Giants specifically is that he's used to throwing in poor weather conditions and that he was passed up by his own college coach -- a coach who he basically got a NFL job for -- as well as 31 other teams three times (or more for some). Nassib should have a major chip on his shoulder and I like that. Hopefully he's tough enough to handle being a backup for the foreseeable future. And I'm unconcerned about giving up a sixth round pick -- they rarely pan out, anyway.

5th round - Cooper Taylor, LB/S, Richmond

I can't say that I've watched a lot of Richmond football games. But you can read an excellent breakdown by Ed on him. What I'll say about Taylor is that he offers a lot more potential than a player like Tyler Sash and will likely push Sash off the roster because he is considered to be someone who will be a great addition to the special teams and also has more speed, size, and range than Sash. Taylor is intriguing because he has such good height that he could add weight and potentially develop into a linebacker -- the Giants tried this recently with an undrafted guy out of Florida State Kenny Ingram, who didnt pan out, but is now playing linebacker for the CFL.

With Taylor the Giants add another sub-package player, and with luck he'll develop into a Harrison Smith type safety with his size. I like the pick and it offers a lot of intrigue. The pick actually makes me feel a little bit better that the Giants didn't draft a linebacker because he can play some of those roles.

Rolle, Brown, Hill, Mundy, Taylor, Sash. There is some competition here and between Taylor/Mundy/Sash they should have a nice player on the roster.

7th round - Eric Herman, G, Ohio

Herman is another guy that I didn't get to watch play a lot and was actually hard to find information on, but I did hear his name enough before the draft to figure he'd be drafted. I asked around to a few guys I know who study only small school players and the thing that kept coming up was MEAN. Herman plays like he hates his opponent. The other thing Herman also has is a lot of size. He's 6-foot-4, 320 pounds and has huge hands (10 7/8-inch hands) -- he put up 36 bench press at the combine -- the most of any offensive linemen and the fourth-most overall.

From Giants.com

With 131 more knockdowns as a senior, the two-time All-MAC performer saw the Bobcats average 203.31 yards per game rushing and 444.47 total yards, despite playing late in the schedule with an elbow contusion.

I don't know if Herman will be a starter in the NFL or really what the Giants have in mind for him, but I like that they have now created competition along the offensive line moving into the future. Over the last three drafts the Giants have spent a number of picks on offensive line -- James Brewer, Brandon Mosley, Matt McCants, Pugh, and now Herman.

Will Beatty is entrenched as the starter at left tackle, but between the five other guys the Giants hope to find at least two or three more starters. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Giants attack the line early in the draft again next year and maybe in free agency. The Giants finally have a lot of quality young depth along the offensive line and hopefully at least a few future NFL starters--which was perhaps their biggest need moving forward.

7th round - Michael Cox, RB, UMass

I did not know the Giants would draft UMass running back Michael Cox, but what I did think I knew was that the Giants would draft a guy with a high speed score (a combination of weight/speed) over a 100. MCox ran a 4.58 40-yard dash at a weight of 222 pounds, which is close to Christine Michael of Texas A&M. Cox's other Pro Day numbers included 24 bench press reps and a 41-inch vertical jump.

A transfer from Michigan, Cox only averaged 3.59 yards per carry at UMass, which doesn't sound good at all, but he only has about 200 total rushes during his entire college career, which is a wonderful thing.

He doesn't have as much raw talent as Da'rel Scott, but something about Scott is keeping him off the field and Cox provides competition for him.

Final Thought

All in all the Giants had an interesting and unexpected Day 3. They completely ignored the cornerback and linebacker position in favor of a quarterback, safety/linebacker hybrid, a big offensive lineman and a running back. It creates competition at positions where the depth is questionable at, but leaves a big hole at linebacker specifically -- a position that needs to be addressed during the remainder of the off-season.