Mocking The Draft: Giants A 'Winner' In 2011 NFL Draft

From shockingly finding Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara available to them with the 19th selection of the first round to grabbing Da'Rel Scott, the running back with the fastest NFL Scouting Combine 40-yard dash time, the New York Giants felt good about what they accomplished in the 2011 NFL Draft.

"You try to take the best player available," said Giants General Manager Jerry Reese. "We always try to get value and need with our picks. We were able to do that quite a bit the last couple of days."

In the rush to judgment following the conclusion of the draft, analysts everywhere like to hand out grades or determine draft 'winners' and losers.' The Giants are in the 'winners' category, according to SB Nation's Mocking The Draft.

"New York general manager Jerry Reese got to sit back in the draft and wait for talent to fall to him. He didn't make trades and didn't need to. He got a steal with cornerback Prince Amukamara in the first round and defensive tackle Marvin Austin in the second round. Jerrel Jernigan is a playmaker and a good fit for their offense. James Brewer is a big, tough blocker. Greg Jones and Tyler Sash were wildly productive college players and the leaders of their teams."

Of course, what analysts think right now really doesn't matter. Only what happens once players put the pads on and see game action does. Still, feels nice that the Giants are looked at as having had a successful draft.

NFL Draft Results 2011: Giants Select Da'Rel Scott, RB, Maryland in Seventh Round

The Giants just closed out their 2011 NFL draft by choosing Maryland running back Da’Rel Scott with their seventh round pick, the 221st overall pick in the draft. Scott’s claim to fame was having the fastest 40-yard dash time at the NFL Scouting Combine for a running back, at 4.34.

The 5’11", 211 lb. Scott was praised by Wes Bunting of the National Football Post after posting that 40 time:

The stock of Maryland RB Da’Rel Scott is through the roof right now after timing in with a sub-4.4 forty time at the NFL combine. I’ve heard from several sources of him potentially getting a look late in round one. I don’t buy it personally, but you never know just how high a guy can rise after a good workout.

So the Giants have addressed several needs in this draft—depth in the secondary, a beast on the D-line, depth at offensive tackles, two solid linebackers, and depth at the wide receiver and running back positions.

NFL Draft Results 2011: Giants Select Jacquian Williams, OLB, South Florida in Sixth Round

The New York Giants were as busy picking players in the sixth round of the draft as we were relaying you the information. They just selected outside linebacker Jacquian Williams of South Florida with their third pick in the round, 202nd overall. Williams joins ILB Greg Jones of Michigan State, selected 17 picks earlier.

The 6’3", 231 pound Williams was an All Big East second-teamer in 2010 and led his team with 68 tackles.

Gil Brandt of NFL.com had this to say about Williams’ performance on South Florida’s Pro day:
South Florida Pro day: OLB Jacquian Williams (6-2 5/8, 231) ran 4.53 and 4.72 40s, a 4.20 short shuttle and a 6.91 3-cone drill. He had a 36 ½-inch vertical, 9-8 broad jump and did 17 bench-press repetitions at 225 pounds.

NFL Draft Results 2011: Giants Select Tyler Sash, SS, Iowa in Sixth Round

The New York Giants followed up their 185th pick selection of Greg Jones with another Big Ten defensive player—Iowa SS Tyler Sash. The 6’0", 211 lb. Sash is a two-time Big Ten defensive player of the year and will join Prince Amukamara to bolster the Giants’secondary.

Hawkeye Beat had this to say about Sash:
Many different sports websites (Sporting News, Draft Bible) have Sash listed anywhere from a 3rd Rounder to a 5th rounder. Sash was a playmaker at Safety for the Hawkeyes and after his stellar Junior season decided to jump to the NFL. Sash is a great down hill tackler and defender and is best when just getting after the ball. He is knocked as not being the best man to man defender and is best suited for a Cover 2 NFL scheme.

NFL Draft Results 2011: Giants Select Greg Jones, LB, Michigan State in Sixth Round

The Giants needed a linebacker in the worst way. They had addressed needs at the back and front of the defense, and now they have added a playmaker—linebacker Greg Jones from Michigan State. Jones is a 6’1", 242 pound beast who the Giants were very lucky to grab all the way down with the 185th pick in the draft.

Here is the skinny from NFL Draft Bible: Great experience and good form tackling ability are what Greg Jones brings to the table. The senior isn’t as gifted in coverage and often didn’t even play three downs at MSU but projects as a potential thumping middle linebacker that could develop as a pass protector. Looked very lack luster in Mobile though.

The Giants have two more (yes, you read that correctly) picks in the sixth round, so we will post another update shortly.

NFL Draft Results 2011: Giants Take James Brewer, OT, Indiana In Fourth Round

The New York Giants tried to get some help for their aging offensive line in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft on Saturday, selecting James Brewer, an offensive tackle from Indiana with the 117th overall pick.

Brewer is a 6-foot-6, 323-pound player who analysts feel could fit at either tackle spot. Here is what SB Nation’s Mocking The Draft said about Brewer:

“At his size, his athleticism is astonishing. Unlike some prospects his size, he gets adequate knee bend and has pretty agile feet. Meanwhile, his strength lies in his ability to sustain blocks at the point of attack, and the fact that he has the range to get to the second level of the defense. He’ll be a steal in the middle rounds of the NFL Draft.”

The Giants do not currently have a selection in the fifth round. They have three sixth-round selections (two compensatory ones) and a seventh-round selection.

NFL Draft 2011, Third Round: Giants Select Jerrel Jernigan, WR, Troy

The New York Giants went from taking the massive 310-pound defensive tackle Marvin Austin in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft to taking the smallish speedster Jerell Jernigan, a wide receiver from Troy, in the third round (83rd overall) Thursday night.

The selection of a wide receiver came as a bit of a surprise as the Giants still have not addressed the areas seen as their two primary needs — the middle of the offensive line on offense and the linebacking corps on defense.

Jernigan has 4.46 speed and has the ability to return kicks as well as play wide receiver.

From NFL.com:

Jernigan is flat-out a playmaaker who has the ability to make an immediate impact as a return man at the next level. He has excellent speed to stretch the field and the hip fluidity to maintain momentum in transition and separate out of his breaks. He lacks the size to be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL, but he is a slippery runner in the open field after the catch and projects to be a weapon in the slot.

From Draft Countdown:

Best fit at the next level might come as a slot receiver and return specialist who can also be utilized in the Wildcat and on reverses - Dynamic all-purpose playmaker who is a threat to score every time he touches the ball from anywhere on the field - Just may be a bigger, much faster version of Dexter McCluster.

NFL Draft 2011, Round 2: Giants Select Marvin Austin

The New York Giants selected North Carolina defensive tackle Marvin Austin [full profile] in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft Friday night. Austin is an immensely talented player, but was one of the North Carolina players suspended for the 2010 season due to NCAA rules violations.

Here is a comment about Austin from Giants General Manager Jerry Reese, via Mike Garafolo:

The word Jerry Reese used 3x when talking about Austin: "nasty." Compared him to Keith Hamilton in that sense.

The Giants had to be concerned about their defensive tackle depth. Their best tackle, Barry Cofield, can be a free agent. Veteran Rocky Bernard has been a disappointment in his two seasons with New York. That leaves the Giants with only veteran Chris Canty and unproven Linval Joseph, last season's second-round pick.

Here is Wes Bunting of the National Football Post talking about Austin in his scouting report:

There is no denying that the overall talent and skill set is there for him to be as good as he wants to be in the NFL. However, I worry about his passion, willingness to become better and overall maturity level going forward. There is no way I would spend a first-round pick on the guy at this stage and I don't think he will ever become the player many suspect. But, his natural God-given ability will keep him in the league and give him plenty of second chances.

The Giants are apparently gambling on Austin's talent, and hoping that the leadership in their locker room can help bring out the best in this player.

NFL Draft 2011 Second Round: SB Nation, Mel Kiper Jr., Todd McShay Pick For Giants

In the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft, the New York Giants bolstered their defense with their selection of cornerback Prince Amukamara with the 19th pick. NFL mock drafts from SB Nation and Mel Kiper expect the Giants to continue emphasizing that side of the ball when the draft resumes Friday night, while Todd McShay expects they’ll go in a different direction. New York owns the 52nd overall pick.

Brian Galliford of SB Nation believes the Giants will select Akeem Ayers, an outside linebacker from UCLA. He says he thought the Giants would take him with their first-round selection, meaning Ayers represents an “outstanding value” in the second round. In three seasons with the Bruins, Ayers tallied 183 tackles, six interceptions, and three touchdowns.

Kiper also has the Giants taking a linebacker, but not Ayers. Instead, he believes Quan Sturdivant, from UNC, will be their pick. “The Giants are desperate for help at linebacker,” he writes. “Sturdivant should have an immediate impact.”

McShay, Kiper’s ESPN colleague, has a different idea. He says the Giants should draft Will Rackley, an offensive guard from Lehigh, and provides no further analysis beyond listing linebacker and tight end as other needs for the G-Men.

NFL Draft 2011 Second Round: Could Akeem Ayers Fall To 52?

The 2001 NFL Draft continues Friday night (6 p.m. ET, ESPN/NFL Network) with the second and third rounds. What might the Giants do? We have talked about it long enough to know that the middle of the offensive line and linebacker may top the 'need' areas. There are several ways the Giants could go, however, and at this point I am not even going to try and predict how things might turn out.

For now, let me list various positions along with 'players of interest' for the Giants -- at least in my mind -- at each spot.

http://www.bigblueview.com/2011/4/29/2142687/nfl-draft-2011-second-round-could-akeem-ayers-fall-to-52-giants

Prince Amukamara: This Pick By The Giants Gets An A+

I hate trying to grade NFL draft picks in the immediate aftermath of their selections. Everyone tries to do it, however, so I might as well offer my own grade on the New York Giants' selection of Prince Amukamara, a cornerback from Nebraska, with the 19th overall selection Thursday night.

There is only one grade I can attach to this right now -- A+. This was a home run for the Giants. A player most analysts saw as a top 10 talent who slid all the way to 19 because of a couple of factors. First, the run on quarterbacks, with four being selected in the first 12 picks. Second, the fact that so many teams picking in front of them acted like the Giants usually do, snapping up defensive linemen all over the place. Seven, in fact, were selected before the Giants' turn came at 19.

The Giants were more than thrilled to find Amukamara available at 19.

"It was a shock. It was a shock. It was a shock. I know we come in and say, "We picked the best player, and we were surprised." This one truly was a shock. Because you go through scenarios leading up to the draft where you kind of have realistic scenarios, somewhat unrealistic scenarios, of what could happen. And this one was just completely out of left field. We never thought this kid would have been still on the board at 19.".

In a quick poll done immediately after the selection, 77 percent of respondents at Big Blue View gave the selection of Amukamara a A grade.

Here is SB Nation's Mocking The Draft summarizing the choice:

With plenty of top players falling, the Giants were able to sit back and take a potential star like Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara with their pick. No one was expecting the Giants to take a cornerback this early. But a player like Amukamara probably shouldn't have been available with the 19th pick. With Amukamara, the Giants have a big cornerback who they can plug in and start immediately.

So, how does Amukamara fit with the Giants? Cornerback was not considered as high a priority entering the draft as several other areas, but if you look closely this selection could work out brilliantly for the Giants.

General Manager Jerry Reese acknowledged after the 2010 season that the Giants surrendered too many big plays on the back end of their defense -- something that has actually been the case for the past two seasons. Current starting corners Corey Webster and Terrell Thomas are good, but neither is a 'shut down' corner, and both are coming off generally sub-par 2010 seasons.

Third cornerback Aaron Ross, the team's No. 1 pick in 2007, has been a disappointment. After a promising rookie season a series of injuries have seemingly taken their toll on Ross. Beyond those three 2010 saw a revolving door of spare parts dot the 53-man roster.

Immediately, the 6-foot, 206-pound Amukamara seems most likely to supplant Ross as the third corner and, eventually, to challenge Thomas for a starting job. Regardless, this gives the Giants quality, depth and the potential of developing a real No. 1 cornerback, something they currently do not have.

Amukamara has drawn some comparisons to New York Jets' star Darrelle Revis, and Giants General Manager Jerry Reese did his best to deflect those.

"He will have to prove that," Reese said. "He has some qualities probably like that but he would have to prove that. Darrelle Revis has done it. This guy hasn't played a snap yet. But we think he has a really good skill set. And again, he is in the rotation right away. Obviously height, weight, speed guys always play on your special teams. But he is in our rotation right away challenging for a job - for the nickel, for a starting position. So I love that competition. There is going to be some good competition at that corner position."

Giants Coach Tom Coughlin seemed to indicate there are plenty of snaps for all four corners.

"You can never have enough cover guys because if you watch the way people play today with the addition of the receivers, they go one, two, three, four, until they figure out what you're going to cover some of these third, fourth receivers with," Coughlin said. "The more cover people you have, the better off you're going to be."

Again, on paper this pick gets an A+. Now, it is up to Amukamara and the Giants to translate that into an A+ performance on the field.

New York Giants' Draft Picks: Prince Amukamara Selected At No. 19

The New York Giants selected Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska, with their first-round selection in the 2011 NFL Draft, 19th overall.

Draft Countdown's Scott Wright calls Amukamara "A well-rounded player with the physical tools and intangibles  to  be a legitimate No. 1 corner in the NFL."

Amukamara was not expected to be on the board when the Giants selected at 19. Four quarterbacks were taken in the first 15 picks, however. New England also used its pick at No. 17 to surprisingly select Colorado offensive tackle Nate Solder, a player the Giants were thought to be targeting. The other player thought to be on the Giants' radar was Florida guard/center Mike Pouncey. He was taken by the Miami Dolphins with the 15th overall selection.

The first round of the 2011 NFL Draft starts at 8 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, April 28th and SB Nation has everything you need to prepare for it - NFL mock drafts, draft projections, scouting reports, the full NFL draft schedule and more. Check it all out at SB Nation’s NFL Hub and our NFL Draft blog Mocking the Draft.