Die Hard’s New York Giants Wide Receiver Analysis

Steve Smith – Eli Manning’s ONLY current reliable wide receiver is going into his 3^rd season with the Giants and is ready to break out as a starter.  With the departure of Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress, Smith is the next in line to take over the starting role.  Since his rookie season, Smith has managed to become the most consistent 3^rd down target on the Giants and has taken over a role that the GMen haven’t had filled since Ike Hilliard.  It is not known if Smith can become a Pro-Bowl caliber receiver, but we do know that when the Giants need a 1^st down Eli Manning knows who the play will be called for.  I hope Smith takes a huge step this upcoming season and takes over Toomer’s role for the next 10 years. 

Domenik Hixon – The Giants best special teams player has had to move out of returning kicks and punts because of the lack of talent in the wide receiver position.  Hixon played spectacular for the first half of the season, replacing the glaring hole left by Plaxico Burress.  But the second half of the season was not kind to Hixon.  Over the course of the last 4 weeks of the season, Hixon managed to drop 4 sure fire touchdown passes from Eli Manning.  In my opinion, Hixon can be a solid 4^th option at wide receiver and should be the everyday kick and punt returner.  Unfortunately, the Giants do not have a number one receiver to step in and start ahead of Hixon…yet.  By week 4, I believe the Giants will have someone starting ahead of Hixon, moving him into a better spot in the lineup for his skills. 

Mario Manningham – Manningham came into last year as the “steal” of the 2008 NFL draft.  Unfortunately, he did very little to prove this notion.  He is the X-Factor for the New York Giants going into next season.  Everyone who watched Manningham at Michigan knows how special he can be, but do his skills translate to the pro level?  Manningham is great in open space, but last season it was hard for him to get off the line of scrimmage.  He has all of the tools to become a very solid wideout in the Giants system but he needs to tone his skills and learn the playbook.  If Super Mario can take the next step this season, he can become a great threat for the Giants offense and then the Giants would be able to move Steve Smith back to his favorite spot in the slot. 

Sinorice Moss – One of my favorite draft picks in the last ten years when he was originally picked in the 2^nd round back in 2006.  Injuries and depth at wide receiver have been Moss’ kryptonite over the past four seasons.  Is this the season that Moss finally takes the next step to a level that all Giants fans had envisioned four years ago?  Or is it the end of the line for the speedy receiver?  By no fault of his own, Sinorice has been compared to his brother, Santana since he was a kid, and so far has not even come close to Santana’s level.  With such a young core of wide receivers going into 2009, this is his best chance to prove that he belongs.  Ideally, he would be a perfect slot receiver and a perfect deep threat for Eli Manning.  Time will tell if he can put all the pieces together. 

David Tyree – Formerly the Super Bowl 42 hero and now the forgotten.   Tyree had the best catch in Giants history but since then, everything that could have gone wrong has, for the Syracuse alum.  He missed all of last season because of an injury and even before the injury, he was on the bubble to make the team.  Now this year, the Giants drafted two wide receivers to replace Burress and Toomer and will be in the same situation as last year.  The only way he makes the team is because of his special teams play but that still is a huge question mark coming off knee surgery so it looks like the end is near for Tyree as a Giant. 

Derek Hagan – Hagan, who was formally a 1^st round pick of the Miami Dolphins, signed late in the season last year and did very little to give the Giants any reason to keep him on the roster going into next season.  Although, he has solid height and build at (6'2 215lbs), Hagan has a tendency to drop too many balls and doesn’t have top end speed to help his cause.  He has a very small chance of making it through training camp.

Hakeem Nicks – Known for the most spectacular catch in college football in 2009, Nicks might be the Giants most talented receiver on the entire team as a rookie.  He is a very polished route runner for a rookie and has unbelievable hands.  From the tape that I have seen, he seems to always find the end zone.  For all of you that don’t know, Butch Davis (coach of UNC) believes Nicks has better hands than any receiver he has ever coached including the likes of Andre Johnson and Reggie Wayne. Because of this ability (among others), I think he will end up starting with the Giants by week 6 opposite Steve Smith and should quickly become Eli Manning’s go to receiver.   

Ramses Barden – Barden hasn’t even played a single down and he is already a fan favorite.  You can’t teach (6'6) and with that size, he should get a lot of playing time when the Giants are in the “green zone.”  The issue that I see for Barden is how his transition will be from a very small college, Cal Poly, to the NFL.  In college, he was easily the most athletic player on the field, but in the NFL he might get a quick rude awakening.  I am sure Domenik Hixon will work with him to help the transition to the pro level.  He will need to fine-tune his route running skills to become an every down type receiver in the NFL.  Barden has the potential to become a starter for the Giants for many years to come but we will find out very quickly how raw he really is when training camp commences in August.   

Maurice Covington – (UDFA in 2009)A University of Virginia alum, Covington has solid height and build (6'4 225lbs), but is very raw and has not been able to make a name for himself on the pro level.  If he is lucky, he will make the team as a practice squad player. 

In 2009, the Giants kept six wide receivers on the active roster for the entire season.  I expect that to be the same this season too.

Early 2009 WR Roster Projection:

Starters: Steve Smith, Domenik Hixon

Reserves in order off the bench: Sinorice Moss, Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, Ramses Barden

Last to be cut: David Tyree

Projection After week 6:

          Starters: Hakeem Nicks, Steve Smith

Reserves in order off the bench: Sinorice Moss, Domenik Hixon, Ramses Barden, Mario Manningham