By Nick Ceglio - InReeseWeTrust.com 4/15/11
Looking at the 10-6 record of the New York Football Giants, you would think there wouldn’t be a lot to address in the upcoming NFL Draft. Wrong. After talks in the beginning of the season of possibly representing the NFC in the Super bowl, the Giants pulled their best 2007 New York Mets act and choked it all away. The Giants pass and rush defense ranked in the top 10 last season, but those numbers are very deceiving. Getting beat by big play after big play in the second half of the season showed some very large holes needing to be addressed in the offseason. Let’s start with what I think must be addressed as the number one priority- linebacker. My guy here is UCLA product Akeem Ayers. As an Outside Linebacker built at 6’4, 255 pounds running a 4.7 second 40 yard dash, the mans a beast. The Giants need all the help they can get at Outside Linebacker, especially with Keith Bulluck most likely gone and Michael Boley and Clint Sintim being unreliable at best. Ayers is instantly the best option and with that size and raw ability, he can be developed into a special player. If Ayers is taken off the board the Giants can look to the later rounds to pick up a guy that would have been a first round pick had it not been for his battle with cancer. Linebacker Mark Herzlich, a Boston College Eagle, was thought of as a top 10 pick two years ago and is now considered a third round pick at best. If this kid slides to the Giants in the fifth round they should jump on it because he has a nose for the football, you don’t lose that.
Some can argue that the offensive line has to be looked at with number nineteen. I would say go that route if Mike Pouncey from Florida is still available but I have a hard time believing that he won’t be in the AFC East with either the Dolphins at fifteen or the Patriots at number seventeen. A few interesting guys to look at if Ayers and Pouncey are gone are Tackles Anthony Castanzo from Boston College and Gabe Carimi out of Wisconsin.
One spot that has not gotten the recognition it needs is the Cornerback position. Not because of the lack of talent there but the increase of talent to the Cowboys and Eagles receiving core, adding big play threats at wide out and running back through the draft. The Giants need that speed cornerback to run with them. Patrick Peterson would be a dream, but Reese doesn’t like to move up in the draft so it’s just that, a pipe dream. Miami Hurricane Brandon Harris would be a nice option to look at in the second round to try and cut down on those big plays.
An ongoing debate within Giant nation is whether to look into running back Mark Ingram from Alabama due to Brandon Jacobs lack of production and Ahmad Bradshaw’s lack of being able to hold onto the ball. I love Bradshaw’s quickness and his strength for a smaller guy, and if he can hold on to the ball and stay healthy, he will be a solid number one option. That factoring in with Ingram’s less than impressive combine is steering me away from using our first round pick on him. Maybe addressing that need with a Shane Vareen type player that can help in the return game along with the running game is a better option at this point. Reese is known to take the best talent available, with that being said, it should be an interesting draft.
