Monday, May 3, 2010

New York Giants Draft Recap

For no particular reason, ex-Giant Fred Robbins and his beautiful wife. 
For no particular reason, here' s a picture of ex-Giants defensive tackle Fred Robbins and his lovely wife.

Round 1 (15th Overall) – Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida

When the names Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka top your depth chart, defensive end doesn’t seem like an area of need. After Week 12, the Giants coaching staff began to wonder if Umenyiora had become a name only. Once considered a dominant pass rusher, this “Cleveland Steamer” enthusiast racked up a mere seven sacks and played feckless run defense. He was eventually replaced in the starting lineup by Kiwanuka, whose contract expires at season’s end.


Defensive end doesn’t look so airtight now, does it?

With General Manager Jerry Reese’s one true love, Rolando McClain, off the board at number eight, the team took a chance on Jason Pierre-Paul, a raw pass rush prospect from the University of South Florida. So enamored with his size (6’4 ¾”, 270 lbs, huge wing span) and purported “freakishness”, Big Blue forgave his lack of NCAA experience, his vulnerability against the run and poor combine results. For this, Pro Football Outsiders thinks the Giants will pay. Here’s an excerpt from their SACKSEER NFL Draft Preview:


"So why do junior college edge rushers struggle so mightily when transitioning to the NFL? Most edge rusher prospects who play at the junior college level miss two years worth of their NCAA eligibility, and they are understandably "raw" when they enter the professional ranks. Although many coaches believe that such a player can be "coached up," the coaching staff can only devote so much of its valuable coaching resources to a single player. Moreover, many players who go to a junior college have significant or severe academic issues, and expecting them to digest a complicated NFL playbook while also "catching up" on their fundamentals may be unrealistic.


[snip]


The ability of Pierre-Paul to translate his particular brand of athleticism to pass rushing success is speculative at best. Overall, the general manager who pulls the trigger on Pierre-Paul better be very confident that he has something special -- so special that it will completely buck the historical trends."

The fuck. Where I generally admire an executive’s willingness to hedge immediate impact for long-term success, I take issue with Reese’s tact in this particular instance. The Giants built what many felt was a Super Bowl-caliber team last off-season. A bad hire at defensive coordinator (Bill Sheridan) and a couple of critical injuries (Kenny Phillips, Jay Alford, Antonio Pierce) knocked the team down a peg, but the core of a great team still exists. Built to win-now, a Band-Aid pick, like Derrick Morgan, Kyle Wilson or Mike Iupati, would’ve been preferable. Jason Pierre-Paul is a project and serving as an understudy to the existing triumvirate isn’t a luxury, it’s the only option.

Round 2 (46th Overall) – Linval Joseph, DT, East Carolina

“PASS RUSH PASS RUSH STOP THE RUN PASS RUSH PASS RUSH PASS RUSH STOP THE RUN PASS RUSH PASS RUSH STOP THE RUN.” – Giants defensive philosophy, 2005-Present

A less Neanderthalic interpreation: rotate a variety of lineman, assemble them up in a variety of ways, create mismatches, get to the quarterback, but stop the run while you're at it. This is why the Giants place a premium on defensive line depth. Case-in-point, last March, with Barry Cofield, Fred Robbins and Jay Alford in tow, the front office still dropped a grip -- over $24M guaranteed -- on Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard.

“It was a group of us, just a group of give – now three dead, one in jail, it seem right now I’m the only one alive.” – Silkk the Shocker, ever prescient in 1997, channeling Barry Cofield in 2009.

It didn't work out well. Robbins and Bernard looked totally baked, because knee injuries on the north side of 30 will do that to you.  Jay Alford suffered his own in the exhibition season. Chris Canty’s torn hamstring sidelined him for half the season and mitigated his effectiveness when he took the field (13 tackles, 0.5 sack). Only Cofield played regularly or with any effectiveness.

Linval Joseph gives the interior of the D-line a unique weapon. Cofield's played nose tackle the last few seasons as a space-eater. The Giants feel Joseph will push the pocket -- a disruptive compliment to Cofield's functional competence. He's enormous at 6'4" and 328 lbs. He benched 225 lbs 39 times. What a beast.

Four of last season's DT-quintet return, but Linval will have the chance to play immediately. A time share at nose tackle with Cofield seems inevitable with Canty and Alford competing for the three tech spot. Peace out Rocky Bernard. At least you got paid handsomely.



Round 3 (76th Overall) – Chad Jones, S, Louisana State


More than a decimated defensive line, lack of quality depth at safety ruined the Giants season. Kenny Phillips, the lone safety who could cover, missed the team's final 14 games with a career-threatening knee injury. With KP no lock to return, the team signed Antrel Rolle and Deion Grant and ditched two-thirds (C.C. Brown, Aaron Rouse, only Michael Johnson returns) of the worst safety corps in the NFL. Jones, is "instinctive" with "average range", making him a clear upgrade over Michael Johnson who had no idea where he was last season.


If Phillips does return, the Giants will have turned their biggest weakness into a strength and last season's frightful nightmares into Super Bowl dreams.


Round 4 (111th Overall) – Phillip Dillard, MLB, Nebraska

The gaping hole at middle linebacker left by the release of Antonio Pierce  is matched only by the hole in the defense when he played there. (Pierce, always affable and ever the leader, just wasn't very good these last few seasons.) Many pundits felt that the Giants would address MLB sooner, but credit  Jerry Reese and (Scouting Director) Marc Ross for sticking to their draft board. The inside linebackers behind McClain, Sean Lee (knee injury) and Brandon Spikes (a +500 second '40' time) presented serious red flags.

As for Dillard, experts peg him as a "two-down linebacker", an excellent tackler who struggles in coverage. This selection signals (to me, at least) that new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell will not be using his "Tampa 2" scheme in New York. Dillard, nor Chase Blackburn or Bryan Kehl, possess the athleticism necessary to play middle linebacker in that defense.



Round 5 (147th Overalll) - Mitch Petrus, G, Arkansas


Petrus, the only offensive draft pick of the class, infuses youth into an offensive line that sprung leaks last season. Only a two year starter at Arkansas, he's ill-prepared to challenge Rich Seubert for the left guard job this season. But under the tutelage of offensive line coach Pat Flaherty, the future at left guard may be the present before very long.


Round 6 (184th Overall) - Adrian Tracy, DE/LB, William & Mary    


A defensive end at William & Mary, the Giants plan to convert Tracy into a 4-3 outside linebacker. He'll join fellow square pegs Bryan Kehl (a 3-4 OLB at BYU) and Clint Sintim (3-4 OLB at Virginia). Boo.


Round 7 (222nd Overall) - Matt Dodge, P, East Carolina


Dodge will compete for the punting vacancy created by Jeff Feagles' retirement. In the 7th round, teams knab prospects that intrigue them, such to keep them away from the undrafted free agent bonanza that follows the draft. Dodge fits that bill.

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