Big Pick for Big Blue at Tonight's NFL Draft

 

 

The first round of the NFL Draft is tonight and the New York Giants have the 10th overall pick. This is a huge pick for a team that has been struggling since winning Super Bowl 46. They haven't been in the playoffs since Eli Manning won his second Super Bowl MVP. Tom Coughlin "resigned" as the head coach and Ben McAdoo has taken over the helm. GM Jerry Reese is on the hot seat. A majority of Giants fans believed Reese would of got a pink slip and leave with Coughlin but he's getting another chance. Reese wasted no time to save his ass and the teams defense by signing Janoris Jenkins, Damon Harrison, and Olivier Vernon to big time contracts and bringing back Jason Pierre-Paul in a season where he must prove to the league that he can still play after an unfortunate smelting accident. I mean... firework accident that blew his fingers off his hand.

The Giants spent money this offseason on free agency like they've never done before. Now it's time for Reese to make a big draft pick that is going to contribute immediately and for a long time. The Giants usually don't play into free agency because they drafted well. The money they have is usually resigning their players instead of finding new ones. After seeing one of the worst defenses in New York Giants history, that could not be done. Reese hasn't drafted the best with the exception to Odell Beckham Jr. The Giants selected an offensive lineman in 2 of the last 3 years and the offensive line still needs help. The Giants haven't drafted a defensive player in the first round since 2011. The Giants drafted a runningback in the first round in 2012 and he no longer plays football. The New York Giants cannot fuck up this 10th pick tonight.

After adding names to the defense, the Giants defense is still in need of work. The Giants linebackers are horrendous. The G-Men haven't drafted a linebacker in the first round since they took Carl Banks in 1984. The right side of the offensive line needs to be addressed. What's the deal with Victor Cruz? He took a pay cut for the team, and nobody knows what kind of player he is going to be after missing the teams last 20 regular season games. The Giants cannot fix all these problems in one season, but with their off season moves and this draft in a weak NFC East, the Giants can get back into the playoffs. You can't count them out when you got a guy named Eli Manning.

Here's a look at potential players that can be putting on Giants blue tonight.


DE Shaq Lawson

The defensive end out of Clemson is falling right around the 10th pick in many mock drafts. Remember when the Giants drafted Jason Pierre-Paul in 2010? It started a frenzy because they already had Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora. Fans were panicking. It turned into a successful pick as JPP was a huge part of the Giants 4th championship. Why? Because there is never enough pass rushers. Tuck, Umenyioura, and JPP on the same line was a dominant pass rush that couldn't be stopped. This year the Giants opened their wallet to try to get their prestige pass rush back. Adding Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison to the front 4 and returning the fire work troubled Pierre-Paul giving Big Blue a solid and respected defensive line. The Giants can do that with the 10th pick. Putting 5 defensive lineman upfront and keeping everyone else back in coverage was the Giants Super Bowl run formula in Super Bowl 42 and 46. They can have the oppurtunity to send out 5 monsters at the quarterback every 3rd and long and will have the upperhand.

It says a lot about a defense that still needs more help after all the defensive players the G-Men signed this offseason. Shaq Lawson would be a great fit with the New York Giants. With all the money that was spent, I can't imagine Jason Pierre-Paul returning to the team next season no matter how well he produces. The Giants have a star at wide receiver who is going to want and get a big time contract. This pick will only benefit the G-Men but they do have much bigger holes to fill. It is said that this is a deep defensive talented draft. The Giants may not want a third defensive end with their 10th pick. I think Lawson would fit tremendously with this team but Jerry Reese may be looking to fill a bigger hole. In a division that was won with a 9-7 record last season, everybody is in Win-Now mode. Defensive end is the most valued position after quarterback in Giants land. Shaq Lawson can be a huge part of the Giants this season as the 3rd DE and as the every down DE for years to come. The 3 defensive end thing won the Giants two Super Bowls. Why not give it another shot?

 OLB Leonard Floyd

The Giants never seem to care for linebackers. Maybe they'll change that mindset this year. Maybe they'll realize they put mailmen out at linebacker and none of their overalls crack 70 in Madden. Leonard Floyd was the Bulldogs defensive MVP. Floyd is very fast off the edge. Having a pass rusher that doesn't always come off the line might be exactly what the Giants defense needs. He's young, he's athletic, and he can pressure the quarterback. It makes more sense for the Giants to take Leonard Floyd than Shaq Lawson. He does the same role at a different position and is obviously more athletic than Lawson. Floyd would be a great pick for the Giants at #10.

No matter who the Giants draft in the first round, I'd draft Jaylon Smith with their second round pick. Granted, Smith is more than likely missing the 2016 season but he is the top linebacker in the nation. I can be patient for an elite linebacker. No matter what happens this season, saying "we'll have Jaylon Smith next season" will greatly ease me up. It would really surprise me if the Giants went linebacker 1 and 2 but I would be pretty damn excited for that. The long occuring linebacker situation will finally be solved. Floyd and Smith at linebacker next season would be amazing. First things first though, take the guy that can play this year.

 WR LaQuon Treadwell

The New York Giants seem to love SEC wide receivers. I feel like Treadwell was an extremely popular pick for the Giants in many people's mock drafts about a week ago. Now every mock draft I look at have him falling to the Vikings at #23. Wide Reciever can be a huge issue for the Giants. It all comes down to the production of Victor Cruz. If Cruz gets hurt again this season, Beckham Jr. is going to be tripled covered. The #2 Wide Receiver would be Dwayne Harris. That would be an alarming issue. So wide receiver is a position the Giants need to address. That doesn't necessarily mean that that it needs to be addressed in the first round though. The Giants should look for wide receiver and if they are set on it, perhaps they can trade back and get more picks and snag Treadwell or even Josh Doctson. (I loved Doctson at TCU and in my opinion find him to be better)

Treadwell still seems to fit in everywhere as everyones top receiver in the draft. If the Giants were to go for the 6'2 wideout, it would make Cruz a slot receiver again where we all know he had great success at. The Giants are gambling with Cruz unless they take a wide receiver in this draft. The best case scenario would be Cruz and the rookie playing well. Now you have a 3 headed monster and can really let Odell loose to torment secondaries. It keeps Eli's weapons safe if Cruz can't go or doesn't have it anymore by keeping Dwayne Harris away from the #2 WR and giving the Giants another weapon besides Beckham. It seems #10 is too early for the Giants to take a receiver in this draft but if they can trade back and snag Treadwell or Doctson, the G-Men will have a solid receiving core.

 DE Joey Bosa

This is my homerun pick. Every mock draft I've been seeing has this guy falling lower and lower. If Joey Bosa is there, the Giants must pick him. This guys was the bonified #1 pick during the college football season. Bosa is going to be an immediate impact player. I don't understand why he keeps falling in mock drafts. He's went from #1 to #2 to #4 to #8. Maybe he'll slip to 10. Joey Bosa has no business falling to #10. Who knows, maybe another team will trade up in the top 10 to grab a fucking quarterback. Obviously I'm very optimistic and doubt Bosa falls to 10 but if he does and the Giants don't take him I'm going to end up in jail tonight.

 OT Jack Conklin

Are the Giants really going to take an offensive lineman in the first round in 3 out of the last 4 years? They just may have to. 6'6 308 pounds, Jack Conklin from Michigan State would probably be better than everybody on the Giants offensive line already. The Giants have nobody on their right side of the line and putting a guy like Conklin there really shapes up the line nicely. The Giants were a one dimensional team last year. The running game was awful. If the Giants can solidify the run like the franchise has always liked doing, it will make Eli's job much easier. Defenses knew everytime Manning was throwing and that made it hard on the offensive line to stop the pass rush and protect their quarterback. Flowers and Pugh can hold down the left side. They now have experience under their belts. Plugging Conklin on the right side will give the Giants a solid and young offensive line which is something they haven't had in a while.

 LB Myles Jack

Here's a guy that has been falling that I understand why and he even understands. Jack admitted he could eventually need microfacture surgery on his knee. The UCLA linebacker suffered a knee injury that ended his season last year. Jack is not your typical linebacker. He was used in UCLA on both sides of the ball. That probably explains your knee injury Myles. Outside of his speed at the linebacker position, Jack doesn't do it for me. From the UCLA games that i've watched and bet on, their defense always stuck out to me as being awful. Jack was a top draft pick throughout the offseason and now is being dropped right around that 10th pick. I hope the Giants pass on Jack. He is one of the few people that if drafted I will be upset with. I don't want any piece of Myles Jack. He's not a true linebacker and he's got knee problems and the Giants need to make a safer pick.

 RB Ezekiel Elliot

Here he is. The flashiest pick of the draft. Nobody doubts the talent of Elliot. He has everything you want in a runningback. The thing is.. he's a runningback. I am totally against the Giants drafting Elliot but I'd obviously welcome him aboard. Runningbacks do not hold the same value they once did. 80% of the league uses 2 runningbacks. It's an absolute waste taking a runningback in the first round of the NFL draft. This early at least. With Jerry Reese on the hot seat I can totally see him taking Elliot here. The Giants need an offensive line. Taking Elliot at 10 is like taking a Cadillac without it's wheels. I hope a team not named Dallas takes Zeke before the Giants even have a chance of drafting him.



It's a big night tonight. The NFL Draft is a very exciting event. Although who my team picks isn't guaranteed, the guarantee of Commissioner Roger Goodell's sweaty ass getting boo'd in his opening speech is always amazing. It was a good offseason for the Giants. Now let's have a good draft. Make me proud Blue.