New York Giants Top 3 Draft Needs
Dec 26, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers defensive lineman Aaron Donald (97) during the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl against the Bowling Green Falcons at Ford Field. Pittsburgh Panthers defeated Bowling Green Falcons 30-27. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
With just a day until the NFL Draft, the New York Giants are currently preparing themselves to properly account for all of their roster needs. The Giants have several issues that need to be addressed come Thursday, and accounting for all these weaknesses will likely measure the overall success of this draft for the Giants.
After a very questionable draft last season, the Giants will look to improve upon last year’s performance. Big Blue has seven picks this draft, including two in the fifth round. If managed properly, this should be plenty enough to address all their concerns and maybe even add depth to the rest of the roster. However, the Giants must be sure to account for all three of these positions if they wish to succeed in the future.
TIGHT END
With the loss of starting tight end Brandon Myers, the Giants lack any starting caliber tight end. Currently, the only tight end on the roster who has started before is Kellen Davis, although he has evolved to strictly a blocking tight end as his career goes on. The Giants lack any dynamic, play-making tight end, and if they want Eli Manning to continue to succeed finding one in the draft is a must.
As far as the tight end position goes, there are only five tight ends that have the potential to play in the NFL on a consistent basis. The first, most obvious choice is Eric Ebron (North Carolina), who has been projected to go as high as 9th overall to the Bills and as low as 20th overall to Arizona. Ebron is clearly this draft’s top tight end, and if he is available with the 12th overall pick don’t be surprised to see GM Jerry Reese select the UNC product.
The next tier of tight ends in this draft includes Austin Seferian-Jenkins (Washington), Troy Niklas (Notre Dame), and Jace Amaro (Texas Tech). All of these would be suitable offensive weapons for Big Blue, and all of them are projected 2nd round picks.
Finally, after these four TEs come C.J. Fiedorowicz (Iowa). C.J. will likely be the last tight end with starter-caliber talent available in the draft, and the Reese and the Giants could snatch him up in the 3rd or 4th round.
Whichever tight end they do draft, securing one of the top 5 is a must if the Giants want to consider this draft a success.
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
Could the New York Giants draft an offensive tackle in the first round for the second year in a row? It is certainly possible. The decision to take Justin Pugh last year over other tackles like Menelik Watson was and still is a questionable selection, and Pugh has struggled greatly in his short NFL career. Even if the Giants do keep faith in Pugh, their other offensive tackle Will Beatty is coming off one of the worst years of his career- immediately after signing a 5 year $37.50 million contract. If Beatty continues to decline, finding an offensive tackle to replace either Pugh or Beatty would be wise.
In the 1st round, the Giants have an opportunity to secure a top tier offensive tackle. Both Taylor Lewan (Michigan) and Zack Martin (Notre Dame) have a good chance to be available 12th overall, and either pick could logistical sense. If the Giants choose to go another way in the first round, there is still ample opportunity to draft a quality OT.
In the 2nd round, Reese and the Giants might be able to snag standout prospect Morgan Moses (Virginia) or JaWuan James (Tennessee). Both of these players have phenomenal pass-blocking ability that would be expected to go in the mid 1st round, so the possibility of taking one of them in the second is a luxury for the Giants.
As a last resort, the Giants might be able to find a quality backup and potential starter in the 6’7″ monster in Michael Schofield (Michgan) or Justin Britt (Missouri). Keeping Eli Manning upright has been pivotal to the Giants’ success over recent years, and drafting an offensive tackle will surely help that cause.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
If the Giants plan to continue running a 4-3 defensive scheme, finding a defensive tackle is a must. Currently, their starting four would be Mathias Kiwanuka and Jason Pierre-Paul at defensive end with Cullen Jenkins and Johnathan Hankins. Hankins is by no means ready to succeed in the NFL, and finding a defensive tackle to either replace or back Hankins up for a season is important for Reese and the Giants.
As far as first round talent goes, the only defensive tackle worthy of the 12th overall selection is Aaron Donald (Pittsburgh). Donald has one of the dirtiest swim moves you will ever see in college, and his explosiveness off the line is practically just as good as Clowney’s. There is a good chance that Aaron Donald will be available, and whether or not he is selected will come down to if the Giants’ feel that DT is the most beneficial position to upgrade at that point in the draft.
If the Giant’s choose to go in a different direction with the 12th overall pick, Reese may be lucky to nab defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman (Minnesota) in the second round, although that might be a bit of a stretch. The next tier of defensive tackles in the draft include Daniel McCullers (Tennessee) and Dominique Easley (Florida), although both of these would also be a reach if selected with the 43rd pick of the draft.
McCullers and Easley both might be available with their third round pick, and if they still need a defensive tackle come third round both of these selections would make sense. Other potential picks for the position would be Anthony Johnson (LSU), Ego Ferguson (LSU), or DaQuan Jones (Penn State).