New York Giants 2016 NFL Draft Re-Grade By Mel Kiper

How did the New York Giants fare in Mel Kiper Jr.’s re-grade of the 2016 NFL Draft?

The New York Giants 2016 NFL Draft class started off with a major reach in many people’s opinions. Eli Apple was selected with the 10th overall pick despite being in the late-teens, early-20’s on some draft boards and mock drafts.

With their next five picks, the Giants found a lot of value and filled some holes as well. In the second round, the Giants found their new slot receiver in Sterling Shepard. Shepard had a great rookie season and should continue flourishing with Eli Manning throwing him the ball, playing inside of Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall.

Third round pick Darian Thompson was going to be the starter next to Landon Collins, but was injured early on and wasn’t able to make it back. Linebacker B.J. Goodson was selected in the fourth round and contributed right away on special teams. The Giants are hoping that he can increase his role on defense for this season.

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In the fifth round, the Giants selected Paul Perkins. Perkins did not play at the start of the season, but his role increased as things rolled along and played well. The Giants even got some production out of sixth-round pick Jerell Adams, who passed Larry Donnell on the tight end depth chart.

Even before any of the players took a snap in the NFL, Mel Kiper Jr. gave the Giants a solid grade for their draft. He gave them a B+ as the Giants hit plenty of value after the first round reach. Has Kiper’s opinion changed after one season?

Kiper re-graded the 2016 draft classes recently. The Giants grade remained a B+ in the re-grade. Here is what Kiper had to say about the Giants draft class a year later.

"If Eli Apple realizes his potential, this looks like it’ll be a really good draft class. Apple had his moments and the talent really shows up on tape, but he also got beaten plenty, as rookie corners often do. I called him a slight reach, because he was my No. 28 prospect and the Giants took him at No. 10, but bottom line: If he takes the next step, he, Janoris Jenkins, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Landon Collins help make this a candidate for one of the NFL’s best secondaries. Sterling Shepard is good and can get even better — he had 65 catches in a year in which Eli Manning was inconsistent. Paul Perkins had 112 carries and could be the No. 1 back going into fall, so you can’t knock that value. Jerell Adams looks like he’ll be a useful target for them at tight end.A sleeper here that keeps a good grade where it is — safety Andrew Adams. He was undrafted, but the Giants get a bonus for him here, because they scouted him, got him in and got 13 starts out of him."

This class looks just as good a year later as it did when the Giants finished up in 2016. They received strong contributions in Year One and should receive even more in their sophomore seasons.

Adams came out of nowhere for the Giants. He made a bone-headed play against the Washington Redskins in Week 3 that helped kick off a three-game losing streak.

Adams picked up a dumb personal foul penalty in the game. Given that he was just put on the active roster, many people figured it would be the last that they saw of Adams. Luckily the Giants leash was little longer than that as he gave them a ton of production for an undrafted player.

Adams took advantage of Thompson’s injury. If Thompson can return healthy, the Giants could have a strong safety trio along with Landon Collins. With the strength of the cornerbacks, the Giants secondary could be as fearsome as their defensive line.

Next: New York Giants Grade For 2017 Free Agency

Jerry Reese has begun hitting on his draft picks more in recent years. Can he duplicate the success from 2016 again in 2017? If he can, the Giants will be contenders for years to come with the depth replenished on the roster.

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