Reese Era in Review: Revisiting the New York Giants 2010 NFL Draft
Despite a 2010 NFL Draft absolutely loaded with incredible talent, Jerry Reese ended up selecting one of the worst draft classes of his 11-year tenure as New York Giants general manager.
Former New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese was once considered one of the brightest minds in football, a genius for finding talent, and the architect of two Super Bowl winning teams. However, as Giants fans would all learn before the end of the 2017 season, Reese wasn’t as great a football mind as he was billed to be. In fact, it can actually be argued that Reese simply inherited his championship rosters, which were built by Ernie Accorsi.
In his 11 years as general manager, Reese was responsible for several awful picks that slowly depleted the Giants roster of the quality talent they needed to compete. The 2010 draft, in particular, was one of the worst drafts that Reese ever put together. Only two of his six picks in the draft are still in the league as of the 2017 season, and only one is still with the Giants today.
As you’ll soon find out, the players that Reese could have selected not only would have bolstered the team’s depth on defense but could have turned the Giants into an offensive powerhouse going into the new decade.
Here are the re-draft rules taken into account:
- All players selected in this revision maintain their original round value.
- No trades have been made for this revised draft. It would be impossible to predict how the draft would have played out otherwise.
- The only trades recognized are the trades teams originally made during the 2010 draft.
- Revised drafts of previous years have not been taken into account when determining picks.
Round 1, Pick 15: Jason Pierre-Paul, Defensive End, South Florida
Original Pick: Jason Pierre-Paul, Defensive End, South Florida
The 2010 draft was probably one the worst drafts of the Reese era, but many gave the general manager a pass because he selected Jason Pierre-Paul with his first-round pick. After a slow rookie year, Pierre-Paul became the most dominant defensive end in the NFL in his sophomore season, notching 16.5 sacks on his way to All-Pro honors and a Super Bowl championship.
His sack numbers haven’t been where they’ve been expected to be, injuries have been a constant problem, and his Fourth of July fireworks incident has left fans wondering what could have been. However, the fact that he was a driving force behind the Giants 2011 Super Bowl run makes this pick a success. That, and he’s one of the very few players that Reese drafted still on the roster today.
Round 2, Pick 46: Brandon Spikes, Linebacker, Florida
Original Pick: Linval Joseph, Defensive Tackle, East Carolina
Selecting Linval Joseph at this juncture was a good pick by Reese. The defensive tackle out of East Carolina gave the Giants four great years shoring up the middle of the defensive line and filled a need at tackle. However, Reese was unable to retain him after his contract was up and there’s a better option later in the draft that we’ll get to later.
At this juncture, Brandon Spikes would have been an excellent pick. New York went into the 2010 regular season with Keith Bulluck as their starting weakside linebacker, a move that didn’t pan out as expected. Spikes may be out of the league now, but the linebacker out of Florida was an excellent run-stuffer, sure tackler, and would have been a significant upgrade over Bulluck.
Round 3, Pick 76: Jimmy Graham, Tight End, Miami
Original Pick: Chad Jones, Defensive Back, LSU
Chad Jones was a promising young defensive back who never saw the football field due to an unfortunate car accident just after the draft. Jones suffered, among other injuries, a broken fibula and tibia while driving in New Orleans and was ultimately waived by the Giants after failing to pass a physical despite years of physical therapy and recovery.
Reese couldn’t have foreseen what happened to Jones, but there was a much superior player available at this juncture at a different position of need. The Giants went into the 2010 season with Kevin Boss and Travis Beckum as their two tight ends. As Giants fans know now, Boss would bolt for Oakland in free agency and Beckum would never pan out. Jimmy Graham was readily available when the Giants were on the board and, much like he did in New Orleans, would have developed into a dangerous weapon as well as a great replacement for Boss.
Round 4, Pick 115: Geno Atkins, Defensive Tackle, Georgia
Original Pick: Phillip Dillard, Linebacker, Nebraska
Drafting Phillip Dillard was probably one of the biggest head-scratchers, and failures, of this draft. Touted as a highly talented middle linebacker coming out of college, Dillard only saw action in seven games and recorded four tackles in his rookie year before being waived by the team the following summer.
As previously mentioned, the New York Giants were looking for a defensive tackle going into the draft and surprisingly, the fourth round would have been the perfect time to select one. An unheralded defensive lineman out of Georgia, Geno Atkins has developed into one of the NFL’s premier interior linemen, earning six Pro Bowl nods and two All-Pro selections in his eight seasons in the NFL.
Round 5, Pick 147: Reshad Jones, Safety, Georgia
Original Pick: Mitch Petrus, Offensive Guard, Arkansas
Mitch Petrus was the first of several late-round offensive linemen that Reese would draft during his tenure and, like those who would follow him, Petrus never panned out. The Arkansas product only lasted a little over two seasons in New York, starting only three of the 17 games he played in the NFL. Ultimately, Petrus was out of the league after the 2012 season.
The New York Giants had concerns at safety coming into the draft due to Kenny Phillips‘s injury history and Reshad Jones was readily available at this point in the draft. Originally drafted by the Miami Dolphins, Jones has earned two Pro Bowl nods so far for his stellar play at strong safety. Jones would have been a great addition to the Giants secondary and a great eventual replacement for Phillips after his injuries caught up to him.
Round 6, Pick 184: Antonio Brown, Wide Receiver, Central Michigan
Original Pick: Adrian Tracy, Defensive End, William & Mary
More from New York Giants
- Caesars New York Promo Code: Win $250 Bonus GUARANTEED on ANY Bet!
- When will the New York Giants’ First Win Come?
- New York Giants Look Horrible in Loss to 49ers
- New York Giants to Play an Injured 49ers Team Sunday
- New York Giants: Breaking Down the Devonta Freeman Signing
Antonio Brown is by far the best receiver in the NFL today and was readily available at this point in the draft, but who did Reese select instead? He drafted Adrian Tracy, an unheralded linebacker out of William & Mary who spent a majority of his career on the practice squad before opting to play in Canada.
Every football fan knows what Brown is capable of doing week in and week out, and just the thought of possibly having a receiving tandem consisting of Brown and Odell Beckham Jr. surely has Giants fans losing sleep and wondering what could have been if Reese made the right pick at this point.
Round 7, Pick 221: Robert McClain, Defensive Back, Connecticut
Original Pick: Matt Dodge, Punter, East Carolina
Built like a linebacker with a booming kick, Matt Dodge was billed to be the heir-apparent to longtime punter Jeff Feagles. Unfortunately, the East Carolina product would hurt the team by constantly making boneheaded mistakes, the worst of which was the punt to DeSean Jackson that completed the “Miracle at the New Meadowlands.” That mistake cost the Giants at least a division title and a possible first-round bye.
Next: Revisiting the New York Giants 2009 NFL Draft
Robert McClain never really turned out to be anything special, but he would have been a much better pick than Dodge. The defensive back out of Connecticut has carved out a solid seven-year career for himself and would have provided the New York Giants with solid depth at every position in their secondary.