Reese Era in Review: Revisiting the New York Giants 2011 NFL Draft

The 2011 NFL Draft didn’t have as good a talent pool as previous years, but there were several players that Jerry Reese could have picked to give the New York Giants the quality depth they would eventually need.

Former New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese was once considered one of the brightest minds in football and the architect of two Super Bowl winning teams. However, as Giants fans would eventually learn due to his track record, Reese’s reputation was completely undeserved. Over his 11-year tenure as general manager, Reese had an uncanny amount of terrible drafts that depleted the Giants of the necessary talent needed to compete.

In hindsight, the 2011 NFL Draft was an absolute train-wreck for Reese. Only two of his eight draft picks are still in the league today and not a single player he selected is currently on the roster. Even though the team would go on to win the Super Bowl that season, the results of this draft ultimately began New York’s deep slide into mediocrity that would last until the team earned a wild-card spot in 2016.

In Reese’s defense, the draft was incredibly top heavy when it came to elite talent and was plagued with five first-round busts. However, that’s a weak excuse for a general manager who prided himself as a great evaluator of talent. There were several quality players available every time the Giants were on the board that would have provided the team with the strong depth the team lacked at the time.

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• The only trades recognized are the trades teams originally made during the 2011 draft.
• Revised drafts of previous years have not been taken into account when determining picks. All picks address areas of need that the Giants had on their roster going into the season.

Round 1, Pick 19: Jimmy Smith, Cornerback, Colorado

Original Pick: Prince Amukamara, Cornerback, Nebraska

It’s hard to change this pick because Prince Amukamara had a solid five seasons patrolling the Giants secondary, but that’s all he was: solid. Amukamara never lived up to his first-round billing as a shutdown cornerback and he had issues staying on the field, playing a full 16 game slate just once in his career.

The right cornerback to pick at this juncture would have been Jimmy Smith. The Colorado product had some red flags coming into the draft, which is probably what made Reese hesitant to pick him. However, the Ravens smartly took a chance on him and were generously rewarded. Now in his seventh season, Smith has become a top corner and a Pro Football Focus darling due to his elite play against some of the best wide receivers in the league.

Round 2, Pick 52: Stephen Paea, Defensive Tackle, Oregon State

Original Pick: Marvin Austin, Defensive Tackle, North Carolina

Marvin Austin was a highly-touted prospect coming into the draft, but he never amounted to anything in the NFL. The North Carolina product never started a game in his career, failed to record a single sack and only lasted two years in New York before being cut prior to the 2013 season.

It was incredibly tempting to slot Justin Houston in at this spot, but the Giants already had a wealth of outside pass-rushing talent at the time. However, if the Giants were still looking for a defensive tackle at this juncture, Stephen Paea would have been the right way to go. Paea isn’t a star by any means, but the Oregon State product is a productive rotational defensive lineman and one of the few players drafted in this round still in the league today.

Round 3, Pick 83: Mason Foster, Linebacker, Washington

Original Pick: Jerrel Jernigan, Wide Receiver, Troy

A shifty slot receiver and excellent return man in college, many draft pundits considered Jerrel Jernigan a steal after he fell to the Giants in the draft. However, like all of Reese’s picks in 2011, the Troy product turned out to be a bust. The ability that scouts saw in Jernigan didn’t fully translate to the NFL and Jernigan wasn’t re-signed due to his poor play after his contract ended in 2014.

The Giants had Mathias Kiwanuka penciled in at outside linebacker going into the draft, but they could have easily filled their need on the strong side by selecting Mason Foster here in the third round. Foster has been a quality linebacker in his seven years in the league and he would have been a great fit in Perry Fewell’s defensive scheme. Drafting Foster also would have allowed Kiwanuka to go back to defensive end, making the Giants pass rush all the more dangerous.

Round 4, Pick 117: Julius Thomas, Tight End, Portland State

Original Pick: James Brewer, Offensive Tackle, Indiana

Reese had a terrible track record of drafting mid-to-late round offensive linemen in his tenure as the Giants general manager, and James Brewer was another one of his projects that never panned out. Brewer earned only eight starts and played a full 16 game slate once in his four years in New York before the team let him walk after his contract was up.

The Giants were still a little thin at tight end going into the season. Even though Jake Ballard stepped up as the season progressed, the Giants still had Travis Beckum slotted in behind him. Considering how ineffective Beckum was in his time with the Giants, drafting Julius Thomas would have made sense. Thomas has had a couple of down years in recent seasons, but the two-time Pro Bowler is still a big physical target that would have benefited greatly with Eli Manning throwing him the ball. He also would have given the Giants an in-house replacement for Ballard after the New England Patriots snatched him up off of waivers the following offseason.

Round 6, Pick 185: Jason Kelce, Center, Cincinnati

Original Pick: Greg Jones, Linebacker, Michigan State

A two-time All-American in college, Greg Jones was a tackling machine at Michigan State and many figured he had a bright NFL future ahead of him. Unfortunately, his game never translated to the NFL as expected. Jones was thrust into a starting role in 2011 after Jonathan Goff was placed on injured reserve and was immediately replaced by Chase Blackburn for the Giants after five mediocre performances manning the middle. Jones would ultimately be waived before the start of the 2012 season and played just one more season in the NFL before plying his trade in Canada.

Strangely enough, a then-unheralded center out of Cincinnati named Jason Kelce was readily available at this juncture. Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, Kelce has earned a reputation as one of the top centers in the NFL today, earning two Pro Bowl nods and an AP First-Team All-Pro selection in his seven years in the league. The Giants signed David Baas to play center for the 2011 season, but Kelce would have provided solid depth at the position and probably would have taken the starting job after Baas sustained a season-ending knee injury during the 2013 season.

Round 6, Pick 198: Virgil Green, Tight End, Nevada

Original Pick: Tyler Sash, Safety, Iowa

A reserve defensive back with a few off-the-field issues, Tyler Sash only lasted two seasons with the Giants and was waived just before the start of the 2013 season. Tragically, his life would be cut short after he accidentally overdosed on pain medications in 2015 and was posthumously diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

It’s uncommon to double-dip at tight end in a draft, but Virgil Green was the best talent available to the Giants at this juncture. The Nevada product has earned a reputation as a great blocking tight end and would have been an excellent complement to Thomas in this hypothetical situation. If Thomas alone wouldn’t have done so, Green would have been the player to force Beckum off the roster sooner than he was.

Round 6, Pick 202: Derek Newton, Offensive Tackle, Arkansas State

Original Pick: Jacquian Williams, Linebacker, South Florida

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

Jacquian Williams played a pretty pivotal role during the Giants’ run to the 2011 Super Bowl, forcing the key fumble that set up New York’s game-winning field goal in the NFC championship game. However, Williams didn’t do much outside of that signature moment his rookie season. Not exactly considered a special talent, Williams spent the remainder of his short career as a two-down, rotational linebacker and was consequently let go by the Giants after the 2014 season.

Though the Giants were pretty set along the offensive line, Derek Newton would have been an excellent value pick and eventual replacement for Kareem McKenzie. Newton has carved out a pretty nice career for himself while playing with the Houston Texans, establishing himself as a reliable blocker and one of the league’s better right tackles.

Round 7, Pick 221: Lawrence Guy, Defensive Tackle, Arizona State

Original Pick: Da’Rel Scott, Running Back, Maryland

Reese took a flyer on Da’Rel Scott at the end of the 2011 draft, believing that the unheralded running back out of Maryland could develop into a player in the mold of Pittsburgh Steelers tailback Willie Parker. Unfortunately for Reese, Scott never developed as expected, barely saw the field in his three years in New York, and was ultimately waived in the middle of the 2013 season.

Next: Revisiting the New York Giants 2010 NFL Draft

Talent is pretty hard to come by at this stage in the draft, but Lawrence Guy was one of the few active players that was still available when the Giants made their final pick in the draft. Guy has been a rotational lineman his entire career, but he’s always been a capable player with the flexibility to play in a 3-4 and 4-3 scheme, and he can be an effective starter in a pinch.