Reese Era in Review: Revisiting the New York Giants 2012 NFL Draft

The 2012 NFL Draft had a considerable amount of talent to pick from, but then-New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese found a way to completely strikeout on every player he selected that year.

Once considered one of the brightest minds in football, former New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese suffered a hard fall from grace this season after both fans and management lost their blinders. In his 11 years as general manager, Reese had way too many awful drafts that depleted the Giants of the necessary talent to stay competitive.

The 2012 NFL Draft was the second of back-to-back terrible drafts for Reese. Not one of the seven players he selected in 2012 is still in the league today. The Giants would finish the 2012 season with a winning record, but the mediocre talent of Reese’s draft class showed itself the following year and was largely responsible for the following three losing seasons.

To be fair to Reese, working with the last pick in each round is tough to do. 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 who would have provided the team with the strong depth the team needed to stay Super Bowl favorites.

Here are the re-draft rules taken into account:

Many, if not all, players selected in this revision are of varying round value. Keep in mind that the Giants won the Super Bowl the previous year, leaving them with the last pick in almost every round of the draft.
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The only trades recognized are the trades teams originally made during the 2012 draft.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.

SEATTLE, WA – OCTOBER 01: Middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

Round 1, Pick 32: Bobby Wagner, Linebacker, Utah State

Original Pick: David Wilson, Running Back, Virginia Tech

David Wilson was a bust in every sense of the word. Despite being gifted with great speed and shiftiness, the Virginia Tech product was plagued with a terrible case of the fumbles. Wilson only lasted two seasons with the Giants, not because the team gave up on him early, but due to an unfortunate diagnosis of early-onset spinal stenosis.

Considering they had Mark Herzlich and Greg Jones penciled in to man the middle of their defense, the New York Giants had a serious hole at middle linebacker that could have been addressed by selecting Bobby Wagner. Originally drafted by the Seattle Seahawks 47th overall, the unheralded linebacker out of Utah State has become one of the best linebackers in the NFL, earning four Pro Bowl nods and three First-Team All-Pro selections in his young career.

ARLINGTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 10: Olivier Vernon (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Round 2, Pick 63: Olivier Vernon, Defensive End, Miami (FL)

Original Pick: Rueben Randle, Wide Receiver, LSU

Rueben Randle was a high-upside receiver coming out of LSU and was widely considered a steal by draft pundits early on. However, despite the physical gifts and high ceiling, Randle just couldn’t make it work in New York. The LSU product seemed lost in offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride’s offense and was unable to get on the same page as signal-caller Eli Manning for most of his tenure with the Giants. Fed up with his inability to get up to speed, the New York Giants let Randle walk after his contract was up in 2015 and he hasn’t played a down since.

The Giants could have used some extra pass rushing depth coming into the draft considering they had Justin Trattou slotted in behind Justin Tuck at defensive end. Even though he’s a Giant now, Olivier Vernon was readily available when New York was on the board and he would have been a huge boom pick. Giants fans already know this by now, but due to his great run defense and pass rushing ability, Vernon has established himself as one of the most well-rounded defensive ends in the league

SEATTLE, WA – OCTOBER 29: Running back Lamar Miller (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

Round 3, Pick 94: Lamar Miller, Running Back, Miami (FL)

Original Pick: Jayron Hosley, Cornerback, Virginia Tech

Looking for cornerback depth behind Terrell Thomas, the Giants spent the last pick of the third round on Jayron Hosley. Considered a cornerback with great potential, Hosley did nothing but disappoint in his time with New York. The Virginia Tech product never played a full season in his four years with the New York Giants and constantly made boneheaded mistakes in coverage. Naturally, the Giants let Hosley walk after his contract was up in 2015.

Drafting David Wilson was a clear illustration of the Giants’ need at running back coming into the draft. Outside of Ahmad Bradshaw, New York had nothing but practice squad players on their backfield depth chart and they clearly needed another talented runner. Instead of taking Wilson early, the Giants easily could have selected Lamar Miller in the third round. Miller hasn’t become anything special, but the Miami product does have a couple of 1,000-yard seasons under his belt. If anything, Miller would have been a great change of pace option and a solid replacement for Bradshaw when he eventually left to join the Indianapolis Colts.

JACKSONVILLE, FL – OCTOBER 15: Malik Jackson (Photo by Logan Bowles/Getty Images) /

Round 4, Pick 127: Malik Jackson, Defensive Tackle, Tennessee

Original Pick: Adrien Robinson, Tight End, Cincinnati

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Dubbed “the JPP of tight ends” by Reese, Adrien Robinson was probably the most frustrating pet project the Giants general manager was committed to in his tenure. Supposedly a high-upside mid-round pick with all the physical tools to become an elite tight end in the NFL, Robinson never developed into anything close. The Cincinnati product only made one start and recorded 50 yards receiving in three seasons with the Giants before a dejected Reese waived him in the last year of his contract.

The Giants could have used some depth behind Linval Joseph at defensive tackle coming into the draft and easily could have addressed that need by selecting Malik Jackson in the fourth round. Originally drafted by the Denver Broncos, Jackson developed into an absolute force in the middle of the defensive line and was a key contributor on the Broncos 2015 Super Bowl-winning squad. Also, considering Marvin Austin would be waived the following season, Jackson would have made a perfect in-house replacement to pair with Joseph.

LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 2: Cornerback Josh Norman (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Round 4, Pick 131: Josh Norman, Cornerback, Coastal Carolina

Original Pick: Brandon Mosley, Offensive Tackle, Auburn

Another one of Reese’s late-round project linemen, Brandon Mosley never developed into what Reese expected him to become. The Auburn product never saw the field his rookie year and earned only one start in his three seasons with the Giants before being waived prior to the 2015 season.

The Giants need at cornerback at the time would have been more than adequately addressed by drafting Josh Norman with their last pick in the fourth round. Norman isn’t exactly a Giants fan favorite thanks to his spat with Odell Beckham Jr. and the fact that he plays for a division rival, but there’s no doubting his talent. One of the best cornerbacks in the league today and a one-time First-Team All-Pro selection, Norman would have been a great depth piece and the best replacement for Terrell Thomas after injuries ended his career.

CHICAGO, IL – NOVEMBER 27: Rishard Matthews (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Round 6, Pick 201: Rishard Matthews, Wide Receiver, Nevada

Original Pick: Matt McCants, Offensive Tackle, UAB

The second project lineman selected by Reese in this draft, Matt McCants’ career trajectory was only slightly better than Mosley’s. McCants only lasted one season in New York and didn’t play in a single snap, but to be fair, McCants did find some success the following season with the Oakland Raiders. However, he only started three games in his four seasons with the Silver and Black and didn’t play a down in 2017.

Although it wasn’t their most pressing need, the New York Giants needed a little more depth at wide receiver for the upcoming season and could have easily addressed that need by selecting Rishard Matthews. Originally drafted by the Miami Dolphins, Matthews has carved out a nice career for himself as a serviceable receiver and could have been a solid option in four and five wide receiver sets early on.

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 02: Kelvin Beachum (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) /

Round 7, Pick 239: Kelvin Beachum, Offensive Tackle, Southern Methodist

Original Pick: Markus Kuhn, Defensive Tackle, North Carolina State

Despite addressing a need, Markus Kuhn was a mediocre rotational lineman at best. The NC State product only recorded 1.5 sacks in his four years with the Giants and, after sitting out the 2016 season, announced his retirement this past season.

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Considering Reese had a habit of picking project offensive linemen late in the draft, Kelvin Beachum makes the most sense at this juncture. Originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Beachum earned the starting left tackle job in the Steel City after his rookie year and has established himself as one of the better blindside protectors in the league. Also, considering the New York Giants had James Brewer penciled in as their starting right tackle coming into the draft, picking Beachum looks like a no-brainer.

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