Reese Era in Review: Revisiting the New York Giants 2013 NFL draft
Round 2, Pick 49: Jamie Collins, Linebacker, Southern Miss
Original Pick: Johnathan Hankins, Defensive Tackle, Ohio State
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You can’t knock Reese for selecting Johnathan Hankins a this point in the draft. Big Hank put in a stellar four years in a Giants uniform, developing into one of the most complete defensive tackles in the NFL. Unfortunately, Hankins isn’t the pick here for two big reasons. One: Reese failed to retain Hankins and the Ohio State product money-chased his way to the Indianapolis Colts last offseason, and two: the Giants had a bigger need at linebacker at the time.
Coming into the draft, the Giants had two mediocre starters at linebacker in Dan Connor and Jacquian Williams. As we would find out as the season went along, the Giants could have used a significant upgrade over those two, making Jamie Collins the right pick at this juncture. Originally drafted by the New England Patriots, Collins turned out to be one of the biggest steals of the draft. A rangy linebacker that excels in coverage, the Southern Miss product is one of the better linebackers in the league today and would have made an immediate impact.