New York Giants Grade
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New York Giants (B-)
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(32) Mathias Kiwanuka, DE. Boston College
(44) Sinorice Moss, WR. Miami
(96) Gerris Wilkinson, LB. Georgia Tech
(124) Barry Cofield, DT. Northwestern
(129) Guy Whimper, OT. East Carolina
(155) Charlie Peprah, S. Alabama
(232) Gerrick McPhearson, CB. Maryland
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The Giants allowed themselves to move down in the first round by acquiring Lavar Arrington through free agency. Expected to take a defensive back to improve their porous pass defense, the Giants instead opted for a future superstar at defensive dn in Mathias Kiwanuka. Sinorice Moss was an absolute steal in the middle of the second round. It was clear that the Giants were going to go get him one way or another. Gerris Wilkinson was an excellent pick at the end of the third. However, the Giants failed to improve their defensive backfield until the middle of the fifth round when they grabbed Charlie Peprah from Alabama. Management must have been very high on Kiwanuka to have taken him as early as they did, neglecting obvious team needs in the process. This is why the Giants' draft is not given a higher grade. Their second, third, and ftouh round picks were very good.
(32) Mathias Kiwanuka, DE. Boston College
The Giants have two pro bowlers at defensive end in Michael Strahan and Osi Umeniyora. Strahan is no spring chicken, while Umeniyora had his break-out season last year. Enter Mathias Kiwanuka: a natural pass rusher who is raw but shows flashes of absolute brilliance. Mathias Kiwanuka can not be more pleased with the situation he was drafted into. Being a couple years away from starting in the NFL, Kiwi will have time to develop behind one of the best defensive end tandems in the entire NFL. In the meantimme, he can work into the rotation on passing downs to occassionally spell the aging Michael Strahan. Once he is ready to start, Kiwanuka has Pro Bowl potential. His 6'6"/256 fram is ideal for the position, and his upside is off the charts.
(44) Sinorice Moss, WR. Miami
It seemed apparent that one way or another the New York Giants would find a way to acquire Sinorice Moss. Moving up in the second round, the Giants were able to do just that. Moss is a very speedy (4.38) receiver with excellent agility and acceleration. At 5'8", he can stretch the field as well as anyone, even with the ability to go up and get the jump ball over bigger corners with his 42" vertical jump. With Amani Toomer aging and unable to stretch the field like he did in the past, Moss will allow the Giants to take pressure off of both Eli Manning and Tiki Barber. He will open up the middle of the field for Jeremy Shockey as well. He simply gives the Giants an added dimension on offense. He is also an excellent upgrade in the return game. Miss can go the distance each and every time the ball is in his hands.
(96) Gerris Wilkinson, LB. Georgia Tech
Having learned their lesson last year, the Giants are boosting up their linebacking corp. Never again will the Giants be so vulnerable to injury at the position. Gerris Wilkinson is an excellent pick for this reason. At 6'3"/233, he has very good size with a frame to add even more weight. His 4.72 speed allows him to play the WILL, SAM, and MIKE positions on the field. He may even be able to compete for a starting job this season. Wilkinson is an excellent pick that supplies depth and competition at the position in the meantime and a potential starter in the future. He could have easily fallen off the board earlier, but the Giants were rewarded for their patience by getting excellent value here.
(124) Barry Cofield, DT. Northwestern
Considered by many to be a day one pick, the Giants did an excellent job of grabbing the brand of defensive tackle that is most needed for the defense. Anyone who watched Larry Johnson rattle off 167 yards on 31 carries against the Giants this season saw that the team is vulnerable to a dominant inside-the-tackles runner. Barry Cofield is a situational guy that can really stuff the run. Currently a bit slight of build at 6'4"/304, Barry Cofield is a proven run stuffer in the Big Ten: one of the premier tackle-to-tackle running conferences in America. He has a frame to add more weight and become a disruptive force on first down and short yardage situations in the NFL. He has a ton of experience and has proven to be very durable. A smart guy and good team leader, Tom Coughlin has to absolutely love getting this guy on the second day of the draft. I like this pick more than any other that the Giants made.
(129) Guy Whimper, OT. East Carolina
The Giants offensive line coach, Pat Flaherty, deserves a lot of credit. While working with sub-par personnel, Tiki Barber continues to have monster seasons while Eli Manning has been given ample time in the pocket. Guy Whimper is a purely developmental prospect at the moment, but he has left tackle potential in the NFL. At 6'5"/304, Whimper has pretty good size for the tackle position. He is an extremely good athlete. At the combine, he ran a 4.95 in the 40-yard dash, a true testament to his athleticism. His footwork is excellent and his technique is very raw. Pat Flaherty has a blank slate to work with in Guy Whimper, but there is no one doubting that Whimper has all the physical tools. Being able to grab a player like Whimper -whose stock was on the rise- at this point further makes a case for the Giants having one of the best mid-round drafts this year.
(155) Charlie Peprah, S. Alabama
Needing to bolster a porous pass defense, I was not surprised at all to see a defensive back taken with this pick. However, I was very surprised to see the Gaints wait until pick #155 to help out the secondary. To boot, I was expecting a cornerback first and foremost. Charlie Peprah is an undersized, athletic safety. At 5'11"/206, he is slightly undersized to play safety. However, his 4.68 speed is rather slow to be moved to corner. A classic tweener, Peprah seems to lack the athleticism to play on the outside and the size to play on the inside of the defensive backfield. Nevertheless, one can not ignore the production. Peprah was a four-year starter for one of the best defenses in the country at Alabama. He has shown to be unafraid of anyone, willing to sacrifice his body to make plays. As a Giant fan, monitoring Charlie Peprah's development as a defensive back will be truly interesting.
(232) Gerrick McPhearson, CB. Maryland
One of the biggest steals in the draft, Gerrick McPhearson has all the tools to potentially develop into a starting corner in the NFL. At 5'10"/196, he has solid size. His 4.42 speed is outstanding for a 7th round corner. He is an impressive leaper and excels in the weight room. He is physical both at the line of scrimmage and against the run. A workout warrior, McPhearson has all the measureables but is not a developed football player at the moment. He lacks footabll instincts and his technique is really lacking. Nevertheless, the measureables are all there. Having never garnered All-ACC honors as a football player, McPhearson was all-conference for indoor track. With the needs that the Giants had in their secondary, specifically at cornerback, it is very surprising to see them grab their first corner in round seven. At this point in the draft, this pick is great; but, for a team with such a below average secondary, the Giants draft plan seems flawed.
New York Giants (B-)
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(32) Mathias Kiwanuka, DE. Boston College
(44) Sinorice Moss, WR. Miami
(96) Gerris Wilkinson, LB. Georgia Tech
(124) Barry Cofield, DT. Northwestern
(129) Guy Whimper, OT. East Carolina
(155) Charlie Peprah, S. Alabama
(232) Gerrick McPhearson, CB. Maryland
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The Giants allowed themselves to move down in the first round by acquiring Lavar Arrington through free agency. Expected to take a defensive back to improve their porous pass defense, the Giants instead opted for a future superstar at defensive dn in Mathias Kiwanuka. Sinorice Moss was an absolute steal in the middle of the second round. It was clear that the Giants were going to go get him one way or another. Gerris Wilkinson was an excellent pick at the end of the third. However, the Giants failed to improve their defensive backfield until the middle of the fifth round when they grabbed Charlie Peprah from Alabama. Management must have been very high on Kiwanuka to have taken him as early as they did, neglecting obvious team needs in the process. This is why the Giants' draft is not given a higher grade. Their second, third, and ftouh round picks were very good.
Kiwanuka is raw, but has time to develop behind Strahan
(32) Mathias Kiwanuka, DE. Boston College
The Giants have two pro bowlers at defensive end in Michael Strahan and Osi Umeniyora. Strahan is no spring chicken, while Umeniyora had his break-out season last year. Enter Mathias Kiwanuka: a natural pass rusher who is raw but shows flashes of absolute brilliance. Mathias Kiwanuka can not be more pleased with the situation he was drafted into. Being a couple years away from starting in the NFL, Kiwi will have time to develop behind one of the best defensive end tandems in the entire NFL. In the meantimme, he can work into the rotation on passing downs to occassionally spell the aging Michael Strahan. Once he is ready to start, Kiwanuka has Pro Bowl potential. His 6'6"/256 fram is ideal for the position, and his upside is off the charts.
Sinorice Moss was going to be a Giant one way or another
(44) Sinorice Moss, WR. Miami
It seemed apparent that one way or another the New York Giants would find a way to acquire Sinorice Moss. Moving up in the second round, the Giants were able to do just that. Moss is a very speedy (4.38) receiver with excellent agility and acceleration. At 5'8", he can stretch the field as well as anyone, even with the ability to go up and get the jump ball over bigger corners with his 42" vertical jump. With Amani Toomer aging and unable to stretch the field like he did in the past, Moss will allow the Giants to take pressure off of both Eli Manning and Tiki Barber. He will open up the middle of the field for Jeremy Shockey as well. He simply gives the Giants an added dimension on offense. He is also an excellent upgrade in the return game. Miss can go the distance each and every time the ball is in his hands.
Gerris Wilkinson is an excellent "depth now, starter
later" pick as he can play any of the linebacker positions
(96) Gerris Wilkinson, LB. Georgia Tech
Having learned their lesson last year, the Giants are boosting up their linebacking corp. Never again will the Giants be so vulnerable to injury at the position. Gerris Wilkinson is an excellent pick for this reason. At 6'3"/233, he has very good size with a frame to add even more weight. His 4.72 speed allows him to play the WILL, SAM, and MIKE positions on the field. He may even be able to compete for a starting job this season. Wilkinson is an excellent pick that supplies depth and competition at the position in the meantime and a potential starter in the future. He could have easily fallen off the board earlier, but the Giants were rewarded for their patience by getting excellent value here.
(124) Barry Cofield, DT. Northwestern
Considered by many to be a day one pick, the Giants did an excellent job of grabbing the brand of defensive tackle that is most needed for the defense. Anyone who watched Larry Johnson rattle off 167 yards on 31 carries against the Giants this season saw that the team is vulnerable to a dominant inside-the-tackles runner. Barry Cofield is a situational guy that can really stuff the run. Currently a bit slight of build at 6'4"/304, Barry Cofield is a proven run stuffer in the Big Ten: one of the premier tackle-to-tackle running conferences in America. He has a frame to add more weight and become a disruptive force on first down and short yardage situations in the NFL. He has a ton of experience and has proven to be very durable. A smart guy and good team leader, Tom Coughlin has to absolutely love getting this guy on the second day of the draft. I like this pick more than any other that the Giants made.
(129) Guy Whimper, OT. East Carolina
The Giants offensive line coach, Pat Flaherty, deserves a lot of credit. While working with sub-par personnel, Tiki Barber continues to have monster seasons while Eli Manning has been given ample time in the pocket. Guy Whimper is a purely developmental prospect at the moment, but he has left tackle potential in the NFL. At 6'5"/304, Whimper has pretty good size for the tackle position. He is an extremely good athlete. At the combine, he ran a 4.95 in the 40-yard dash, a true testament to his athleticism. His footwork is excellent and his technique is very raw. Pat Flaherty has a blank slate to work with in Guy Whimper, but there is no one doubting that Whimper has all the physical tools. Being able to grab a player like Whimper -whose stock was on the rise- at this point further makes a case for the Giants having one of the best mid-round drafts this year.
Charlie Peprah was the first DB chosen by the Giants
(155) Charlie Peprah, S. Alabama
Needing to bolster a porous pass defense, I was not surprised at all to see a defensive back taken with this pick. However, I was very surprised to see the Gaints wait until pick #155 to help out the secondary. To boot, I was expecting a cornerback first and foremost. Charlie Peprah is an undersized, athletic safety. At 5'11"/206, he is slightly undersized to play safety. However, his 4.68 speed is rather slow to be moved to corner. A classic tweener, Peprah seems to lack the athleticism to play on the outside and the size to play on the inside of the defensive backfield. Nevertheless, one can not ignore the production. Peprah was a four-year starter for one of the best defenses in the country at Alabama. He has shown to be unafraid of anyone, willing to sacrifice his body to make plays. As a Giant fan, monitoring Charlie Peprah's development as a defensive back will be truly interesting.
(232) Gerrick McPhearson, CB. Maryland
One of the biggest steals in the draft, Gerrick McPhearson has all the tools to potentially develop into a starting corner in the NFL. At 5'10"/196, he has solid size. His 4.42 speed is outstanding for a 7th round corner. He is an impressive leaper and excels in the weight room. He is physical both at the line of scrimmage and against the run. A workout warrior, McPhearson has all the measureables but is not a developed football player at the moment. He lacks footabll instincts and his technique is really lacking. Nevertheless, the measureables are all there. Having never garnered All-ACC honors as a football player, McPhearson was all-conference for indoor track. With the needs that the Giants had in their secondary, specifically at cornerback, it is very surprising to see them grab their first corner in round seven. At this point in the draft, this pick is great; but, for a team with such a below average secondary, the Giants draft plan seems flawed.