New York Giants 2013 Mock Draft

Isaiah Kristian Matte
BGB Contributor


With the first round of the NFL draft a day away, here's a look at the players the Giants most likely could be targeting in their spots.


1-19: Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia.
The Giants have been needing to draft a linebacker in the first round for years and haven't done so since Carl Banks was taken 3rd overall in 1984. This former safety has gotten in trouble before, but it hasn't stopped Jerry Reese getting a guy with red flags (see Manningham, Bradshaw, Austin, even Hakeem Nicks). He can cover tight ends and even slot guys with ease, also had 115 tackles in a shortened season due to a 4 game suspension. He needs help in his run defense, but he's a Fewell type of player.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS: Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State; Bjoern werner, DE, Florida State, Johnathan Cooper, G, UNC (if he falls), Sylvester Williams, DT, UNC, Shelden Richardson, DT, Missouri, DJ Hayden, CB, Houston

2-49: Margus Hunt, DT, SMU

He will be 26 years old once the season starts, but he's got a long football shelf life since he's a former track and field athlete (shot put) for his native Estonia. He's an absolute freak of nature at 6'8, 277 pounds, versatile as he also can play DE, and has an 84 inch wingspan. Patterson and Jenkins were good signings for the Giants, but Linval Joseph needs a partner to play with on the line.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS: Darius Slay, CB, Mississippi State, Larry Warford, G, Kentucky, Kyle Long, OT/G, Oregon, Robert Alford, CB, Southeastern Louisiana, Barrett Jones, OL, Alabama, Jamie Collins, DE/LB, Southern Mississippi

3-81: Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M

Speedy, smart and sure handed slot option in case Victor Cruz doesn't humble himself enough or needs to leave to find greener ($$$) pastures. He was arguably the MVP in the game against Alabama, helping Johnny Manziel defeat the current Goliath of college football last season.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS: Khaseem Greene, LB, Rutgers; Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia; David Quessenberry, OL, San Jose State, Travis Kelce, TE, Cincinnati

4-116: Dallas Thomas, OT, Tennessee

Finally, a guy who can play guard and tackle to spell Diehl if needed. He's one of the most underrated prospects in this draft.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS: Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas; Logan Ryan, CB, Rutgers; Tyrann Mathieu, CB, LSU; Tony Jefferson, S, Oklahoma; Shaun Williams, S, Georgia; Brian Schwenke, C, California;

5-152 - David Bass, DE, Missouri Western

Division 2 superstar with some speed. he had 56 tackles for a loss and 39 1/2 sacks in his four year career at that school. He's raw but could work his way into an underrated rotation with Adewale Ojomo and Adrian Tracy. I see this as a Jerry Reese type of pick.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS: AJ Klein, ILB, Iowa State; Akeem Spence, DT, Illinois; Brandon McGee, CB, U of Miami; Jordan Hill, DT, Penn State, Nico Johnson, ILB, Alabama

6-187 - Quanterus Smith, DE, Western Kentucky

Had 3 sacks against Alabama last season, which is an accomplishment, considering how good that offensive line was in the league last year. He, however, is coming off a torn ACL. The Giants love pass rushers and this dude gets after it. He is also a lean 250 pounds. He's still really quick and has good technique. Another Reese kind of pick.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS: Luke Marquardt, OT, Azuza Pacific; Stepfon Jefferson, RB, Nevada; Denard Robinson, WR/KR, Michigan

7-225 - Zeke Motta, S, Notre Dame
7-253 - Ray Graham, RB, Pittsburgh
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS: Jordan Rodgers, QB, Vanderbilt; Jeff Baca, G, UCLA; Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State; Jordan Kovacs, S, Michigan

Ranking the Giant's 3 Biggest Draft Needs

Shale Briskin
BGB Assistant Editor

The 2013 NFL Draft is less than a week away, which means that John Mara, Steve Tisch, Jerry Reese and company need to figure out how to build around their current roster for the upcoming 2013 season.

After barely missing the previous postseason, the Giants have decided to go in a different direction. Longtime players such as Ahmad Bradshaw, Osi Umenyiora, Chris Canty and Martellus Bennett are no longer on the team and the Giants will now to select a group of draftees that will fill at least some of those spots.

The Giants will have all of their regular 2013 NFL draft picks, which includes the nineteenth overall selection, plus a compensatory pick after the seventh round. It will be fascinating to see how the draft will unfold for the Giants in a matter of days.

Here is a ranking of the three areas the Giants should focus on the most during the draft.

3. Tight End

Ever since Jeremy Shockey departed the Giants after the 2007 NFL season, the Giants have struggled to find a long-term solution at tight end.

Bear Pascoe is currently the Giants' top tight end, but ideally, Pascoe is a better second tight end or blocking back for the Giants' offense. In other words, the Giants' offense would likely perform better with an upgrade at tight end.

The Giants could try to draft Tyler Eifert of Notre Dame in the first round, or they could wait until later rounds to select another tight end such as Zach Ertz of Stanford, Travis Kelce of Cincinnati, or Vance McDonald of Rice, among others.
 
 2. Middle Linebacker

Another position the Giants have not been particularly strong at for a few years is middle linebacker. The Giants have not had a reliable middle linebacker since Antonio Pierce's playing career, which ended after the 2009 season.

The 2013 draft class of inside linebackers is not particularly strong, with Manti Te'o of Notre Dame being the top inside linebacker available. The Giants could choose to select Te'o, but with his off-field controversy still fresh in the minds of many people, he could be a high risk-high reward choice.

If the Giants choose to go in a different direction in the first round, they could wait a few rounds to select Kevin Minter of LSU, Kiko Alonso of Oregon, or A.J. Klein of Iowa State, among others. Regardless, inside linebacker is one area the Giants must try to find an upgrade at. Usually, this would be a top priority for the Giants, but in this particular draft, the Giants have one other need that is even larger.

1. Running Back

With the departure of Ahmad Bradshaw, the Giants will need to find another running back to replace Bradshaw's presence. Bradshaw wasn't the biggest running back out there, but he was intense and always played very hard.

The easy answer would be to say that David Wilson could fill Bradshaw's shoes, but with the way NFL offenses have changed, the Giants could use another running back to compliment Wilson's smaller size and faster speed. Today's NFL offenses are almost always designed for at least two running backs to fit into.

 The Giants had been doing this for years with Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. But now, the Giants will have to find someone new to play alongside Wilson as they move onto a new chapter in the team's history.

With all this being said, it would be wise for the Giants to draft one of the larger running backs in this year's draft. It does not necessarily have to occur in the first round, but maybe in the third or fourth rounds.

Le'Veon Bell of Michigan State, Christine Michael of Texas A&M and Latavius Murray of TCF are three big running backs that could fit the profile of what the Giants need going forward. It would be nice to see the Giants draft one of those players.

For more on the Giants and the NFL draft, please visit this link. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1613589-ranking-the-giants-3-biggest-draft-needs

 

New York Giants 2013 Schedule: Why Not getting the Spotlight May Help

Eli Manning runs off the field in Metlife Stadium last December after defeating the Eagles in the Giants final game of the season. Photo courtesy of USA Today

Frank Gray
BGB Editor

February of 2012: Fans remembered it as if it were yesterday. The Giants made another improbable playoff run and sealed it against the New England Patriots . Again. Fast forward just a little more than a year later and the Giants are no longer in the spotlight of the NFL.

When last seen, Big Blue was walking off the field after trampling the Philadelphia Eagles in what became an over-hyped divisional laugher that meant little to either team except to serve as a fitting farewell to Andy Reid's Eagles tenure.

This week, the NFL releases the 2013 schedule as the team prepares to turn the page. According to NFL.com, there is a teaser article that presents their "13 best games" of the upcoming season. Only one (Broncos at Giants, "Manning Bowl") contains the Giants. In fact, the list compiled by their website seems like more of a farewell tour for Peyton Manning than anything else.

We know the teams the Giants will play. We just don't know the venues, times or dates yet. That's what Thursday's schedule release is all about. Until then we do know one thing. The Giants have one of the easier schedules in 2013. In fact, only eight other teams have a lighter schedule than the New York Giants.

With a lighter schedule to play, the Giants should not be expected to be focused on and that is just fine by them. The two title runs they made in recent years were both in seasons in which they were not favored or thought of to do very much by various media sources.

Once again, the media is enamored with the new coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, the same-look Dallas Cowboys and resurgence of the Washington Redskins and the recovery of their young QB. They completely ignore a Giants team that is redoubling their efforts and beefing up the D-Line.

Failing to make the playoffs last season left a bad taste in the Giants mouth. They will be refocused on the business of winning. Media sources ignore that fact. That's fine by Eli Manning and company.

If no one is talking about them, they play the underdog role extremely well.

New York Giants All-Time Roster Draft Class Part One: War Room and Coaching Staff

If you were choosing the coaches for the All-Time Roster, who would be at the helm? Photo courtesy of Giants.com

Frank Gray
BGB Editor

Later this month the New York Giants will be choosing their players for the future in a tradition known as the NFL Draft. That got us here at Big Giants Boom thinking. What if the Giants were able to have a draft from a pool of players consisting of their all-time roster?

Every player. Every era. All are available. Who would they take number one overall? In a typical draft a team only has seven or eight picks on average in order to use to build a team. They have had several Quarterbacks, several Linebackers, Several Offensive Linemen, several Defensive Linemen, all worthy of the overall first pick.

Do you take Phil Simms? Do you take Lawrence Taylor? Do you take Michael Strahan? Do you take Eli Manning? Do you take Alex Webster? How about Sam Huff? The answer, of course, depends on who is in the war room.

For this exercise, we will first build the coaching staff for that draft war room. Among the Giants coaches, the list reads off an a veritable legends list in NFL history. After all, names like Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry and Bill Parcells have all come through here en route to their greatest successes.So who would the coaching staff consist of?

First, the Giants need an outstanding QB coach to mentor their on field coach, the QB. Who else would fit that bill better than Jim Fassel? Fassel was the QB for former Giants QB great Phil Simms. He later coached the team from 1997-2003.

He led them to a Super Bowl and several big games along the way. He is responsible for resurrecting the career of Kerry Collins who found success in New York and parlayed it into an NFC Championship. Fassel knows the QB position.

Next, the offense needs a coordinator. Who else is equal to that task than Tom Coughlin? A former QB coach, he understands the importance of the leadership role the QB has. His two rings in New York are a testament to his experience. He is responsible for drafting Eli Manning and for assisting in the emergence of Tiki Barber as a sure-handed Running Back.

Coughlin led the team to two Super Bowl titles. Both times being heavy underdogs. He knows a thing or two about drafting talent and winning. While he is not in the NFL Hall of Fame as he is still a current coach, there is little debate that he will be there when he retires.

If the Giants want Hall of Fame knowledge, they need look no further than Bill Parcells. Parcells would make a brilliant Line Backer coach. He is a former LB coach and Defensive Coordinator with the team before taking over as Head Coach and becoming the two-time Super Bowl winner we all know today.

He will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame this summer in what should be a wonderful reunion between he and Giants LB great Lawrence Taylor. In his tenure with the Giants from 1981-1990, Parcells made the team become known for its fierce defense . They were feared by opposition. Led by Taylor, who Parcells drafted. Parcells knows a thing or two about how to draft talent.

For Defensive Coordinator, we have to look a little deeper into Giants lore. This coach won an NFL Championship with the Giants and invented the 4-3 defense to be able to utilize Giants LB Sam Huff. If any coach in Giants history understands how to build a team, it would be Tom Landry.

Most fans today know him as the hated Dallas Cowboys head coach for many years, but he had his football foundation in New York. Well before he was tapped to coach the budding new NFL team in Dallas, he was learning what it was to win big games on the sidelines as a Giants coach along with several Hall of Fame players and coaches, including his mentor.

That brings us to the All-Time Head Coach. Who else epitomizes what it means to win than the man they named the Super Bowl trophy after? Vince Lombardi. Before he was leading the Green Bay Packers to glory in the first two Super Bowls, he was winning NFL Championships with the Giants.

While with the Giants, Lombardi reinvented the running game. He created the concept of "rule blocking". This concept placed the importance of blocking an area rather than a person, this creating running lanes for the players to utilize. No one knew how to coach and win in big games as well as Lombardi and he learned it in New York.

While that fills out the major roles in the coaching staff, there are others that would need to be filled for a proper draft war room. Other coaching staff members would include Allie Sherman, Jim Lee Howell and Alex Webster. Each brought their own experiences to the coaching role in New York. Each have made contributions to the Giants history and lore as we currently know it to be.

The coaches are not the only ones in the war room, however. There are two names that need to be added to the ensemble to make a proper All-Time draft class worth anything. These men are George Young as the General Manager and Jerry Reese as the Assistant GM. With these men advising the coaching staff in that war room, we are guaranteed a top-notch draft class.

New York Giants Free Agency: Three Players Still Available For the Right Price

Derek Hagan scores a TD vs the Redskins. Photo courtesy of AP

Frank Gray
BGB Editor

The New York Giants have made several moves this off season. Among them, they have beefed up the D-Line and added a few lesser known names to help replace ones who have left for greener contracts. However, there is still work to do and still roster spots to fill out.

The Giants still have a questionable secondary and a possible spot or two in the receiver corp and linebacker corp. It is with that as a premise that we go shopping for a few more options that are still available in free agency.

These players will come at a cheaper rate which is important for the team salary cap considerations. They all have shown some level of success in the NFL and are more than capable of filling in in the lesser roles that the Giants would be asking them to take.


1) WR- Derek Hagan: The former Giants wide out is a free agent once again. He played 14 games in Oakland last season and had 20 catches for 259 yards. This is basically the type of numbers he would be asked to produce in New York.

He knows the offense and he has a report with Eli Manning and the coaching staff. After having minimal success in the NFL, Hagan doesn't have teams pounding down his door to offer him massive contracts.

He would come back to NY at a cheap price. He would be a good replacement for Ramses Barden or Domenik Hixon, given their season averages. This is a deal that makes sense.


2) CB- Marcus Trufant: When he was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks, Marcus Trufant was a standout. Ten seasons later, Trufant is not the player he used to be, but he is still healthy and can use his experience wisely against his opposition.

While the Seahawks are stock-piling corners, Trufant is getting lost in the shuffle. They have yet to re-sign him and seem to be moving on. The Giants are in need of another veteran presence and he may come cheaper than the $7.2 million that he was asking for last year.

If the team can work him down to a reasonable contract, he would be a smart addition. While he didn't get an INT last season, he did have 24 tackles. That could help in a pass happy NFC East. His playoff experience could come in handy here too.


3) LB- Rolando McClain: The Oakland Raiders released Rolando McClain yesterday due to a hefty contract. He was due $4 million next season. The Giants could easily snatch him up for that much or even less if they make the right deal.

He has shown success in his three years in the NFL. In 2011, he had a career high 99 tackles. Last season, he had 60 tackles with a forced fumble. He has played both MLB and OLB roles and would be solid in each under the Giants defensive schemes.


Each of these three options are players the Giants could use and could afford. If GM Jerry Reese plays his cards right, he could attain each one to fill out the roster. Then, the draft would just be all about building for the future rather than adding depth for the present.

Either way, the Giants have shown they are not shy about signing players and they know they still have needs to address.