New York Giants: Should Jerry Reese Trade Back In The 1st Round?

As the NFL draft approaches, there has been a buzz among the fans and media regarding the Giants 1^st round pick; should Jerry Reese trade back or stand pat? With the 9^th overall pick in the 2015 draft, there have been thousands of mock drafts proclaiming who the Giants will select. The #1 consensus has been OT Brandon Scherff out of Iowa. A solid and well-rounded OT who appears to be the most polished OL in this year’s draft. The only problem here is that Scherff has been graded as the 12^th highest rated prospect on an average in the draft and the Giants are selecting in the top 10 (9^th overall). Jerry Reese has clearly stated that he would draft the BPA regardless of position every time. So what should we make of this and how did Scherff become the main target? Well, let’s look at some facts that need to be considered:

• Scherff played LT at Iowa and is projected to play either RT or OG; which means a transition period would be required.
• The Giants biggest need on the OL is for an OG and not an OT.
• Why would Reese draft a player in the top 10 and move him to a new position at the highest level?
• Despite Scherff prowess, he is not the 9^th BPA in this draft.

With these question marks, why would Reese draft Brandon Scherff when he could select an equally talented OL by trading back and acquiring additional picks? I should mention that Reese has never trading back as the Giants GM during his tenure, so to expect him to do so in the 1^st round (especially with a top 10 pick) is a major reach. I only suggest this option based on the thousands of comments by fans and sports writers throughout social media. Personally, I can’t see Reese trading back or even up for that matter, but the option is available and if I was making this call, I would strongly consider it. Below are names of OT and OG who would be available should Reese consider trading back for additional picks. 

Offensive Tackles

Round 1: OT: Ereck Flowers (Miami)/Andrus Peat (Stanford)/La’el Collins (LSU)-all projected to go 15-25

Round 2: Cameron Erving (Florida State)/Jake Fisher (Oregon)/T.J Clemmings (Pittsburgh)/D.J Humphries (Florida)

Round 3: Cedric Ogbuehi (Texas A & M)/Donovan Smith (Penn Smith)/Daryl Williams (Oklahoma)/ Ty Sambrailo (Colorado State)

Offensive Guards

Round 2: Laken Tomilinson (Duke)/A.J Cann (South Carolina)

Round 3: Ali Marpet (Hobart)/A.J Cann (South Carolina)/Tre Jackson (Florida State)

Final Thoughts:

As I mentioned above, Reese has three options to go in the draft, he can stand pat, trade back or trade up. I would prefer and defensive player who can rush the passer (Bud Dupree) or another defensive player; perhaps CB Trae Waynes (not my choice) would be a better choice than Brandon Scherff. Regardless; this draft could and in all likelihood will be a defining moment for Reese and his legacy as the Giants GM. My opinion is that Reese will stand pat and select the BPA with the 9^th pick. Who that will be is anyone’s guess