New York Giants: Grading The Giants Draft

Round 1- Ereck Flower (OT 6’6/329) Miami: Despite Flowers high ceiling and raw talent, his selection was a reach in my opinion. Clearly, Jerry Reese wanted Brandon Scherff (selected by Washington Redskins/5^th overall). In every ranking of prospects that I’ve read, Flowers never made the top 20 and has flaws in his game (slow feet, soft body, and clumsy hands). Reese clearly drafted from need and it’s hard for me to believe that Reese had Flower rated as a top 10 prospect.  I would have been more comfortable if Reese had selected Andrus Peat, if an OT was his target; as I believe Peat is more NFL ready and has a higher ceiling. Grade B-

Round 2-Landon Collins (S 6’0/228) Alabama: Uncharacteristically, Reese makes a bold move and trades down from 40 to 33 along with surrendering a 4^th and a 7^th to acquire arguably the best SS in the draft. Collins makes a lot of sense and will quickly make Giant fans forget Antrel Rolle. DC Steve Spagnuolo will utilize Collin’s talents fully and will make him an impact defensive player as a rookie. Grade A

Round 3-Owamagbe Odighizuwa (DE 6’3/267)UCLA: Very pleasant  selection as Reese once again fills a need for the Giants defense. Odighizuwa is not an edge rusher, however; he has an endless motor and a high ceiling that the Giants believe will make him a well-rounded DE at the NFL level. Grade B+

Round 5-Mykkele Thompson (S 6’2/191) Texas: Reese reaches a bit here in round 5 with the selection of Thompson.  Thompson is versatile and can play both CB and Safety with a good body. Thompson does lack consistency as a tackler and at times doesn’t take good angles. I can see DC Steve Spagnuolo utilizing Thompson in nickel/dime packages and add depth at the CB position. Grade C+

Round 6-Geremy Davis (WR 6’2/216) Connecticut: Davis production suffered in 2014 (playing time) as opposed to his production in 2013. Lacks the speed to separate, lacks the foot quickness in running clean routes. Many scouts projected Davis to go undrafted. If GM Jerry Reese was looking for a WR in the 6^th round, he could have selected prospects such as: Darren Waller or Evan Spencer who were rated higher. Apparently, Reese sees something in him, let’s hope so. Grade C+

Round 7-Bobby Hart (OT 6’5/329) Florida State: Believe it or not, I really like this selection by Jerry Reese. Hart is still only 20 years old and was a 3 year starter at Florida State. Despite playing RT at the college level, Hart will transition to a OG at the pro level. When I look at Hart on film, I see a very proficient run blocker and if Hart continues to improve like he has throughout his college career, he will be a very capable OG. Grade B-

Final Thoughts:  In past drafts I have been very critical of Jerry Reese selections. However; he has done a very good job addressing a need and finding a player that fits that need in this draft.  It’s no secret that I would liked to have seen Reese select other players in certain rounds (Peat over Flowers in round 1/Waller or Spencer over Davis in round 6), however; his overall body of work in this draft warrants a thumbs up. Final Grade: B