The Draft -- One Man's Opinion
Hi,
I am going to review the draft as I see it. This is my opinion and I am quite sure many will disagree. Well,the teams had their opinion and we have the right to ours.
(1)-N. Y. Giants
I couldn't help but notice that most people were ambivilant. There was a clown over at SI. Com who said they had the worst draft of any team. I say this guy should write about something else.
Most pundits rated the G-Men with anywhere from a b to a c-. I am somewhere in that mix. Mathias Kiwanuka is a great athlete,a great pass rusher and until he played poorly at the senior bowl was rated as a top 15 pick. Some had him rated as the top defensive end. The fact is that Kiwanuka played hurt most of last year and still got more than his share of sacks. The guy was the captain of a pretty good Boston College team that impressed me when I saw them play. Boston College turns out some very good NFL players and Coach Coughlin coached there and is pretty well connected. Chris Snee,the starting guard for the G-Men played there and is the coaches son it law. The guy is a starter on a line which is vastly improved. Their offense was one of the top rated in the NFL.
Now these pundits are criticizing Kiwanuka. Well,these same people were howling when the Giants took Osi Umenyora in the second round a few years ago. He went on to lead the league in sacks last year and along with Michael Strahan were the best defensive end tandem in football. Kiwanuka is about the same size Osi was when he left college and can handle more weight. Osi bulked up and you see the results. I would tread carefully before I criticize this pick as defensive end is one area the Giants seem to know quite well. I am sure Tim Lewis had a lot of input on this decision and he is a great defensive co-ordinator. Time will tell but,I think the guy can be great. One must also consider that Strahan is getting older so,finding the player to pick up for him strikes me as pretty smart. Strahan and Umenyora will tutor the guy so he will be ready. Most coaches say that putting pressure on the offense is perhaps the most important part of winning in the NFL. George Young the late general manager of the Giants in the Parcells era said pick your highest rated guy no matter what position. George Young built the Giants from arguably the worst team in the NFL into a two time super bowl champ and I remember how people criticized him when he drafted Phil Sims amongst others.
I am not as sure about Sinorice Moss. I am not sure whether he will be an impact player or not. I don't think anyone else is either. Some teams had him as the best wide receiver in the draft. This was not a great draft for wide receivers. I think I would have gone with Chad Jackson out of Florida. The Giants lack the game breaker they need on offense. They have great receivers but no one with super speed. Moss gives them a chance for that. The verdict will take some time but,there is no doubt there was a need.
The rest of their draft struck me as good. They got Barry Colfield out of Northwestern and most had him rated higher than the fourth round. He's a big,strong,nasty guy who just might be a difference maker. The Giants needed to replace some of those who left. Will he be as good as Kendrick Clancy and Kendrick Allen? Why Not?He is about the same size and neither of those guys would be that hard to top. The rest of the draft went for a linebacker from Georgia tech who also was a team captain and can play all three spots. This was another obvious area of need and if Lavar Arrington can be anywhere near what he once was an area of deep need becomes an area of strength. The defensive back field was the worst part of the Giants. They brought in a bunch of free agents and Madison was a super star for a long time. He can only be an improvment. Will Demps is a high quality safety. He is young and started for the Ravens. The ravens had a great defense and his star might have shone more brightly if Ed Reed and the other guys weren't so good. The Giants took a couple of defensive backs and an offensive guard. You never know what you got this late but hey it wouldn't take much to replace Will Allen a real mistake the Giants traded up to get a few years ago. Guy Whimper,the guard is a great athlete. He weighs over 300 lbs and is fast. He has fast feet which is a real advantage for an offensive lineman. He has all the tools but not a lot of experience. Hell,I would always take a guy with huge upside and desire over some of the other names which were drafted before him. This guy has all the tools to be great. A good risk. We'll see.
Well,I went into a little too much detail on the Giants so,I am going to call a time out. I will be back tomorrow with the next team.
Last edited by bigboy : 05-11-2006 at 10:04 AM.
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