Giants Draft: Choosing Into the Strength of a Draft

Every year drafts are deep and strong across various positions.  Unless it's illusory like the 2003 DT class, or, perhaps this year's QB class, it's a great idea to draft into the strength of the draft.   When there is real depth you can get long term starters in and outside of the first round of the draft.   Let's take the 1996 WR class for example. Keyshawn, Terry Glenn, Marvin Harrison and Eddie Kennison were first rounders, Amani Toomer, Alex Van Dyke, Mushin Muhhamed and Bobby Engram were second rounders.   TO was a third rounder,  and Joe Horn was a 5th rounder, with lots of solid WR's in between.  So there was WR value all over that draft.

The Giants drafted into that strength and took Amani Toomer.  They had blown their first round pick on Cedric Jones, and Amani saved that draft.

They drafted into strength when they took Pugh last year, too.   Part of the reason this works so well, is they are almost never stacked correctly when they are all at least "good."  So, if you have the advantage of know what works for you,  you can get a long term starter, like Toomer or Pugh.

Now I'll give you two examples of why you shouldn't draft into the limits of a draft.   In 1998, because of injuries to Ike Hilliard and Toomer, the Giants needed more WR's.   In fact they wanted at least two.  So with their pick they took Joe Jurevicius, and then feeling that the WR's were running out, they traded up for Brian Alford, who earned the nickname 50/50 in practice because those were his chances of catching anything thrown to him.

In 2002, after trading up one spot for Jeremy Shockey, the Giants traded back into the third round and took OT Jeff Hatch, because they believed he was the last Left Tackle in the draft.   And he was a disaster.

So when there is true depth you will really see it all over, and when there is true limitation, you will see it in the form of teams grabbing at the illusory depth and taking guys who can't play at positions of need like Brian Alford and Jeff Hatch.

Thus unless you're scouts are really good at beating needed talent out of the bushes, it's best to draft into the strength of drafts and not reach into a drafts weakness with a projection.

I'll talk tomorrow about where I see the strength in this year's draft.