Giants: Drafting for Want

The NFL draft is a lot like grocery shopping.   Teams, including the Giants, should go to the draft with a list, drawn from a board that is only made up of the type of players they've always won with, come out with what they want, instead of what others think they need.  They should choose only from the brands they trust and not waste room in the cart on things they haven't tried or that haven't worked for them in the past.

The other day,  I showed you how BPA failed when the Giants used it to pick players that don't fit what they run -- like 3-4 LB's.  What they did a little bit better last year, and I am hoping they do again this year, is take a bunch of Giants type players.

To review:

In round one, the Giants took a totally Giant-like School of Suebert/Snee OL in Justin Pugh.

In the second, they took a huge, surprisingly athletic Nose Tackle to eventually replace Linval Joseph, whom they had won with.

In the third, they took an edge rusher with good collegiate production in DaMontre Moore.  Tuck had been a third rounder.   Moore might be a better pure edge rusher, but looks more like a joker than the kind of guy who can produce from a DT spot like Tuck did.  More like an Osi, but definitely a Giant-type 4-3 pass rusher.

In the fourth, they made a questionable move.   They traded up in the round to take QB Ryan Nassib. Now these mid round trade ups for red chip guys has not worked out of the Giants in the past.  Having said that, on tape Nassib reminded me of Simms and his Wonderlic was even better than Eli's, so he probably is Giant type.

In the 5th, they took Cooper Taylor, a big athletic safety like they thought they were  getting with  Chad Jones.   Great for their version of the big nickel.

In the 7th, they took Eric Herman, a big, top heavy developmental guard for Ohio, and Michael Cox a fastish, surdyish RB who didn't play much in college.  Herman has spent the offseason with Snee and Pugh, so we'll see if he's taken to the sacred teachings.   Cox should probably be replaced on the roster.

So, other than the trade up, which I don't like to see in the red chip areas of drafts, it was what a Giant draft should be like-- full of Giant-like picks.

So here's what the Giants should want this year.   First they need to be bound and determined to fix the OL. so they need to either throw 2 of their 7 picks at the OL, or trade down and get more picks, so they can throw 3 at OL.  Remember the Giants haven't picked a starting OL outside the first two rounds since 2003.  So one or both should be high picks.  They have to be versatile, so they offer the Giants multiple options during the re-build.

Second, they should want some more pass rush.   This is something they should want every year, and they can either get it from an edge guy or a 3 tech DT.  I don't want them fixing this before they fix the OL, but they might.

Tied for second, they should want a power receiver.  Someone to replace most, if not all of the Hakeem Nicks production, so it should be a strong receiver with great instincts.

Next, they should take an inline TE who can also contribute as a receiver.   If they take Niklas, they'd probably have to do it in the second, but he'd fit and he also improves Eli's protection.  Otherwise, they should want to find another block/pass guy.

They should want to throw a pick at a 4-3 weakside OLB or at least a guy who can really play it.   A guy like Armstead, not conversions or projections.

They should want another RB who move the chains, catch and pass protect.

And they might want another athletic DB.

But they shouldn't push anything and this is a year when they should not want to trade up.

So that's it.  They should remove all 3-4 LB's, all 1 position OL's, all Hbacks, all slight wr's, all 1 tech  DT's from their lists, stack them and pick away.  They cannot afford to screw this up.