In recent years the New York Giants have emerged as one of the best teams and organizations in the NFL and they owe much of their success to a string of strong drafts. In fact, the majority of the G-Men’s starters are homegrown and were originally drafted or signed by the franchise, an impressive list that includes the likes of Eli Manning and Osi Umenyiora. New York’s depth chart was already stacked heading into the draft and they were basically looking to add depth but good teams never take the opportunity to add talent lightly. Did the Giants find their next wave of stars on Draft Day ’09?
The Giants offense just wasn’t the same without Plaxico Burress down the stretch so after permanently cutting ties with their star receiver the G-Men needed to find a replacement. North Carolina’s Hakeem Nicks may not be a speed demon but he has good size (6-03/4, 212), strong, reliable hands, runs excellent routes, is very aggressive and has shown the ability to take over games. The Tar Heels had three wideouts selected in the top five rounds of this draft but Nicks was clearly the best of the bunch, which really says something about him. With Burress out of the picture the Giants will need Nicks to play a significant role from the outset and there is no reason why he shouldn’t be able to win a starting job very early on as a rookie. With that said one can’t help but wonder if New York wouldn’t have been better off trading that #1 pick for a proven pass catcher such as Braylon Edwards rather than take a chance on a rookie, who could take years to develop. Remember, the Giants went 1-3 after Burress was suspended last year so they need Nicks to come in and play like a #1 wideout right away. It may not be an exaggeration to suggest that the Giant’s 2009 season is riding on Nicks.
For months leading up to the draft many mock drafts had the Giants selecting Virginia OLB Clint Sintim in round one so they were very fortunate to land him with the first of their two second round picks. A playmaker with good measurables and excellent intangibles, Sintim could end up being the pro that former Cavaliers Ahmad Brooks and Darryl Blackstock were supposed to be. Sintim, who led the country in sacks by a linebacker a senior, has a lot of experience blitzing and rushing the passer after playing in a 3-4 scheme at Virginia so he should be a perfect fit for the Giants attacking defense. Sintim will compete with 32-year-old journeyman Danny Clark initially but it should only be a matter of time until he wins the starting strongside job. Later in round two the Giants landed another player who many felt had a chance to slide into the latter portion of round one when they selected Connecticut OT William Beatty. A terrific athlete with a big frame, Beatty is very light on his feet, excels as a pass protector and still has a ton of upside. With that said Beatty is not a dominating run blocker and will need to work on adding some weight and getting stronger before he is ready to make an impact in the NFL. Look for Beatty to serve as a backup for a year or two while he develops physically and mentally but if things go as planned he will eventually take over the left tackle job and David Diehl will kick back inside to guard.
The Giants also had two picks in the third round and they used the first on Plaxico Burress-clone Ramses Barden out of Cal Poly. Arguably the premier small school prospect available this year, Barden is an outstanding athlete with rare size (6-6, 229), terrific leaping ability and excellent ball skills. Barden was dominant at the Division I-AA level, totaling 206 receptions for 4,203 yards (20.4 avg.) and 50 touchdowns during his career, but it may take him some time to adjust to NFL competition. New York will probably opt to bring Barden along slowly and in addition to fellow rookie Hakeem Nicks he will also have to compete with David Tyree, Sinorice Moss and Mario Manningham for playing time as a rookie. However, don’t be surprised if he is utilized in those deep jump-ball situations that Eli Manning used to love throwing to Burress. Later in round three the Giants added some more firepower to that passing attack with the selection of Wisconsin TE Travis Beckum, who could bring a whole new dimension to their offense. Considered by many to be a potential first round pick heading into his senior year, Beckum’s final campaign in Madison was derailed by injuries and he only wound up playing in six games. A great athlete with above-average speed, Beckum doesn’t offer much as a blocker but he is a dynamic pass catching threat who in many ways is a wide receiver in a tight end’s body. Kevin Boss has done a solid job since replacing Jeremy Shockey and is entrenched as the starter but he is still a better blocker than receiver so Beckum could be an ideal compliment. Look for Beckum to compete with Michael Matthews for the backup job and don’t be surprised if the Giants get creative, possibly using him in an H-Back role or perhaps even lining him up out wide at times. In round four the Giants chose North Carolina St. RB Andre Brown, who was generally projected to come off the board a round or two earlier. A good athlete with great size (6-0, 224) and decent speed (4.50), Brown never lived up to his potential with the Wolfpack due to injuries and a lack of opportunities but he is the type of prospect who could wind up being better in the pros than he was in college. Brown actually compares quite favorably to Derrick Ward, who bolted as a free agent, and he will compete with Ahmad Bradshaw and Danny Ware for the right to replace him in New York. Ward ran for over 1,000 yards as Brandon Jacobs primary backup last year so if Brown can manage to win that job, and perhaps more importantly stay healthy, he could really surprise.
In round five the Giants took a flyer on Sam Houston St. QB Rhett Bomar, who was one of the few quarterbacks in this draft with starting-potential. A highly-touted recruit who appeared to be on the fast-track to stardom at Oklahoma before getting kicked off the team amid an NCAA rules violation scandal, Bomar is actually a big-time talent despite his small school roots. Combining adequate size with a strong arm, quick release and above average athleticism, Bomar definitely has the physical tools you look for and with the proper development he could compete for a starting job one day. That obviously won’t happen in New York, where Eli Manning has solidified himself as one of the top signal callers in the league, but if things go as planned he could eventually emerge as a valuable trade commodity, a la Matt Cassel. As a rookie Bomar will battle Andre Woodson for the #3 job behind Manning and David Carr. New York has essentially built their entire secondary through the draft and they opted to add some more reinforcements in round six. New Mexico CB DeAndre Wright was a four-year starter for the Lobos and entered his senior season with a much higher grade but he struggled with injuries to both of his shoulders and saw his stock dip. Wright lacks elite timed speed but he possesses decent size (5-103/4, 198), good hands and ball skills and is very tough and physical. Wright, who also has some experience at free safety, will attempt to make the roster as the #5 or #6 corner as a rookie but his greatest impact will likely come on special teams. With their last pick the Giants went back to the defensive back well one more time to select South Carolina CB Stoney Woodson. A bit of a corner / safety ‘tweener, Woodson has decent size and good instincts but he isn’t very fast and was projected as more of an undrafted free agent by most. Woodson will compete with fellow rookie DeAndre Wright for a roster spot but his overall upside is pretty limited.
This Giants draft class can really be summed up in one word: Value. In fact, not only didn’t the Giants reach for a single player but in many cases they landed guys at bargain points in the draft. Granted New York didn’t have many glaring needs, which afforded them the luxury of going with the proverbial “best player available” in a number of instances, but you would be hard-pressed to find a team that did a better job of getting such good value with all of their picks. This class may only produce a couple of instant starters (Nicks and Sintim) but guys like Barden, Beckum and Brown could also play important roles as rookies and they even landed some intriguing talents to develop for the future in Beatty and Bomar. In many ways this was an ideal draft.
