Reese's Pieces - 2007 Draft

With the 2007 draft in the books, how did the Giants fare, at least viewed from my own biased my pre-draft assessment? First, a question. Does a team's draft selections tell us anything at all about management's assessment of team needs? Comments from Jerry Reese, both before the after the draft, provide some insight. Teams do not make draft selections by slavishly picking from a simple sequential value list of players. They create groupings (Reese calls them "rows") of players with similar values and teams freely consider need when choosing from the players remaining in the highest "row". Armed with this insight, what did we learn from the Giant's 2007 draft selections?

Guy Whimper
As I posted before the draft, "if the Giants have seen enough to be convinced Guy Whimper is their left offensive tackle of the future, offensive line is unlikely to be a day one priority." If the Giants were disappointed in Whimper's development thus far, they would have used a day one pick on an offensive tackle - not for 2007, but for 2008. The fact they waited until the 6th round (Adam Koets) probably indicates they remain confident that Whimper fills that future need (i.e. 2008 and beyond) as much as any day one pick would have.

Amani Toomer
Heading into the draft, I felt the Giants had long-term needs for both a speed and possession receiver, so it was not at all surprising to see them draft a WR. However, this draft was deep at WR and I think it was therefore very revealing that the Giants used another day one pick on a wide receiver after trading up to grab Moss in the second round last year. As I said before the draft: "How long they wait may very well depend upon what Toomer's doctors have been telling them privately." I believe the Giants would not have used their second pick on a WR unless they were uncertain whether Toomer can resume his 2006 production. This was an insurance pick.

Strahan and Tuck
My pre-draft entry left little doubt about my strongly held belief that filling their needs at linebacker would have more impact on the overall team than any other single position - and I wanted 2 day one selections at linebacker (1st and 3rd rounds). Jerry Reese obviously held a similar view. The Giants in essence went linebacker in rounds 1 and 4, selecting Zak DeOssie in the 4th and then, hours after the draft, announcing that 2006 1st round pick Mathias Kiwanuka was being moved to strong side linebacker.

I have very mixed feelings about the Kiwanuka move. On the one hand I am very, very excited about the prospect of watching this young man play LB in 2007. Last year we all saw the pure athletic talent he brings to the table. Clearly he will have a much greater impact during 2007 starting at LB than he would in a backup rotation at DE. At the same time, I can't help thinking we are "stealing from Peter to pay Paul". Kiwi has excelled at DE and there is no doubt the Giants drafted him for DE. My pre-draft analysis for 2006 had DE as a position of need, despite the play of Osi and Tuck, simply because of the importance of the position and Strahan's age. There are not many players who have the god gifted pass rushing talent to play DE in the NFL - and those that do still take years to develop into a complete DE such as Strahan. Playing rotational backup at DE (and I am not sure he wouldn't have had the talent to start in 2007), would have benefited Kiwanuka greatly. It is not as though that development time would have been a waste. What is a waste is to take "pure gold" at DE and turn it into silver at LB. I'm not saying Kiwi can't turn into gold at LB - I'm just saying I already know he is gold at DE and I don't believe in gambling with gold.

I have been an avid fan of the Giants for close to 40 years now, and I have learned that patience in building a champion is a necessity. So, while you can count me as amongst the truly excited for what this means for 2007, my joy is tempered with a tinge of sadness regarding the potential long range cost. As though I've just bought a new sports car by dipping into my life's savings. It's fun for now, but at what cost?

So what does all of this have to do with the heading of Strahan and Tuck? One other conclusion I draw from the announcement of the Kiwanuka move is that both Strahan and Tuck figure prominently in the Giants plans. It is inconceivable to me that Giant's management would make such a move without being extremely confident that Michael Strahan is good to go in 2007 and that they remain very high about the role Tuck plays in their future plans at DE. Both conclusions represent very excellent news indeed.

William Joseph
The selection of Jay Alford on day one is a very telling pick. Indeed, perhaps more so because all the so called "experts" had him as likely being available much later during day two. For the Giants to use their third and final day one pick on a defensive tackle tells me that Willie Joe's days as a Giant are likely over. Absent a small miracle, Alford and free agent pickup Marcus Bell will almost certainly replace Jonas Seawright and Joseph on the 2007 squad. This pick would not have been made if Joseph had demonstrated even the slightest hint that he was finally ready to become even a serviceable DT. The only way Willie Joe is on the 53 man roster in September is if the Giants carry 5 DT (a distinct possibility if the Giants believe they are thin at DE with the Kiwanuka move). Regardless, this day one selection speaks volumes about the disappointment with William Joseph.

How Many Make The Final Roster?
From a purely positional standpoint, the Giants draft looks solid. While obviously impossible to know at this early stage, I believe the first five selections are virtual locks to make the team. And because they fill positions of need, there is an excellent chance Koets and/or Johnson make the squad as well. If there are 6 rookies on the final 53 man roster in September, this would have to be considered a fantastic draft, at least in the short term. The selections:

• Rd. 1: Aaron Ross, CB
• Rd. 2: Steve Smith, WR
• Rd. 3: Jay Alford, DT
• Rd. 4: Zak DeOssie, LB
• Rd. 5: Kevin Boss, TE
• Rd. 6: Adam Koets, OT
• Rd. 7: Michael Johnson, S
• Rd. 7: Ahmad Bradshaw, RB