2011 NFL Draft Grades: Report Card for the New York Giants 1st Round

Several players fell to the New York Giants that weren't expected to be there, especially Prince Amukamara, Da'Quan Bowers, and Anthony Castonzo—Castonzo was a popular pick for the Giants but as the draft drew near many had him going to the Lions or the Vikings.

They had plenty of very talented players to choose from with so many quarterbacks being taken in Round 1. How crazy was it that Jake Locker went No. 8 overall to the Titans before Gabbert?

After a long discussion in the Giants draft room, they felt there was no way they could pass up the opportunity to pick Prince Amukamara, CB from Nebraska.

Most people had Amukamara as a top 10 player in this draft and no lower than 15, so it appears the Giants did in fact ignore their major needs to take the best player available.

However, with Aaron Ross struggling, the Giants definitely needed some depth at the cornerback position, and Amukamara was only overshadowed by Patrick Peterson, who was one of the best corners to come out of college football since Deion Sanders.

I watched Amukamara several times in college, and in person when they played Texas A&M and 2012 first round wide receiver Jeff Fuller; he dominated Fuller all game long.

While he struggled against 2012 top 10 pick Justin Blackmon, that's not that big of a deal considering Blackmon is expected to be a back-to-back Belitnikoff winner.

While he has some things to work on, that's anyone. His skills in man coverage and his size and strength at the position are a rarity that the Giants could not pass on.

Grade: A