2012 NFL Draft Grades: Assessing the New York Giants' First 3 Picks

The New York Giants have a great position in this year's draft—dead last. That is the honor bestowed on the Super Bowl Champions.

They were so good last year (even though their record was just 9-7), they choose their players last in each round. And it's not like fantasy baseball where the last drafter in the first round picks first in the second round. The Giants choose last in every round.

They'll watch a lot of players come off the board before picking, but sometimes a dream player falls into your lap. Last year, the Giants were very happy to take cornerback Prince Amukamara with the 19th pick. Amukamara broke his foot before the season began, but was able to rehab and make contributions down the stretch.

Two years ago, the Giants surprised fans and many pundits by taking a defensive end in Jason Pierre-Paul with the 15th pick. JPP, as he's come to be known, showed the wisdom of Jerry Reese by exploding for 16.5 sacks and 72 tackles last season.

This year, the Giants brought home the Vince Lombardi trophy, but they also have clear needs to address through the draft. They lost running back Brandon Jacobs and wide receiver Mario Manningham to San Francisco. Cornerback Aaron Ross went to Jacksonville and defensive end Dave Tollefson headed to Oakland.

Offensive tackle Kareem McKenzie, linebacker Jonathan Goff and safety Deon Grant have been told to go shopping in free agency and seem unlikely to return.

So with two days of the draft in the books, it's time to review. Let's pull out the red marker and grade Jerry Reese and the G-Men on their first three picks.

First Round, 32nd Pick

David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech

Grade: B+

The Giants finished last in rushing in 2011, and that was before they lost Brandon Jacobs, so taking a running back makes sense.

But Wilson may not be a bona fide first-round talent, and many highly touted players were still available at No. 32, including offensive tackles Mike Adams (Ohio State) and Jonathan Martin (Stanford), linebackers Courtney Upshaw (Alabama) and Mychal Kendricks (California) and tight end Coby Fleener (Stanford).

David Wilson stands at 5'9", but he says he's 5'10". He's not small, weighing in at 206 pounds, but he plays very fast. He showed this with a 4.49 40-yard dash time. Wilson was the first running back taken by the Giants in the first round since (ahem) the disappointing Heisman winner, Ron Dayne. At least Wilson should easily be able to do better than Dayne did for the Giants.

With Boise State's Doug Martin going one pick earlier to Tampa Bay, the Giants were left with a decision. They could either fill their most glaring need with the 32nd pick, or they could wait until a later round and hope one of the running backs they liked would still be there.

With all but two running backs still on the board, the Giants had their pick: Lamar Miller (Miami), Isaiah Pead (Cincinnati), Chris Polk (Washington), LaMichael James (Oregon), Robert Turbin (Utah State), Bernard Pierce (Temple), Cyrus Gray (Texas A&M). All those players were not ranked as first-rounders, but any of them could go before the Giants picked at No. 64 in the second round.

They opted for the speedy Wilson from Virginia Tech. While he certainly won't be confused with Brandon Jacobs, the Giants get more depth at running back as well as a true playmaker.

Wilson declared for the draft as a junior, and rushed for over 1,700 yards on 290 carries in his final year with the Hokies. That's a robust 5.9 yards per carry.

He also caught 22 passes and scored 10 total touchdowns in 2011, after having five rushing TDs and four receiving TDs in 2010. He even returned kickoffs in all three years at college, and returned two for touchdowns in 2010. That's a need for the Giants, so his special teams versatility makes Wilson doubly useful.

As Tom Coughlin acknowledged, the knock on Wilson has been his weak pass protection and blitz pickup abilities, so he may not be an ideal third-down back initially. He also had some fumbling issues, putting it on the ground seven times last season. Like Bradshaw however, Wilson's fumbles are usually the result of fighting for extra yards.

All that being said, David Wilson can do a bunch of backflips in a row, and drafting a player in the first round who can do that worked out pretty well in 2010. Wilson fills a need and has explosive capabilities, so he's a pretty good choice.

Second Round, 63rd Pick

Rueben Randle, WR, LSU

Grade: B+

With the Giants getting priced out of the Mario Manningham sweepstakes, they had a need at the third wide receiver spot. Rueben Randle can fill that vacancy nicely, with a fearlessness over the middle and the ability to run a nice fade to the pylon, which will please Eli.

Randle has nice size at 6'3", 210 pounds. While he won't blow anyone away with his speed, his 4.55 40-yard dash time shows he has some giddy up. He also ran in the 4.4 range at his pro day. While LSU is not known for its passing attack, Randle did shine in his opportunities, and he has faced some stout defenses while playing in the SEC.

Many thought the Giants might target another receiver in Mohamed Sanu. The Rutgers prospect would have been a nice story, but Randle was projected in places as a first-round talent. With wide receivers flying off the board, the Giants jumped at Randle.

Randle caught 53 passes last year for 917 yards, a robust 17.3 yards per reception, and he found the end zone eight times. But Randle had only 44 catches in his previous two seasons, so his production is not as proven as you might hope for from a second-round selection.

Still, Randle should fill another need position on the Giants' offense. And with the sage instruction of Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning, he will come along nicely.

Third Round, 94th Pick

Jayron Hosley, CB, Virginia Tech

Grade: B+

With their third-round pick, the Giants filled another vacancy created by free agency by selecting a cornerback to replace the departed Aaron Ross. Jayron Hosley is another Hokie, like first-round selection David Wilson, not to mention previous cornerbacks from the school like Brandon Flowers and DeAngelo Hall.

Hosley will join last year's first-rounder Prince Amukamara and starters Corey Webster and Terrell Thomas at cornerback for the Giants.

With offensive tackle Bobby Massie still on the board, it's somewhat surprising the Giants took a corner, especially considering they signed Antwaun Molden from the Patriots in the offseason. But in an increasingly pass-first league with rules that favor the offense, playing cornerback requires top-flight athleticism. And you never know who will catch the injury bug next.

This pick gives the Giants tremendous depth in the secondary, which plays to the strength of defensive coordinator Perry Fewell who throws unique sets at the opponent. With the Giants ability to rush four and pressure the quarterback, they can always load up the secondary with nickel and dime sets.

Hosley struggled through injuries in his final season as a junior at Virgina Tech, dealing with a hamstring issue and a concussion. Some expected him to return for his senior year and improve his draft stock, but instead he will try to improve that stock as a member of the world champion Giants.

Hosley has the ability to create turnovers, and led the nation in 2010 with 10 interceptions, and the Giants would love to have a ball hawk like this in their secondary for years to come.

He is slight, measuring at 5'10", 178 pounds. His 4.47 40-yard dash shows his explosive quickness off the line of scrimmage. 

He plays with good physicality in coverage and run support, and also returned punts for the Hokies, averaging 11.8 yards per return in his college career. So the Giants snagged both the punt and kickoff returners from Virginia Tech.

Like the other picks so far in the 2012 NFL Draft for the Giants, Hosley won't make your eyes pop out of your head. But that is probably a good thing. He fills a position of need and should be a nice addition to a defense that found its identity down the stretch last year.

Day Three, Picks 127, 131, 201 and 239

The Giants have four picks remaining on the third day of the draft, with two in the fourth round (one is compensatory), one in the sixth round and one in the seventh round, having traded their fifth-round pick to the Bengals for linebacker Keith Rivers.

First, look for the Giants to add to their offensive line. They were last in rushing in 2011 and Kareem McKenzie probably won't be back.

Possibilities in the fourth round include Zebrie Sanders from Florida State, Brandon Mosley from Auburn, Tom Compton out of South Dakota, Matt McCants from UAB and Ivy Leaguer Jeff Adams from Columbia.

They should also look to add a tight end, with Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum having suffered ACL injuries in the Super Bowl. They signed Martellus Bennett in the offseason and they have Bear Pascoe, but they could use more depth, especially in a league where the two tight end set is catching on.

They could target Taylor Thompson from SMU. Thompson shifted to the defensive line to fill a need created by injury, which suggests he has the physicality to block on the offensive line as well as catch passes.

He should be available for one of the Giants' fourth-round selections. If he is available, the Giants might as well draft him and then decide which of their needs he would be best to fill, TE or DE.

Even after adding veteran defensive tackle Shaun Rogers on draft day before the first pick was made, and re-signing Mathias Kiwanuka Friday, the Giants should look to add depth on their defensive line as well, either at end or on the interior. They could also target a safety to replace Deon Grant.

Rounds six and seven are hard to predict, but at least one pick should add to the front four. I wouldn't be surprised to see them add a promising young linebacker to rack up tackles as well.

Overall grade so far: B+

These guys won't send you running to buy season tickets, but they should fit in nicely, and they all fill positions of need.