What Positions Offer Most Value for New York Giants in 2015 NFL Draft?
The key to a successful draft is to marry talent with value.
New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese has been doing this for several drafts—some better than others. This 2015 draft, however, must be nailed. The margin for error is razor thin, and New York needs at least a couple young, talented contributors to step in right away.
There are several ways to look at value.
There's the can't-miss first-rounder. He's valuable because he'll change your team the moment he's selected.
Then, there's the overlooked mid- to late-rounder. He's valuable because, in talent, you're getting a higher return on investment.
Finally, there's the gap-plugger. He's valuable simply because he fills a gaping hole in your roster.
Each of the positions listed in the following slideshow offer one—or a combination—of these three types of value for the Giants as they look forward to the 2015 NFL draft.
Offensive Line
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It may be cheating to lump offensive tackle and guard together, but the Giants would gladly stock up on either position in the draft this spring. The only position in which they're set is center, where Weston Richburg waits in the wings behind 2014 starter J.D. Walton.
Tackles are naturally more valuable than guards. They're bigger and more athletic, perfect for holding off strong and speedy edge-rushers in one-on-one situations. If the Giants take an offensive lineman with their fist-round pick, it will almost certainly be a tackle.
Some, such as ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr., see Iowa's Brandon Scherff as a perfect fit for the Giants (h/t Big Blue View). The 320-pound mauler is touted for his run-blocking ability and could start right away at either right guard or right tackle, so long as current starter Justin Pugh is flexible.
At the moment, there aren't a ton of O-line alternatives for the Giants to consider with their first-round pick. Stanford's Andrus Peat, who's entering the draft a year early, could displace Scherff as the best offensive-line prospect in 2015. Peat has drawn comparisons to Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden in the past.
With strong performances at the NFL Scouting Combine, prospects like LSU's La'el Collins or Pitt's T.J. Clemmings could scoot into the Giants range, too. Conversely, if a player like Miami's Ereck Flowers slides to the second round, New York shouldn't hesitate to snatch him up.
As for guard, the Giants can grab the draft's best prospect in South Carolina's A.J. Cann as early as the second round. If that's too rich for their blood, there's a good chance they'll still be able to pick up a standout like Duke's Laken Tomlinson a couple rounds later.
Defensive End
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The Giants should equip semi-new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo with a player who can rush the passer. In his first stint with the team, Spags rode the efforts of Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck all the way to the Super Bowl.
Give him a QB-chasing arsenal like that again, and maybe he'll provide New Yorkers with an encore performance.
The defensive end most likely to be selected by the Giants in the first round is Missouri's Shane Ray (but that could change rather quickly if Nebraska's Randy Gregory falls for whatever reason).
At 6'3" and 245 pounds, Ray lacks ideal size to thrive in a professional 4-3 base defense. However, his collegiate production—an SEC-record 14.5 sacks and 22.5 tackles for a loss in 2014—demands a long, hard look.
If Ray's not the guy, maybe Kentucky's Alvin Dupree is. Carrying a more prototypical frame for the position (6'4", 267 pounds), Dupree may be more reliable against NFL-sized competition than Ray.
His performance in college should be met with skepticism, though. Most of the Wildcats first-round picks play basketball, not football.
The Giants don't have to tackle this position with their first-round pick. They can get a productive pass-rusher in the second round by selecting either Virginia's Eli Harold or Florida State's Mario Edwards Jr.
Both players are early entrants from the ACC, but their style of play differs drastically. Harold is a lankier athlete with speed, while Edwards is a pure power guy.
Say New York waits even longer, looking for the steal of the draft.
That player could be Texas' Cedric Reed. His senior season was a major letdown, but Yahoo NFL insider Rand Getlin revealed only recently that Reed played the entire year with a torn meniscus (h/t College Football Talk). The Giants would be wise to draft him if he's still hanging around in the fourth or fifth round.
Linebacker
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The Giants can always use an extra linebacker or two. It seems like they're always hard-pressed at the position, and they hardly ever field a league-wide standout. That might change in 2015, considering the value that's likely to be available on draft day.
The best first-round option is Washington's Shaq Thompson. A two-way player who won the Paul Hornung Award for college football's most versatile athlete, Thompson would be an ideal fit at weak-side linebacker.
He is a perfect complement to line up across from strong-side linebacker Devon Kennard and next to middle linebacker Jon Beason (or Jameel McClain, whoever is healthier).
As appealing a prospect as Thompson is, it'd be a rarity for New York to select a linebacker in the first round. The franchise hasn't done so since 1984, when the Giants took Carl Banks out of Michigan State third-overall. If they stick to their methodology and pass on Thompson, other options will remain on the board for later in the draft.
TCU's Paul Dawson has a similar skill set to Thompson, and the Giants can grab him a round later. Other interesting options on the outside include Harvard's Zach Hodges and Arkansas' Martrell Spaight, both of whom will be available in the middle rounds of the draft.
An inside linebacker to keep an eye on is Miami's Denzel Perryman, a thumper who packs the meanest of punches. Also, super-productive Ramik Wilson of Georgia has the athleticism to play either inside or outside linebacker. Always on the lookout for a bargain at this position, New York could be interested in one of these two prospects.
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Safety
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Free agency has the potential to destroy New York's secondary as we know it.
Antrel Rolle, Stevie Brown and Quintin Demps all have contracts coming to an end this spring. The only safeties guaranteed to be on the roster are Cooper Taylor, who's injured more often than not, and Nat Berhe, who was an experimental rookie last season.
The Giants can quickly bolster this position with the first-round selection of Alabama's Landon Collins. An aggressive strong safety who is quick to come up and make a play near the line of scrimmage, Collins is something like a 222-pound missile.
His twitch-reaction instincts, however, make him susceptible to giving up big plays over the top. If Steve Spagnuolo can harness Collins' natural ability while also getting him to play smarter, he's worth every bit of the ninth-overall pick.
After Colllins, there isn't a ton of strong safety talent. Virginia's Anthony Harris is a quality mid-round selection, but beyond him, the well nearly runs dry. After the first round, there will be a bit more value available when it comes to free safeties.
New York can't go wrong with Ole Miss' Cody Prewitt, a clean player with a real NFL frame (6'2", 217 pounds).
Or, maybe the Giants take a chance on Louisville's Gerod Holliman—wherever he winds up in the draft. After tying the FBS record with 14 interceptions in 2014, Holliman is drawing mixed reviews. Some scouts say he's "horrible," per Chase Goodbread of NFL.com, and others go so far as to call him a "young Ed Reed," per Bucky Brooks also of NFL.com.
In the end, the Giants may be best off taking a swing at one of the many projected late-round safeties. After all, they provide the most potential for unexpected value.
Tight End
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Same story, different draft.
The Giants could use a reliable tight end, after Larry Donnell's flashy season all but fizzled out once rookie wideout Odell Beckham Jr. hit the scene. Although Donnell and backup Daniel Fells actually combined to have a stellar season at the position (79 catches, 811 yards, 10 touchdowns), wouldn't it be nice to have a single tight end who could do it all?
Minnesota's Maxx Williams is the best tight end in the 2015 draft class, and he'll likely still be around when the Giants pick again in the second round.
Taking him with that pick would feel an awful lot like last year's second-round selection, which delivered New York the draft class's best center in Weston Richburg. It's the closest thing to having two first-round picks without actually having two first-round picks.
The middle rounds of the draft will feature a couple solid prospects as well. There's Ben Koyack, who comes from a long line of pro-ready tight ends out of Notre Dame.
Then there's also Ohio State's Jeff Heuerman, who just helped his Buckeyes win a national championship with his workhorse approach to the game. Perhaps a better blocker than pass-catcher, Heuerman's type is a dying breed in today's NFL.
A draft class is never saturated with tight end talent, but this position could bring New York the most value if the right one is selected. Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo already has the quarterback, running backs and wide receivers in place; now he needs a cogent line and maybe one more weapon to make it all work.
Drafting a tight end could be the difference between an efficient offense and an unstoppable offense in 2015.
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