New York Giants: Analyzing the Latest NFL Draft Rumors and Reports
‘Tis the season for deceiving!
That’s right, as the NFL draft draws oh so near and teams around the league are assembling their final draft boards, the rumors are flying around worse than the pollen that’s polluting the Northeast this time of year.
What are “those in the know” saying about the New York Giants and their upcoming draft plans?
Let’s run down the hottest rumors and try to decipher what’s smoke and what might be in the Giants’ ballpark.
Interest in Alabama WR Amari Cooper
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The Buzz
Per a report by Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, Alabama receiver Amari Cooper recently paid a pre-draft visit to the Giants recently.
What It Could Mean
At his pre-draft press conference, general manager Jerry Reese winced when he was asked about what appears to be an abundance of depth the team has at receiver.
“First of all, as soon as you say you have a lot of depth at any position, you don’t have depth,” he said. “I know better than to say that.”
It’s easy to see where Reese is coming from. Last year, remember, the same was said about the cornerback position, which was thought to be the deepest on the team.
However, as the year wore on, one injury after another chewed up the depth, with the team losing Trumaine McBride and Prince Amukamara for the season while Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie played most of the year injured.
With the receivers, although there is optimism that Victor Cruz, who is rehabbing from a torn patellar tendon, will be ready for opening day, Reese once again insisted that there are no guarantees that Cruz’s optimism is indeed going to bear the desired fruit.
“I don’t think you can have certainty,” Reese told reporters. “He is scheduled to be back for the opener for us, but until you get out there and turn it loose, you never know what a guy is going to do.”
Then there is the matter of Rueben Randle, the up-and-down receiver who is entering a contract year. If Cruz can’t make it back to his old self and Randle doesn’t string together a solid and consistent season, where does that leave the Giants’ receiving unit?
The Verdict: Smokescreen
It’s cases like these where Reese’s insistence of drafting the best player available normally would make sense.
However, former NFL scout Dan Hatman, who has worked in the past with the Giants, Jets and Eagles as a scout, told me and Ed Valentine on a podcast (the interview starts at the 17:30 mark) that concerns about not having enough at the receiver spot might just be an attempt at a smokescreen by Reese.
Citing the salary cap-related stresses that the new CBA places on the roster-building process, Hatman points out that every team does need to consider resource allocation when weighing just who the “best player available” on the board really is.
"Having seven wide receivers when you might only activate five on game day does not help your team as much as maybe having a seventh offensive lineman. So would you rather invest a top pick on a receiver who’s going to be on the practice squad or on the tail end of your 53-man roster and who won’t ever see action on game-day, or would you rather have a seventh offensive lineman that, should injuries occur, could step in?
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Earlier in that same interview, Hatman reminded listeners that it’s not uncommon for a team to bring in some players as smokescreens in an attempt to throw the other 31 teams off the trail.
Given that Cooper may not even fall down to the Giants at No. 9 and the Giants are unlikely to move up to get him, all signs are pointing to their reported interest in Cooper as being a blatant smokescreen.
Interest in Florida DE/OLB Dante Fowler Jr.
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The Buzz
"Dante Fowler Jr. says @Giants called him Thursday night to chat as part of pre-draft process. Hmmm ... @SiriusXMNFL @MarkdominikESPN
— Alex Marvez (@alexmarvez) April 24, 2015"
What It Could Mean
When talking about the Giants' injuries, one that doesn’t get a lot of mention, perhaps because the player hasn’t been made available to the media, is the season-ending chest-muscle injury suffered by defensive end Robert Ayers Jr., who did not undergo surgery to help expedite the injury’s repair.
The Giants are also rolling the dice on getting the 2011 version of Jason Pierre-Paul back this year. Due to injuries, Pierre-Paul hasn’t looked anywhere near being the player he was that season, which is probably why the Giants, per Dan Graziano of ESPN, would be okay with letting Pierre-Paul play this year on the franchise tender offer.
Lastly, there are a couple of young guys, Damontre Moore and Kerry Wynn. Of the two, Wynn, an undrafted free agent, showed a little more promise last year as far as being a complete player, one who could stop the run and rush the passer.
Moore, who underwent clean-up surgery on his right shoulder, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, has been finishing his degree at Texas A&M this spring, an endeavor that has kept him away from the team’s weight-training program which began last Monday.
Will he be ready for spring OTAs and if not, how much will that hurt him?
The Verdict: Smokescreen
Although Florida’s Dante Fowler Jr. is listed as an outside linebacker prospect by NFL Draft Scout and has experience playing with his hand in the dirt as well as standing up, Dane Brugler and Rob Rang both note that Fowler is “best suited for a 3-4 base defense at the next level.”
Fowler, who might not even get to the Giants if they stay put at No. 9, appears to be a similar type of player as Devon Kennard—an outside edge rusher who can play with his hand in the dirt or standing up.
Unless the Giants eventually plan to move Kennard to middle linebacker after Jon Beason’s days as a Giant are over—and that would be a surprise given how effective Kennard has shown himself to be rushing from the edge—it doesn’t really make sense to take a similar type of player.
If, however, they view Fowler as a down lineman, then it might make more sense to grab him if by some chance he does fall to them at No. 9.
Interest in Stanford OT Andrus Peat
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The Buzz
“Sources say Andrus Peat won’t get past the St Louis Rams at 10 and could be selected even earlier. New York Giants perhaps?”
—Tony Pauline, NFL Draft Insider, April 24
There's "buzz" about Brandon Scherff and Andrus Peat going Nos. 8 and 9 to the Falcons and Giants, respectively.
—Jason La Canfora, CBSSports.com (h/t WalterFootball.com)
What It Could Mean
If there’s one position at which the Giants have made little attempt to deny having a need, it’s on their offensive line, where many believe the team is one starter away from having completed their upgrade of the unit.
While the popular public opinion seems to favor Iowa offensive lineman Brandon Scherff, there continues to be debate as to what position is his best at the next level.
Indeed, Jerry Reese told reporters that Scherff could play either tackle or guard, but that in itself might have been a smokescreen since Reese added, “The coaches will have to figure that out.”
If the Giants have their eye on Stanford’s Andrus Peat, connecting him to the Giants’ first-round pick this year makes more sense.
First, Peat, the son of former offensive lineman Todd Peat, a productive NFL guard for the Los Angeles Raiders (1987-89) and Phoenix Cardinals (1990, 1992-93) is versatile enough to play at either left tackle or right tackle at the NFL level.
That versatility is key for two reasons. First, other than journeymen Marshall Newhouse and John Jerry, the Giants really don’t have solid depth at either of the offensive tackle spots right now.
Peat, who if drafted would likely be the starting right tackle, could always move to the left side if disaster were to strike incumbent left tackle Will Beatty down.
Then there is the matter of Beatty’s future. After this season, the Giants could potentially decide to move on from Beatty, if they choose, at which point they would recognize a salary cap savings.
If Peat were to start as a right tackle this year, that experience, as well as the experience gained from having a year at the pro level under his belt, should translate well if he has to move to the left side.
The Verdict: Very Valid Rumor
While there is debate regarding whether picking Peat at No. 9 is too high, there might just be some validity to doing so if the Giants see him as their future left tackle.
Remember, certain positions such as left tackle, quarterback and edge rusher are at a premium. While there are exceptions—Beatty was a second-rounder, for instance—the idea is that if you have a top-10 pick, the goal should be to get a player who offers versatility and who might be able to fill multiple needs as his career progresses.
Since neither the Giants nor their fans want to see the team picking in the top 10 every year, it makes sense to consider drafting one of those cornerstone players if the opportunity presents itself.
Peat’s ability to play either tackle position should erase any concerns about him going in the top 10 as being a reach.
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Interest in Georgia RB Todd Gurley
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The Buzz
"Falcons and Giants in play RT @CharlesRobinson The draft range for Todd Gurley? Supposedly 6 to 10 now. That's the word on the street.
— Sigmund Bloom (@SigmundBloom) April 22, 2015"
What It Could Mean
In the “you can never have too many guys at a position” category, the Giants have had injuries at the running back position seemingly every year of late.
Projected starter Rashad Jennings, in whom the team invested a four-year, $10 million contract last offseason, has yet to make it through a 16-game season.
Perhaps there is some concern that the various lower body injuries the 30-year-old Jennings has had in his career, which include an MCL sprain and an ankle sprain, have begun to take a toll on his physical abilities.
Andre Williams made it through last season, though at one point he appeared on the injury report with a shoulder issue.
Even newcomer Shane Vereen has an injury history, according to SportsInjuryPredictor.com. Vereen’s past injuries include groin, hand, foot and leg ailments.
The Verdict: Major Smokescreen
Of all the rumors out there, this one is probably the thickest as far as smokescreens are concerned.
First, even if the Giants are concerned about the health of any of their running backs, Gurley has had his issues in this area as well.
He suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on Nov. 15, and while Ian Rapaport of the NFL Network reported that Gurley’s knee checked out fine during a recent medical re-check, a top-10 pick is going to have to come in right away and contribute—and by right away, that means starting with rookie minicamp.
Will Gurley be ready to go full-speed in the minicamps and OTAs?
The Giants are known for being conservative when it comes to injured players, so it would be surprising if they would let a player coming off ACL surgery so late last year go full-speed until, at the very soonest, training camp.
Second, this is a deep running backs class to where if the Giants want to add at this position, they can probably do so on Day 3.
They have far greater needs to address with the ninth-overall pick in the draft.
Although Jerry Reese hasn’t been afraid to spend a first-round pick on a running back—he did so in 2012 on David Wilson—that was with the 32nd overall pick.
Typically teams that pick in the last 10 spots in the first round of the draft start to dip into a pool of candidates who are considered borderline first- or second-rounders, which might have been the case with Wilson.
Reese himself said repeatedly that they expect their first-round pick to come in and contribute right away.
“If you draft at nine, whoever it is, is a premium position, regardless of the position that he is. If you draft him at nine, he is a guy you expect to come in and play and play quickly.”
While Gurley might very well become a great NFL running back over time, given the current depth on the Giants at that position, he is unlikely to be a Day 1 starter.
Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.
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