NFL Draft 2011: Mel Kiper and Todd McShay Say Mike Pouncey to New York Giants

Evidently the ESPN analysts finally realized the Giants are going to take Mike Pouncey if he is available. If you've been reading my mock drafts for the Giants—four updates since January—I've mocked Pouncey to the Giants in the first round in every one of them.

I found no reason to ever change that pick and was verified by Tom Coughlin at the 2011 NFL Combine, when he told reporters that the Giants needed to find a center.

Todd McShay and Mel Kiper had the Giants taking an offensive tackle in their mock drafts up until very recently. The Giants know they can either wait to see if one of the top second tier tackles falls to them in the third round, or wait for the 2012 draft, which has better offensive line prospects.

Now, both of the faces you've gotten tired of seeing over the past three months have changed their mind and gone with Pouncey at the No. 19 overall selection.

Here is what the two had to say about the selection.

Kiper:

"Pouncey's brother was taken at No. 18 overall last year and became a Pro Bowl player in his first year with the Steelers. Mike offers a very similar skill set to Maurkice. He can play guard or center, gets to the second level very well and should help the Giants in the running game. New York is a much better team when they have a running game that takes the heat off Eli Manning and it should start up front."

McShay:

“The Giants don't have many big needs and taking Pouncey here would provide depth behind Shaun O'Hara, who made the Pro Bowl in 2009 but was nagged by injury all year and is on the downside of his career, and oft-injured LOG Rich Seubert. This might seem a little high for Pouncey but he is clearly the top interior offensive lineman in this class, and I've heard of at least three teams that are considering him in the top 20.”

The Giants have not only expressed interest in taking an interior lineman early, but appear on track to do so.