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Footballguy
Found a nice article on Jerry Reese's drafts:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/659232-2011-nfl-draft-analyzing-new-york-giants-drafts-under-jerry-reese-2007
2011 NFL Draft: Analyzing New York Giants Drafts Under Jerry Reese, 2007
By Jeff Shull (Giants Featured Columnist) on April 9, 2011
This will be the first of four slideshows that will analyze each draft pick under the Jerry Reese era, the Giants general manager who took over after the 2006 season.
Judging by the team's ability to stay mildly successful over the past four seasons, winning a championship in Reese's first season with several contributing rookies, you'd have to believe his overall drafting ability has been very good.
He has made some mistakes here and there, as any GM will, but in my mind Reese has been one of the best in the business and the Giants are lucky to have him running the organization.
The series will start with that first magical season in 2007.
(P.S. The grades will be a bit more lenient in the later rounds considering it's hard to find good players in those rounds)
Round 1: Aaron Ross CB
Aaron Ross has not lived up to his potential, but in those first two seasons he was a solid contributor.
During his rookie season he showed flashes of brilliance, but it was an otherwise inconsistent season. The highlight of his season was intercepting a pass and returning it to the house against the cross town rival Jets; the play sealed the victory for Big Blue.
He stepped up in the playoffs, like the entire defense did, and looked like he would take the next step in 2008. In that season he showed signs of improvement, but was still not living up to the hype. He had three interceptions and one return TD in each of his first two years.
In 2009 he suffered a setback with a hamstring injury and has never fully recovered. He has since been replaced in the starting lineup by Terrell Thomas and only plays in passing situations.
He is a solid player, but has definitely not lived up to his first round status.
Grade: C+
Round 2: Steve Smith WR
Smith has been an incredible weapon for Eli Manning since joining the team. The Giants went seamlessly from Amani Toomer to Steve Smith as a reliable third down security blanket for Manning, and Smith has been even better than Amani at times.
He set the franchise record with 107 receptions in 2009, and his absence in seven games in 2010 was definitely noticeable.
There really isn't much else to say, this was a home run pick.
Grade: A+
Round 3: Jay Alford DT
Most famous for the play pictured when he sacked Tom Brady on their last attempt to score in the Super Bowl, Jay Alford was a up and coming player the Giants were very excited about.
Until an ACL injury kept him out of the entire 2009 season, which was supposed to be a breakout year for Alford.
The Giants drafted Linvel Joseph in the 2010 draft and it seemed like Alford's days might be numbered. Well that was the case as they released him right before the end of training camp. He wasn't a free agent long as the Raiders signed him before the 2010 season opener.
Alford did have a nice season as a backup in 2008, appearing in all 16 games and getting 2.5 sacks, but has not amounted to anything after his injury.
He played four games for the Raiders and had only two tackles, they cut him in the middle of the season and he is now a member of the Seahawks.
Hopefully he finds his way back to full strength, the Giants had very high hopes for him.
Grade: C-
Round 4: Zak DeOssie LB
Zak DeOssie hasn't really amounted to anything more than just an outstanding special teams player at this point. He is on the kickoff team and he is the long snapper for punts and field goals.
He made the Pro Bowl in 2010 as a long snapper.
Grade: C+
Round 5: Kevin Boss TE
Kevin Boss stepped up his rookie season when the Giants lost Jeremy Shockey to a broken leg. He has been a very solid player and improved drastically as a blocker over the year.
He is one of the more underrated tight ends in the NFL and, in my opinion, needs to be a bigger part of the offense.
Although he only had one catch in the Super Bowl, it was a memorable 45-yard completion down the seam to set up the Giants' first touchdown.
He stepped up big time during the 2010 season when the Giants were losing receivers to injury left and right. He had a huge game-winning touchdown catch late in the fourth against the Jaguars.
Underrated at this point, but still has the potential to be one of the best in the league if the Giants feed him the ball more.
Grade A
Round 6: Adam Koets OL
Adam Koets was drafted as a tackle, but never made a name for himself until the 2010 season when Shaun O'Hara went out with an injury after the third game of the season.
Ironically, the Giants offensive line started blocking better and the run game got going when Koets replaced O'Hara.
Koets started at center for five games in a row, and the Giants were 5-0 in that span, averaging 174 yards per game on the ground.
Unfortunately, he went out with a torn ACL in the Seahawks game and missed the rest of the season. Nevertheless, he proved his worth and looks like the future at center for the Giants.
Grade: B
Round 7: Michael Johnson SS
Michael Johnson had a decent season in 2008 as the Giants starting safety, but a terrible 2009 season forced the Giants to make an upgrade and bring in Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant.
The result was Johnson only playing two games in the 2010 season. He will likely not be resigned this year as he is an unrestricted free agent.
Grade: C-
Round 7: Ahmad Bradshaw RB
Ahmad Bradshaw emerged as the Giants backup behind Brandon Jacobs late in the 2007 season. His 88-yard touchdown run against the Buffalo Bills secured a playoff spot, and his hard running style gave the Giants a spark plug on offense.
I don't think anyone will forget when he made a hard run in the Super Bowl and carried Vince Wilfork's big behind about five yards down field. It was a thing of beauty.
He took a back seat to Derrick Ward in the 2008 season, but was still very much a part of the offense as the third back in a terrific tandem self titled "Earth, Wind, and Fire"
Fast forward to the 2010 season, when he was given the starting role for the first time. He responded by having the best season of his career with 1235 yards and eight touchdowns, while still splitting time with Brandon Jacobs.
He lost his starting job midway through the season due to fumbling issues, but kept right on chugging along and was still his dominant self.
For the value, this was the best pick of Jerry Reese's career to this point.
Grade: A+
Average Grade?
I made a number system to average out the grade, with A+ having a number value of 12 and F having a number value of 0. For example, A+ = 12, A = 11, and A- = 10.
The 2007 draft gets an average grade of a little under a B (63 points for eight players).
2008
Round 1: Kenny Phillips, Safety
It's hard to imagine how much of a stud this guy would be if he didn't suffer from an arthritic knee condition in 2009 that kept him out for the last 11 games of the season. He was actually out for three games prior to that, but the news came after the 5-0 start.
Phillips came in in 2008 and eventually won the starting safety job as a rookie and had a better than expected season. The dynamic athlete from "The U" showed great instincts for the ball and proved he can come in the box and stop the run.
He looked like he was going to be one of the best safeties in the league in the very near future. Then, 2009 happened.
After the Giants started 5-0, they got crushing news when Phillips was lost for the season with the aforementioned knee injury. They were never the same with C.C. Brown (aka Can't Cover) in the lineup.
Fast forward to the 2010 season. The Giants brought in Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant, both proven safeties, and drafted Chad Jones in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Kenny Phillips knew he had something to prove.
He played the entire season with a chip on his shoulder and finished with 77 tackles and an interception while sharing the safety duties with Rolle and Grant.
He wasn't completely healthy, but he showed improvement.
This was a very good pick, and the Giants got one of the best players in the first round that year despite picking 31st.
Grade: A- (would be A+ if not for the injury)
Round 2: Terrell Thomas, Cornerback
Not many expected the Giants to take a cornerback so early in the 2008 draft when they had Corey Webster and Aaron Ross both coming off good seasons, but the pick turned out to be gold.
Thomas has been one of the more underrated corners in the NFL in his career. Teams often stay away from Corey Webster, and Thomas has done a terrific job handling all the attention from opposing offenses.
He finished the 2010 season with 101 tackles, 21 passes defended and five interceptions. He could have made the Pro Bowl were it not for some elite candidates beating him out for the small number of spots.
I imagine he could make the Pro Bowl some time in the future, but for now, he'll have to settle for being someone that all Giants fan know is a great asset to the defense.
Grade: A
Round 3: Mario Manningham, Wide Receiver
Mario Manningham had a lot of critics coming out of college that said he didn't have the necessary skills to be a productive wide receiver in the NFL.
Fast forward to 2010 and he is a part of one of the best wide receiving corps in the entire NFL. Manningham was called upon this season and stepped up in a big way.
At times when both Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith were sidelined with injuries, the Giants looked to Manningham to carry his weight.
He did that and then some.
He also proved to be a strong home run threat with two of the biggest plays in Eli Manning's career. The two hooked up for 87 and 92 yard touchdown throws in consecutive weeks.
In games that Steve Smith missed, Manningham led the Giants in receiving four of the seven games. In total he had 60 catches, 944 yards, and nine touchdowns, improving on his 2009 season.
He seemed to fix some of the dropping issues he had which allowed Eli to trust him more; that went a long way to developing a chemistry between the two.
Manningham could be a starter on just about every other team in the NFL, it's such a great weapon to have as the third option.
Grade: A
Round 4: Bryan Kehl, Outside Linebacker
Bryan Kehl is another player the Giants had high hopes for but couldn't find room for on the roster. He was a fantastic special teams player and often came in the game in relief of starters.
He was a blue collar hard worker and was expected to get a shot at the starting outside linebacker position, but the Giants signed Keith Bulluck and had to start him somewhere, so Kehl missed his shot.
After the first game of the season, Kevin Boss suffered a concussion and was forced to miss the following game. The Giants were forced to sign Bear Pascoe off the practice squad and cut Kehl to make room for him.
His former defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, did not waste any time, and the Rams picked him up.
He never amounted to anything more than a special teams producer, unfortunately, so I can't give the pick a good grade.
Grade: C
Round 5: Jonathan Goff, Linebacker
Nobody expected Jonathan Goff to be able to replace Antonio Pierce as the team's starting middle linebacker. Nobody.
While he may never be the emotional leader that Pierce was, he definitely looked like he has the potential to be just as good as Pierce was as a defender.
He had as many tackles as Pierce did in his first season with the Giants—80—and proved to be just as good stopping the run. In every game you could count on Goff making at least one solo tackle behind the line of scrimmage.
He definitely made an impact on the Giants this season and allows them to focus this year's draft on other positions. People killed the Giants for not taking a middle linebacker last year—they obviously knew something we didn't.
He still has to prove he can be consistent with his production—last year was his first full year with significant playing time.
Grade: B
Round 6: Andre Woodson, Quarterback
The Giants drafted Andre Woodson after he had a stellar career with the Kentucky Wildcats. However, the Giants didn't ever really give him an opportunity to prove himself, and he was cut by the team in September of 2009.
He spent his entire first year on the practice squad and was signed by the Redskins in 2009 but cut that November.
He has since returned to school to finish his degree and enter the world of coaching.
Grade: D (Would be F, but this is a sixth round pick; can't expect to find Adam Koets in every sixth round)
Round 6: Robert Henderson, Defensive End
Robert Henderson came out of Southern Mississippi with little promise of making the Giants roster, considering they had Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Dave Tollefson and Mathias Kiwanuka as the current defensive ends.
He never made the roster, as he was cut before the season opener in 2008.
Average Grade?
So, I decided that my way of averaging the draft sucks. The way I did it before evaluates each pick evenly and just averages out each grade per player. That doesn't work when I get four starters from this draft out of seven players and the average grade comes out to a C.
From now on, this is going to be an objective process.
Overall Grade: A-
I give this draft a A- because while they did find three starters and a wide receiver that pretty much is a starter, they also used three picks on guys that essentially amounted to nothing.
It's a good thing they "wasted" those picks on late middle to late round selections, because then it's not as devastating.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/659232-2011-nfl-draft-analyzing-new-york-giants-drafts-under-jerry-reese-2007
2011 NFL Draft: Analyzing New York Giants Drafts Under Jerry Reese, 2007
By Jeff Shull (Giants Featured Columnist) on April 9, 2011
This will be the first of four slideshows that will analyze each draft pick under the Jerry Reese era, the Giants general manager who took over after the 2006 season.
Judging by the team's ability to stay mildly successful over the past four seasons, winning a championship in Reese's first season with several contributing rookies, you'd have to believe his overall drafting ability has been very good.
He has made some mistakes here and there, as any GM will, but in my mind Reese has been one of the best in the business and the Giants are lucky to have him running the organization.
The series will start with that first magical season in 2007.
(P.S. The grades will be a bit more lenient in the later rounds considering it's hard to find good players in those rounds)
Round 1: Aaron Ross CB
Aaron Ross has not lived up to his potential, but in those first two seasons he was a solid contributor.
During his rookie season he showed flashes of brilliance, but it was an otherwise inconsistent season. The highlight of his season was intercepting a pass and returning it to the house against the cross town rival Jets; the play sealed the victory for Big Blue.
He stepped up in the playoffs, like the entire defense did, and looked like he would take the next step in 2008. In that season he showed signs of improvement, but was still not living up to the hype. He had three interceptions and one return TD in each of his first two years.
In 2009 he suffered a setback with a hamstring injury and has never fully recovered. He has since been replaced in the starting lineup by Terrell Thomas and only plays in passing situations.
He is a solid player, but has definitely not lived up to his first round status.
Grade: C+
Round 2: Steve Smith WR
Smith has been an incredible weapon for Eli Manning since joining the team. The Giants went seamlessly from Amani Toomer to Steve Smith as a reliable third down security blanket for Manning, and Smith has been even better than Amani at times.
He set the franchise record with 107 receptions in 2009, and his absence in seven games in 2010 was definitely noticeable.
There really isn't much else to say, this was a home run pick.
Grade: A+
Round 3: Jay Alford DT
Most famous for the play pictured when he sacked Tom Brady on their last attempt to score in the Super Bowl, Jay Alford was a up and coming player the Giants were very excited about.
Until an ACL injury kept him out of the entire 2009 season, which was supposed to be a breakout year for Alford.
The Giants drafted Linvel Joseph in the 2010 draft and it seemed like Alford's days might be numbered. Well that was the case as they released him right before the end of training camp. He wasn't a free agent long as the Raiders signed him before the 2010 season opener.
Alford did have a nice season as a backup in 2008, appearing in all 16 games and getting 2.5 sacks, but has not amounted to anything after his injury.
He played four games for the Raiders and had only two tackles, they cut him in the middle of the season and he is now a member of the Seahawks.
Hopefully he finds his way back to full strength, the Giants had very high hopes for him.
Grade: C-
Round 4: Zak DeOssie LB
Zak DeOssie hasn't really amounted to anything more than just an outstanding special teams player at this point. He is on the kickoff team and he is the long snapper for punts and field goals.
He made the Pro Bowl in 2010 as a long snapper.
Grade: C+
Round 5: Kevin Boss TE
Kevin Boss stepped up his rookie season when the Giants lost Jeremy Shockey to a broken leg. He has been a very solid player and improved drastically as a blocker over the year.
He is one of the more underrated tight ends in the NFL and, in my opinion, needs to be a bigger part of the offense.
Although he only had one catch in the Super Bowl, it was a memorable 45-yard completion down the seam to set up the Giants' first touchdown.
He stepped up big time during the 2010 season when the Giants were losing receivers to injury left and right. He had a huge game-winning touchdown catch late in the fourth against the Jaguars.
Underrated at this point, but still has the potential to be one of the best in the league if the Giants feed him the ball more.
Grade A
Round 6: Adam Koets OL
Adam Koets was drafted as a tackle, but never made a name for himself until the 2010 season when Shaun O'Hara went out with an injury after the third game of the season.
Ironically, the Giants offensive line started blocking better and the run game got going when Koets replaced O'Hara.
Koets started at center for five games in a row, and the Giants were 5-0 in that span, averaging 174 yards per game on the ground.
Unfortunately, he went out with a torn ACL in the Seahawks game and missed the rest of the season. Nevertheless, he proved his worth and looks like the future at center for the Giants.
Grade: B
Round 7: Michael Johnson SS
Michael Johnson had a decent season in 2008 as the Giants starting safety, but a terrible 2009 season forced the Giants to make an upgrade and bring in Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant.
The result was Johnson only playing two games in the 2010 season. He will likely not be resigned this year as he is an unrestricted free agent.
Grade: C-
Round 7: Ahmad Bradshaw RB
Ahmad Bradshaw emerged as the Giants backup behind Brandon Jacobs late in the 2007 season. His 88-yard touchdown run against the Buffalo Bills secured a playoff spot, and his hard running style gave the Giants a spark plug on offense.
I don't think anyone will forget when he made a hard run in the Super Bowl and carried Vince Wilfork's big behind about five yards down field. It was a thing of beauty.
He took a back seat to Derrick Ward in the 2008 season, but was still very much a part of the offense as the third back in a terrific tandem self titled "Earth, Wind, and Fire"
Fast forward to the 2010 season, when he was given the starting role for the first time. He responded by having the best season of his career with 1235 yards and eight touchdowns, while still splitting time with Brandon Jacobs.
He lost his starting job midway through the season due to fumbling issues, but kept right on chugging along and was still his dominant self.
For the value, this was the best pick of Jerry Reese's career to this point.
Grade: A+
Average Grade?
I made a number system to average out the grade, with A+ having a number value of 12 and F having a number value of 0. For example, A+ = 12, A = 11, and A- = 10.
The 2007 draft gets an average grade of a little under a B (63 points for eight players).
2008
Round 1: Kenny Phillips, Safety
It's hard to imagine how much of a stud this guy would be if he didn't suffer from an arthritic knee condition in 2009 that kept him out for the last 11 games of the season. He was actually out for three games prior to that, but the news came after the 5-0 start.
Phillips came in in 2008 and eventually won the starting safety job as a rookie and had a better than expected season. The dynamic athlete from "The U" showed great instincts for the ball and proved he can come in the box and stop the run.
He looked like he was going to be one of the best safeties in the league in the very near future. Then, 2009 happened.
After the Giants started 5-0, they got crushing news when Phillips was lost for the season with the aforementioned knee injury. They were never the same with C.C. Brown (aka Can't Cover) in the lineup.
Fast forward to the 2010 season. The Giants brought in Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant, both proven safeties, and drafted Chad Jones in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Kenny Phillips knew he had something to prove.
He played the entire season with a chip on his shoulder and finished with 77 tackles and an interception while sharing the safety duties with Rolle and Grant.
He wasn't completely healthy, but he showed improvement.
This was a very good pick, and the Giants got one of the best players in the first round that year despite picking 31st.
Grade: A- (would be A+ if not for the injury)
Round 2: Terrell Thomas, Cornerback
Not many expected the Giants to take a cornerback so early in the 2008 draft when they had Corey Webster and Aaron Ross both coming off good seasons, but the pick turned out to be gold.
Thomas has been one of the more underrated corners in the NFL in his career. Teams often stay away from Corey Webster, and Thomas has done a terrific job handling all the attention from opposing offenses.
He finished the 2010 season with 101 tackles, 21 passes defended and five interceptions. He could have made the Pro Bowl were it not for some elite candidates beating him out for the small number of spots.
I imagine he could make the Pro Bowl some time in the future, but for now, he'll have to settle for being someone that all Giants fan know is a great asset to the defense.
Grade: A
Round 3: Mario Manningham, Wide Receiver
Mario Manningham had a lot of critics coming out of college that said he didn't have the necessary skills to be a productive wide receiver in the NFL.
Fast forward to 2010 and he is a part of one of the best wide receiving corps in the entire NFL. Manningham was called upon this season and stepped up in a big way.
At times when both Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith were sidelined with injuries, the Giants looked to Manningham to carry his weight.
He did that and then some.
He also proved to be a strong home run threat with two of the biggest plays in Eli Manning's career. The two hooked up for 87 and 92 yard touchdown throws in consecutive weeks.
In games that Steve Smith missed, Manningham led the Giants in receiving four of the seven games. In total he had 60 catches, 944 yards, and nine touchdowns, improving on his 2009 season.
He seemed to fix some of the dropping issues he had which allowed Eli to trust him more; that went a long way to developing a chemistry between the two.
Manningham could be a starter on just about every other team in the NFL, it's such a great weapon to have as the third option.
Grade: A
Round 4: Bryan Kehl, Outside Linebacker
Bryan Kehl is another player the Giants had high hopes for but couldn't find room for on the roster. He was a fantastic special teams player and often came in the game in relief of starters.
He was a blue collar hard worker and was expected to get a shot at the starting outside linebacker position, but the Giants signed Keith Bulluck and had to start him somewhere, so Kehl missed his shot.
After the first game of the season, Kevin Boss suffered a concussion and was forced to miss the following game. The Giants were forced to sign Bear Pascoe off the practice squad and cut Kehl to make room for him.
His former defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, did not waste any time, and the Rams picked him up.
He never amounted to anything more than a special teams producer, unfortunately, so I can't give the pick a good grade.
Grade: C
Round 5: Jonathan Goff, Linebacker
Nobody expected Jonathan Goff to be able to replace Antonio Pierce as the team's starting middle linebacker. Nobody.
While he may never be the emotional leader that Pierce was, he definitely looked like he has the potential to be just as good as Pierce was as a defender.
He had as many tackles as Pierce did in his first season with the Giants—80—and proved to be just as good stopping the run. In every game you could count on Goff making at least one solo tackle behind the line of scrimmage.
He definitely made an impact on the Giants this season and allows them to focus this year's draft on other positions. People killed the Giants for not taking a middle linebacker last year—they obviously knew something we didn't.
He still has to prove he can be consistent with his production—last year was his first full year with significant playing time.
Grade: B
Round 6: Andre Woodson, Quarterback
The Giants drafted Andre Woodson after he had a stellar career with the Kentucky Wildcats. However, the Giants didn't ever really give him an opportunity to prove himself, and he was cut by the team in September of 2009.
He spent his entire first year on the practice squad and was signed by the Redskins in 2009 but cut that November.
He has since returned to school to finish his degree and enter the world of coaching.
Grade: D (Would be F, but this is a sixth round pick; can't expect to find Adam Koets in every sixth round)
Round 6: Robert Henderson, Defensive End
Robert Henderson came out of Southern Mississippi with little promise of making the Giants roster, considering they had Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Dave Tollefson and Mathias Kiwanuka as the current defensive ends.
He never made the roster, as he was cut before the season opener in 2008.
Average Grade?
So, I decided that my way of averaging the draft sucks. The way I did it before evaluates each pick evenly and just averages out each grade per player. That doesn't work when I get four starters from this draft out of seven players and the average grade comes out to a C.
From now on, this is going to be an objective process.
Overall Grade: A-
I give this draft a A- because while they did find three starters and a wide receiver that pretty much is a starter, they also used three picks on guys that essentially amounted to nothing.
It's a good thing they "wasted" those picks on late middle to late round selections, because then it's not as devastating.
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I like Andrews with a restructured deal. Maybe he's only good for 8 games maybe the back holds up. If he's cheap it'll be worth it.
