NY Giants Mull Possible Draft Picks

NY Giant's General Manager Jerry Reese is in a great position. Well, not exactly. The number 29th pick in the 2009 NFL draft is not exactly every GM's dream spot, but, I'm pretty sure he'd trade that any day of the week for the 12-4 season that he just experienced. There have been a lot of discussions about who NY should pick at #29. There are a few glaring weaknesses: WR, OL, ILB, and RB have been mentioned. In my opinion, the Gmen should go for the gold with their first pick by trading up for WR Percy Harvin or Jeremy Maclin and here's why: the Gmen are built for winning NOW. Steve Smith (2nd Round), Sinorice Moss (2nd Round), and Mario Manningham (3rd Round) took a few years to develop and none of them have shown that flash of being a #1 receiver. They each needed a few years to develop into above average receivers; and Dominik Hixon and David Tyree are still unproven (yes, Tyree is still unproven as a WR despite his superbowl heroics - he has mainly been a special teams guy).

With Burress's return up in the air, the Giants need an immediate impact WR. Jeremy Maclin and Percy Harvin are not that tall, but they are proven receivers who succeeded in quality pro offenses. I'm not betting that Crabtree will be available in the mid round (although he would be a slam dunk pick no matter where - and would be my first choice if I had my way), which is where I am expecting them to trade up to. Trading up into the top 6 will be too big a price for Reese, I just don't see him doing that.

Another option would be to pick the best OT available as insurance. This year's tandem of linemen, both offensively and defensively is better than those players competing for skill position spots. So with that being said, how about picking Herman Johnson (G) from LSU. This man is 6'8, 382 lbs, and at the senior bowl coaches were trying him at tackle. If he's versatile, he could replace the aging Grey Reugamer as the 2nd string OL backup. I'm pretty sure he could easily be the biggest man in the NFL at 382 lbs.

Talk about giving new meaning to the nickname "Big Blue Wrecking Crew!"

So, let's say we do grab Herman Johnson. What would I do with my #45 selection? I would then shoot for best athlete available, or possibly WR Brian Robiskie, Ohio State or maybe WR Kenny Britt at 6'4" from Rutgers. If they are not available? Draft the best possible running back left on the board to fill Derrick Ward's shoes. We need to find a replacement for "Wind," and remember, the Gmen had the best running game in the NFL last year. How about local product Donald Brown from Uconn? He ran a 4:51 40yd Dash at the combine, and ranked second amongst all Running backs at the broad jump. He could be available by the time the Giants have their second pick, and I believe he could be a great pick up to fill a position of need.

If it ain't broke...

Finally, I think the Giants need to address the aging Antonio Pierce at inside Linebacker. I love Antonio, and I applaud his leadership on the field, however, he is entering his 9th season and is 30 years old. Jonathan Goff, last years 5th round pick is hardly proven, and at at #29, many journalists have speculated that James Laurinitis from Ohio State could still be available. Another thing about him is that his father was a professional wrester - "The Road Warrior."

The Road Warriors - wasn't that the nickname of the Gmen back in their magical 2007 Superbowl winnig season? Who knows, maybe it's fate that the Road Warrior's son should be playing for the 2007 Road Warriors of Football?

The 2009 NFL Draft takes place at Madison Square Garden on April 25-26th.