We are only two days away from the NFL Draft. A time that here at Pro Football Hotline has been waiting for and have been trying to get you more ready for this event. Today we have a very special guest to do the Giants draft preview for us. We are going to welcome Bryan McGovern from Sirius NFL Radio. He will talk a little with you about that and will talk a little Giants 2011 draft.
Brandon Sweeney: Bryan, thanks so much for joining us today at PFH.
Bryan McGovern: Thanks for having me Brandon. It's good to see you working hard on your 2011 draft analysis and hope the fans continue to enjoy your work. Fans can join me on SIRIUS NFL Radio channel 124 on both SIRIUS and XM, 8-11pmET on "Late Hits" Monday through Friday, and Saturday 2-6pmET. I'd like to welcome my newest co-host Jaguars Pro Bowl RB Maurice Jones-Drew, who joins me on Tuesdays.
Brandon Sweeney: Can you please reflect on last season for us. Tell us some of the good things that happened and some of the disappointments.
Bryan McGovern: The 2010 New York Giants failed to reach the playoffs with a 10-win season, so it didn't feel like a successful first season in the new Meadow lands Stadium. Despite knocking out Bears QB Jay Cutler in Week 4 to hand Chicago its first loss after a 3-0 start and ending Cowboys QB Tony Romo's season in a Week 7 Monday night victory in Dallas, the Giants suffered four devastating losses after their Week 8 bye, which paused them with a 5-2 record. The Cowboys exacted revenge with a Week 10 victory over the Giants in Jason Garrett's head-coaching debut followed by the first of two losses to Philadelphia in a one-month span to drop the G-Men to 6-4. The deathblow came in Week 15 when the Giants blew a 31-10 lead in the final eight minutes of the game, capped by DeSean Jackson's walk off 65-yard punt return for a TD. The DeSean-shocked Giants put themselves behind the eight ball when they allowed Aaron Rodgers to pass for 404 yards and four TD in a Week 16 loss at Lambeau Field. Ultimately ranked seventh overall in the NFC, the Giants missed the postseason winning 10 or more games for the first time since 1988. Head coach Tom Coughlin has four trips to the playoffs and a Super Bowl championship in 2007 on his resume during a seven-year stint with the Giants, but he's on the hot seat entering 2011 despite winning 40 games over the past four regular seasons because New York's missed the playoffs each of past two years.
Brandon Sweeney: If you were to grade the Giants overall in the past seven years, what grade is it? Name some example players that make it this grade.
Bryan McGovern: The Giants have drafted as well as anyone over the past seven years. I'd give the Giants an A grade for several reasons. Ernie Accorsi took over GM duties from the late great George Young in 1998. After Young helped build two Super Bowl champion teams in 1986 and 1990, Accorsi righted the ship in the 2004 draft when he selected QB Philip Rivers fourth overall before trading him to San Diego for first overall pick QB Eli Manning (Super Bowl 42 MVP). Accorsi drafted Pro Bowl RG Chris Snee in the second round of the 2004 draft and plucked talented small-school RB Derrick Ward in the seventh round. Without a first-round pick in the 2005 draft, Accorsi came up with three starters on the Super Bowl 42 teams despite holding just four picks in the entire draft. CB Corey Webster (second round), DE Justin Tuck (third round) and RB Brandon Jacobs (fourth round) highlighted Accorsi's 2005 class. Accorsi's final draft with the Giants in 2006 wasn't nearly as successful as previous classes, though he was able to get DE Mathias Kiwanuka with the final pick in the first round. Third-round pick LB Gerris Wilkinson is going on his sixth year with the Giants as a standout on special teams and valuable backup, though more was expected of him out of the 2006 draft. Fourth-rounder Barry Cofield was a great find for Accorsi and the Giants, as he's been a major contributor at DT over the past five years. Accorsi also signed four key members of the Super Bowl 42 team in free agency with WR Plaxico Burress, RT Kareem McKenzie, MLB Antonio Pierce and DT Fred Robbins. Accorsi passed the torch to Giants Director of Pro Personnel Jerry Reese in 2007. Reese hit a home run in his first draft with the Giants. All eight picks in the 2007 class contributed to helping the Giants win Super Bowl 42 over the previously-unbeaten Patriots. More was expected from first-round CB Aaron Ross, as injuries have derailed his potential, but he started nine games in 2007 with three INT. After starting 15 games in 2008, Ross started just two games over the past two years. The championship pieces of Reese's first draft as GM of the Giants in 2007 were second-round WR Steve Smith (220 catches for 2,386 career yards and 11TD in 46 out of a possible 64 games), fifth-round TE Kevin Boss (119 catches for 1,600 career yards and 18TD) and seventh-round RB Ahmad Bradshaw, who had nine carries for 45 yards in Super Bowl 42 before breaking out with a career year in 2010 with highs in carries (276), rushing yards (1,235), rushing TD (8), receptions (47) and receiving yards (314). Reese also plucked DTDeOssie (round four), backup center Adam Koets (round six) and safety Michael Johnson (round seven) in the 2007 draft. Reese backed up his legendary 2007 draft with a quality 2008 class that included starting S Kenny Phillips (first round), starting CB Terrell Thomas (second round), WR Mario Manningham (third round; 14TD catches over past two seasons), reserve LB Bryan Kehl (fourth round) and eventual successor to Pierce at MLB with Jon Goff. The 2009 draft will be remembered for its crop of receivers and the Giants drafted the most complete wide out to date. Hakeem Nicks, selected 29th overall by the Giants after Darrius Heyward-Bey (seventh overall to Oakland), Michael Crabtree (10th to San Francisco), Jeremy Maclin (19th to Philadelphia) and Percy Harvin (22nd to Minnesota) flew off the board in round one. Some very good receivers were selected after Nicks, including Kenny Britt, Mohamed Massaquoi, Brandon Tate, Mike Wallace, Deon Butler, Mike Thomas, Brian Hartline, Louis Murphy, Austin Collie, Johnny Knox, Brandon Gibson, Julian Edelman and Sammie Stroughter. Nicks has the most career TD catches of anyone from his draft through 2010 with 17 -- even more than both the top two class of 2009 WRs combined (Heyward-Bey 2TD, Crabtree 8TD). Reese also drafted OT prospect Will Beatty in 2009's second round, king-sized WR Ramses Barden and shifty TE Travis Beckum in the third. In 2010, Reese's fourth draft produced a pair of excellent defensive line prospects in athletic DE Jason Pierre-Paul and stout DT Linval Joseph. Pierre-Paul could step up to take Kiwanuka's role as defensive coordinator Perry Fewell's third DE if the Giants don't re-sign the free agent from Boston College. Cofield is a free agent too, leaving the Giants with the decision to either ante up or move on with Joseph and 32-year-old veteran Rocky Bernard, as the position currently lacks depth. Reese came up with a solid young OG from Arkansas with fifth-rounder Mitch Petrus, who set a new Combine record in the bench press with 45 only to see it surpassed this February by Oregon State DT Stephen Paea (49). Sixth-rounder OLB Adrian Tracy is an exciting pass-rush prospect from William & Mary. Seventh-round pick Matt Dodge, who is the first punter the Giants drafted since selecting Ball State's Brad Maynard in the third round of the 1997 draft, will be most remembered for punting to DeSean Jackson with 13 seconds left in a Week 15 matchup at the new Meadowlands Stadium. Despite a harsh warning from Giants head coach Tom Coughlin prior to the play to punt the ball away from Jackson, Dodge drilled a liner fielded and initially fumbled by Jackson off a bounce before returning it 65 yards for the game-winning TD. The Giants are hoping third-round pick safety Chad Jones, who played in the same defensive backfield at LSU with Patrick Peterson, can recover from a 2010 preseason auto accident that broke his left leg and ankle.
Brandon Sweeney: In the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft, who are the Giants going to take?
Bryan McGovern: The Giants have some needs but no glaring holes to fill in the draft. They could return the nucleus from last year's team and still win 10 games. With that said, Reese would like to find a successor to 34-year-old C Shaun O'Hara and 32-year-old LG Rich Seubert, so names like Florida's Mike Pouncey, Penn State's Stefan Wisniewski and Baylor's Danny Watkins should be discussed. Personally I don't see Mike Pouncey on the same level as his Pro Bowl brother Maurkice, which is not to say Mike won't be good but you want great with a first-round pick and I have Mike, who struggled last year snapping the ball, with a second-round grade. His brother's rookie success will thrust Mike into the 15-20 range in the 2011 draft; Maurkice was selected 18th overall in 2010. The Giants are also looking to add linebackers, defensive linemen and safeties. It's going to be interesting to see which direction the Giants take with the 19th overall pick. If Pouncey is off the board Reese could select Boston College OT Anthony Castonzo, but they'd be reaching at 19 if they picked other OTs like Nate Solder, Derek Sherrod or Gabe Carimi. The Giants would be best suited to wait until the second round for a shot at OL like Wisniewski, Miami's Orlando Franklin or Villanova's Ben Ijalana. They worked out fast-rising small-school C Brandon Fusco from Slippery Rock. The Giants could address the defensive line in the first round depending on how the chips fall or trade down to gather extra picks. I don't think OLB Akeem Ayers or Justin Houston are worthy of the 19th pick. If Reese trades down he could consider DTs Marvin Austin, Corey Liuget, Muhammad Wilkerson and Stephen Paea. The only other need on offense is at RB. The bruising Brandon Jacobs has two years left on his deal but Ahmad Bradshaw, coming off a career year, is scheduled to be a free agent. Alabama HB Mark Ingram and Illinois HB Mikel Leshoure will be considerations in the first round.
Brandon Sweeney: Tell us why you could see the Giants going after a Mark Ingram in round one?
Bryan McGovern: As I discussed above, depending on how the chips fall the Giants will be in an interesting spot at #19, so drafting the son of former Giants WR Mark Ingram, who was a member of the Super Bowl 25 championship team, makes sense with Bradshaw's return in jeopardy. Alabama head coach Nick Saban emphasized there is nothing wrong with Ingram's knee, which was scoped by Dr. James Andrews prior to the 2010 season. Ingram still rushed for 13TD splitting time with future first-rounder Trent Richardson.
Brandon Sweeney: As the Draft continues, what positions do the Giants need to fill on this team?
Bryan McGovern: Again the Giants are looking to fill depth on the offensive line at center, guard and tackle. Jon Goff played well replacing Antonio Pierce at MLB, so the Giants really need OLB. Sam Acho, Dontay Moch, KJ Wright and Mason Foster are intriguing Day-2 OLB. Depending on what they do with Cofield the DT spot could be filled. Fewell likes to use a three-safety defensive backfield and with 32-year-old veteran Deon Grant a free agent, so the Giants will take a look at Brooklyn kid Jaiquawn Jarrett a safety out of Temple on Day-2 or Hawaii's Mana Silva (8INT last year) or local product from Fordham Isa Abdul-Quddus. The Giants should wait for RB help and look to Jacquizz Rodgers, Bilal Powell, Johnny White or Evan Royster.
Brandon Sweeney: Who is your top three Sleepers the Giants need to consider taking in the draft? How will they contribute to the Giants?
Bryan McGovern: Top sleeper in this category is Slippery Rock C/G Brandon Fusco, who has the size, strength and athleticism to start in a year or two. Lehigh's Will Rackley was a small-school tackle but projects to play OG in the NFL. Rackley will get better with pro coaching and more playing time. Southern Arkansas DL Cedric Thornton is another player to watch. The 6-3, 309-pound Thornton has a quick first step with good burst to get to the QB and does a nice job tracking ball-carriers.
Brandon Sweeney: Is there a player that the Giants can't pass up?
Bryan McGovern: Of course, depending on who falls to 19 the Giants would love to get their hands on OLB Von Miller, DL Cameron Jordan and OT Tyron Smith, but all three are expected to be gone in the top 10. Pouncey would be the logical choice in this category considering his brother's success and the team has a need there.
Brandon Sweeney: Who do you think the Giants have shown most interest in this class?
Bryan McGovern: They've worked out a lot of offensive linemen and linebackers.
Brandon Sweeney: If the Giants get their Draft needs this year, what is your prediction for this team in 2011? (assuming we have football in 2011)
Bryan McGovern: First let me say, yes we will have football in 2011. I know they're working hard towards getting on the same page, but there's so much at stake money-wise and testing fan loyalty. If the Giants can add an offensive lineman who can contribute as a rookie, an impact pass rusher at OLB and depth at RB and in the defensive backfield they will have success in 2011. I wouldn't be surprised if the Giants also draft a young QB on Day-3 (rounds 4-7) to develop behind Eli Manning. They brought Alabama QB Greg McElroy in for a visit and were impressed by his football IQ. Ultimately the Giants are on track to get back to the playoffs in 2011 if some of their needs are addressed in the draft and free agency. Adding pass rushers to get after Mike Vick and Tony Romo, who was knocked out last year by Giants OLB Michael Boley, will go a long way toward getting New York back to the 10-win mark.
Brandon Sweeney: Bryan McGovern everyone! A great guy. Bryan I want to thank you so much for joining us and come back sometime!
Bran McGovern: Okay, thanks Brandon. Good luck and enjoy the draft!
A great look inside the Draft for the Giants. All of you that would like to ask Bran a question, please go to the comment box below this page. He would be more than happy to answer any questions that you may have for him. If you want to see more of Bryan, please follow him on Twitter @LateHits. Thank you for reading! Still to come: Steelers Draft Preview, PFH's third and last Mock Draft, and another Draft interview!
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