2013 NFL Draft: Breaking Down the Draft – The New York Giants

Feb 6, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Detail view of a New York Giants helmet during the Super Bowl most valuable player and winning head coach press conference at the Super Bowl XLVI media center at the J.W. Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants came into the 2013 NFL Draft looking to reload and refuel to get to being a serious contender for the Super Bowl.  Some of their players have aged out of the program or been ineffective and the team needed to load up on players at certain positions to really avoid going into an extended slump.  General Manager Jerry Reese is a man who does it his way and does not care what others think, which has resulted in some frustrations for fans at times with how he attacks the draft and how he values some positions over others, but he has been able to deliver enough talent to win a pair of Super Bowls.  The approach that Reese took with this draft is interesting as he did many of things that people have come to expect including addressing both the offensive and defensive linemen, but how he went about doing it is interesting and could be brilliant with Tom Coughlin as the head coach.

With the first pick of their draft, the Giants created a little bit of controversy when they picked Justin Pugh, offensive tackle from Syracuse.  Considered a reach by many, the Giants saw how this draft was going in terms of the offensive tackles and opted not to miss on their guy.  Pugh is a hardworking, blue collar tackle with good feet and athleticism, but short arms and has shown he can be overpowered.  He appears to be versatile, though he might be a tweener as well.  It remains to be seen how he will fair for the Giants, but the pick represents an important investment in youth and should end David Diehl’s tenure playing as a starter as one of the tackle spots.

On tape, Pugh looked good showing the ability to slide out and mirror his opponents effectively, taking good angles to block opponents.  He did show some issues with adjusting against guys who went from speed to power and this was particularly apparent during the Senior Bowl practices where Pugh had a difficult time in the pit drills.  Pugh is able to protect the edge from speed rushers but has shown to be vulnerable when power rushers can get into his body, which is where his lack of arm length can become a problem.  This also makes it difficult to project him to guard because if he is not big enough to handle tackle, guard seems a bigger issue.  When it comes to run blocking, Pugh is athletic enough to where he can pull and get outside but needs to do a better job of landing blocks when he gets to the second level.  He has a great attitude and plays with a mean streak.  If he can add more strength as he goes along in his NFL career, it could make a big difference to Pugh’s ability to contribute at four different positions on the line.

Presently, it looks like Pugh will have every chance to win the right tackle spot which can be a good fit if he can hold up.  It also does not hurt that he has Chris Snee next to him, who has been the consummate pro for the Giants for about a decade and been their most consistent blocker up front.  The right side of the line will not be lacking for grit and tenacity, but it will be worth keeping an eye on how Pugh looks early on in terms of his functional strength and power there.  Should William Beatty, the projected left tackle get hurt, Pugh can potentially slide over and play left tackle in a pinch, which is a good thing as well.

In the second round, the Giants picked up Johnathan Hankins, defensive tackle from Ohio State.  As with every draft, Reese adds to their defensive line rotation.  Hankins projects as a nose guard but he can rush the passer as well.  He brings a nice combination of size and athleticism with the potential to continue developing and become a better player in the pros than he was in college.  Hankins is a guy who can demand double teams and collapse the pocket to take pressure off of other players on the line to allow them to have more favorable matchups.  Periodically, he shocks people with how quick he can fire off the ball and will shoot the gap, get into the backfield and blow up a play or the opposing quarterback.  He needs to get more consistent with his leverage and especially his balance.  Too often, he could get drawn into playing too tall, get wobbly and then driven off the ball.  When he stays low and drives, he can be borderline unstoppable, but it does not happen nearly as often as it should.  For the Buckeyes, Hankins was used all over the line including at the nose but would play on the defensive end spots as well because of his quickness and strength.

In the Giants system, he is going to play in the middle and have to battle for playing time in their defensive line rotation, which is exactly what the Giants want; motivated guys fighting for reps and always having a quality rotation.  Hankins could ultimately end up as a two down run stopper before the Giants bring in their NASCAR package in obvious passing downs.  If he can develop in the Giants system and work on his technique, he has the potential to be an impact player and really give them a number of options in how they want to use their defensive line and match up with different teams.

In the third round, the Giants took Damontre Moore, defensive end from Texas A&M.  Moore was an extremely productive player on the field who was miserable in workouts.  It was stunning how poorly he tested.  This raises work ethic concerns but he was extremely productive in College Station the past two years at both defensive end and outside linebacker and presents a viable option at both positions.  He could conceivably play with his hand on the ground or rush off the edge from a 2-point stance and has the ability to drop into coverage.  For whatever concerns he has in terms of his workouts, he has been a tremendous player on the field and presents the potential to be a huge steal if he can put in the work and bring to the Giants what he brought to the Aggies.  Moore can come in and rotate as an edge rusher to give someone a breather while he develops his body to make him a better player or he could also be someone who comes in and plays on the edge while someone like Justin Tuck kicks inside to rush from the tackle spot.

The issues in terms of his lack of development can be a negative or positive depending on how someone wants to look at the situation.  Moore is either a lazy player who did not put in the work in the weight room and is going to get a rude awakening in the league or he was that good in college without putting in the work in the weight room; the ceiling could be significantly higher with the proper time spent working to develop his body.  The answer is probably somewhere in the middle but it is a good value for the Giants and a great situation for Moore.

The Giants made a deal with the Arizona Cardinals to give up their sixth round pick to move up in the fourth and select Ryan Nassib, quarterback from Syracuse.  Nassib is a fundamentally sound quarterback prospect that had a lot of buzz from draftniks in the scouting community leading up to the draft.  Some even had him ranked as their top quarterback regardless of the Buffalo connection with Doug Marrone, Nassib’s head coach at Syracuse.  Nassib will be fighting for what is likely the one spot on the roster for a quarterback other than Manning as the Giants have typically only carried two quarterbacks.  If that scenario plays out, Nassib is competing for David Carr for that roster spot.

Nassib is a quarterback with decent mobility, pocket awareness and a good throwing motion that requires little time or space to make.  One of the issues that would be prudent to work on for Nassib is using his legs more when it comes to throwing the ball deep as they tend to flutter on him, even in the Carrier Dome.  The positive is that from anywhere up to about 15-20 yards, Nassib can throw with good zip and accuracy standing still or on the move because he does not use his legs all that much other than for balance.  Marrone had Nassib working under center as well as in the shotgun so he is comfortable making his drops and reads from both.  Assuming he makes the roster, Nassib is a nice developmental quarterback with good upside that could come in and be functional now if he had to be, but could develop into a starter or trade bait down the road.

There were people who criticized this pick when it was made because they did not feel the move helped the Giants now.  Those are the same people who will criticize a team for not making adequate plans in case of an injury to the starter.  More importantly, investing in the quarterback market is a good when it comes to trading down the road and adding assets that could offer more immediate help.  If Nassib becomes a second rounder in two years, then it was a good investment and gives the Giants a valuable pick to help the Giants at an area of need while having had a viable backup until they decided to move him.

In the fifth round, the Giants added Richmond safety Cooper Taylor.  The first thing that stands out about the former Spider is his size; Taylor measured in 6’4” 228lbs.  He had a decent showing at the East-West Shrine Game and had some good workouts, displaying both strength and speed.  Cooper may get his first shot competing at strong safety, but it would not be a surprise if he also got some looks at linebacker, especially as a coverage specialist in nickel as this was brought up as a possibility going into the draft process for a few teams.

The Giants have employed bigger middle linebackers that are more geared to stop the run like Chase Blackburn and now Mark Herzlich, but they have been problematic in pass coverage.  In college, Herzlich was an accomplished player in coverage but that was before the broken leg that resulted with a titanium rod being inserted surgically.  If he can get back to the form he displayed in the early years when he was at Boston College, he could be a huge asset in coverage and a flat out stud overall.  If not, then a player like Taylor could be an important role player for this team.  The Giants could opt to substitute a player like Taylor in for one of their nickel linebackers to help them with their coverage which has been exposed at various times over the past few years.  He will have to adjust to playing in the box as opposed to playing deep and having to make reads more quickly but he could be an asset in zone with good range or matching up in man with opposing tight ends.  If he can successfully make that move, the Giants would have a defense that basically translates to a big dime package with three corners and three safeties in the lineup.  Taylor will also need to prove he can contribute on special teams.

With the first of two seventh round picks, the Giants brought in Eric Herman, guard from the Ohio Bobcats.  In a move that appears to be for competition, Herman gives them a big, strong kid with a knack for pancakes and knockdowns that may be destined for the practice squad.  While the Giants have some age on their offensive line, all of their backups are young players developing in their system.  He could land on the 53 man roster, but he will need to beat out guys like Selvish Capers, Brandon Mosley, Michael Jasper and potentially David Diehl to do it.  Herman appears to have some potential, so if he can look promising in camp, he could potentially take a roster spot from one of these guys, but it would not be surprising if he ends up on the practice squad for a year.

If the Giants are confident enough in the fact that Pugh could move over to left tackle and James Brewer could come in at right tackle if something goes wrong with Beatty, Diehl may ultimately be playing for his job as a utility lineman that can play a few different spots.  It would not be a huge surprise if Diehl is ultimately released if the younger players look promising and the Giants do not want to risk losing them by trying to get any of them on the practice squad or are just looking to save a little money.

With their last pick of the draft and their only compensatory pick, the Giants picked running back Michael Cox from Massachusetts.  Going back to the school where they found Victor Cruz, now a member of the MAC, the Giants hope to strike gold again with Cox as they have been a great team for adding late round backs every year and hitting on a few of them.  Cox will have to battle players like Da’Rell Scott, Ryan Torrain, and Jeremy Wright to win a spot on the roster.  Cox had almost no playing time until his senior year where he had 710 yards and 5 touchdowns on 198 carries, so it is intriguing to see what the Giants front office saw in him that they did not want to risk him becoming an undrafted free agent.

My Thoughts: Reese’s approach to add three players to the trenches with the first three picks helps them stem the tide age and free agency has taken as well as some picks that have not worked out thus far like Marvin Austin.  Adding a quarterback may not have been a favorite pick of many, but it made sense for the long haul.  The rest of the players they added could be contributors but will have to compete for roster spots.  Nothing about this draft is flashy but it could be important for enabling the Giants continued success going forward.

I do not love the pick of Pugh and the Senior Bowl definitely gave me pause, because he really had trouble holding up and he went from looking like a decent left tackle prospect to a man without a position through the course of the week, because he struggled at tackle but was not built to play guard as it stood there.  When coming up for a comparison for Pugh, the guy who came to mind was none other than William Beatty, though with shorter arms.  If the Giants were hoping to get a short armed-Beatty, then this pick makes a lot of sense and they got what they were hoping.  If not, it will be interesting to see how happy they will be with this move.  He has the potential to get bigger and better and could grow into his body and get better, but this move was slightly puzzling.  Perhaps the pick the Bears made right after this one adding Kyle Long adds context to the desperation of teams to add offensive line help in this draft, so there was a legitimate fear of adding Pugh or risk not being able to add anyone that could contribute immediately.  So it was a reach, but perhaps an understandable one in the end.

I like the picks of both Hankins and Moore, which gives the Giants a nice second unit of defensive linemen.  Hankins seemed like a guy who was out of sight, out of mind after not really being on the landscape as his last game of football was in November with the Buckeyes ineligible for a Bowl game.  He was an underclassman who was not eligible for postseason play and a big, hulking nose guard, so shorts and a t-shirt were never going to be his friend in workouts.  On tape, there were plenty of draftniks talking this guy up as an early first round pick on the film, so he could be a really nice pick up in terms of value.

With Moore, he was arguably the best defensive lineman in the SEC with his production and crappy workouts.  If he was able to get that much production and was not in great shape physically, what could he be after being disciplined in the weight room for a year or two for the Giants? This seems like a scary proposition for the rest of the NFC East.  Moore looked like he put on some bad weight for his junior season as a defensive end and he was not as explosive as he was his sophomore year, but was still so productive.  The Giants do not need Moore to be great right away, but he does give them a player who can come in and rotate as a pass rush specialist and potentially a hybrid, but his focus should be on getting the scheme down and really hammering it home in the weight room, so all of that production he displayed for the Aggies can come through for the Giants.

Maybe the most important element of these two picks is Tom Coughlin.  Moore is a guy who needs to learn discipline and work harder in the weight room.  There is no better coach in the league to instill it in him and if Moore buys into the program, the results could be fantastic.  And while Hankins has not been dogged in regards to his work ethic, the toughness that Coughlin brings combined with the competition at his position could bring out the best in him.  Even though Coughlin has softened to adjust to his players at times, he knows when he needs to really tear into someone and could be the best thing that happens to either of these players, provided they are willing to listen and put in the work.

I like the pick of Nassib because I was not as high on him as some were in the draft process.  I think he could make a spot start in a pinch but would be limited if he were to have to be a starter as a rookie but down the road, he has the tools to develop into a Drew Brees type passer.  Having the stability of Manning ahead of him who is not going to be benched and has never missed time due to injury may not be the most thrilling idea for Nassib as the natural competitor in him will want to play, but it could be a good move in the long run for his NFL career.  He gives them a good option should the unthinkable happen to Manning but he will be able to audition for other teams in preseason each year and create buzz for himself on the trade market.  Considering Manning’s age, it is far more likely that Nassib would be traded down the road than the heir to the Manning throne, but it remains to be seen how the Giants plan to approach that situation.  If the people who believed in Nassib as the top quarterback prospect in this draft were right, the Giants could have a gem on their hands.

The pick of Cooper Taylor intrigues me, because I hope he does get a look as a coverage linebacker specialist in addition to special teams and competing as a safety.  The Giants have really had problems in coverage and a big dime package could really open things up in terms of their capacity for coverage and perhaps give them more opportunities to cause turnovers when their defensive line is causing the quarterback to throw the ball early and make bad reads.  If it works, they are far more athletic and far faster on obvious passing downs.

Overall, it is always interesting that the Giants never seem to feel the linebacker position is one they need to draft high or really at all.  It is not surprising in the least that they attacked the trenches and especially the defensive line which has been a big reason their defense has been effective even through a horrible run of injuries to their secondary and some questionable linebacker talents.  Offensively, if Pugh can solidify the line, they appear to have the talent to really get back to being a good team this year.   His addition will be the one this draft is going to be judged on this year, because he is the only one that is likely to be a starter as most every other pick is a rotational player, who could make an important difference, but not as much as Pugh will.  The biggest thing that will make the Giants get back to being a contender is simply having better luck with injuries.  If they can get through the season healthy, they should make the playoffs with another shot to win the Super Bowl.