A Breakdown of the New York Giants Draft – Rattle and Hum Sports

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David Wison was the first pick of the New York Giants Draft

Rattle and Hum Sports Accesses the 2012 New York Giants Draft Picks

By JT Kronemberg

With the 32^nd and final pick of round one in the NFL draft, the World Champion New York Giants draft started by selecting running back David Wilson out of Virginia Tech. Wilson may not have been the best running back available but the Giants thought he was the best one to fit their offense. The Giants are known for picking the best player available no matter what position they play, but this time they picked a position they could use. Losing Brandon Jacobs to free agency, the Giants needed another back to compliment Ahmad Bradshaw. The critics say that Wilson tends to fumble the ball but don’t all Giants running backs like putting the ball on the ground at critical moments? Wilson, a junior in college last year, didn’t only play running back; he was also a kickoff returner. Last year, Wilson returned 22 kickoffs for 415 yards and averaged 18.9 yards each kickoff. As a running back he put up decent numbers and broke Tiki Barber’s ACC all-purpose yards record for juniors. He received ACC Overall Player of the Year, ACC offensive Player of the Year and second team All American. From the looks of his play in college he is quick, reads the holes and keeps his feet moving after contact. He also seems to have a lot of energy. He could be a good addition to the Giants roster if he works hard and brings his energy to training camp. Hopefully, he will help the Giants get their running game going this season because the running game was awful last season, and they need to do a better job with the running game to take the pressure off of Eli Manning.

The Giants next pick did not come until the end of the second round where they had the 63^rd pick. They picked up wide receiver Rueben Randle out of LSU here which I think is questionable. The Giants have Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz as the one and two receivers (yes, they lost Mario Manningham to free agency) but they have Dominek Hixson coming back next year, along with their 2011 draft pick Jerrel Jernigan. Randle played for LSU so there is no way to tell his real potential. LSU’s offense isn’t a throwing offense; they run first. He was named to the All-SEC first team and did have 53 receptions for 917 yards with eight touchdowns. The Giants could have gone a different route with this pick but we will see what happens with this one.

In round three the New York Giants drafted corner back Jayron Hosley out of Virginia Tech. Last year Hosley had 59 tackles, two interceptions and was named to the All-ACC second team. Not sure why they chose a corner back when they have Cory Webster, Prince Amukamara and just signed Antwan Molden from New England. One thing is for sure; they will have depth at the corner back position and competition for the starting position come training camp. This move is typical of Giants drafts; picking the best player available instead of filling an actual needed position.

In the fourth round the Giants had two picks and they actually filled some needs with these two picks. They drafted tight end Adrien Robinson out of Cincinnati and offensive tackle Brandon Mosely out of Auburn. Last year Robinson had 12 receptions for 183 yards and three touchdowns. The Giants lost Jake Ballard and Travis Beckham to torn ACLs last season and aren’t sure they will be back for the start of the season. With the offensive line full of veterans it is time to start picking up some younger line men. Mosley helped Auburn make holes for the running backs and also helped to create holes for Cam Newton and kept him safe the year the Tigers won the National Championship.

With their next pick in round six the Giants selected tackle Matt McCants out of UAB. McCants is two-time first team All-Conference USA player and is listed as one of the top offensive linemen in Conference USA. McCants and Mosley should be good additions to the Giants. They have plenty of veterans to look up to and learn from.

For their final pick of the 2012 NFL draft the Giants chose German-born defensive tackle Markus Kuhn out of NC State. I’m thinking this was the best player left that the Giants felt would fit their needs because there isn’t much information about Kuhn. Kuhn only started one season for NC State and had a total of 45 tackles and four and a half sacks last season.

Overall, the Giants had a decent draft. There were a couple of questionable picks but you can never know how these players will perform in the NFL. Victor Cruz wasn’t even drafted and look how he turned out. Not all these players will be impact players but you never know which ones will grow into great players. All I know is there is always excitement to see what happens when these players start training camp.