Home New York Giants Draft2015 NFL Draft Jerry Reese Drafts Wide Receivers

Jerry Reese Drafts Wide Receivers

by Marco Ceo

Jerry Reese Drafts Wide Receivers

Don’t be surprised if Jerry Reese drafts wide receivers with the 9th pick of the 2015 NFL Draft. I’ll give you a few reasons to chew on.

Anytime there is a dynamic playmaker up there and a guard, I’m taking a playmaker. – Jerry Reese.

It may be too tempting to pass on Alabama’s Amari Cooper or West Virginia’s Kevin White, who are both predicted as top 10 players. Yes we need help at OL & DL but adding another weapon to Beckham, Randle & Cruz has some fans drooling.

Now let’s look at the history of Jerry Reese’s tenure as General Manager. He has selected a total of 7 wide receivers. This would be the second highest drafted position behind linebacker which has 9. All of  the wide receivers selected have been drafted within the first 3 rounds.

Odell Beckham Jr.
2014 | 1st round | pick 12
Odell was the first New York Giants to win Offensive Rookie Of The Year with his amazing breakout season. Nice start with 91 catches and 12 TDS.

Rueben Randle
2012 | 2nd round | pick 63
Solid wide receiver who is evolving. At times inconsistent, but his role is always changing between primary and secondary wide receiver. His second year under offensive coordinator Ben Mcadoo’s system will be telling.

Jerrell Jernigan
2011 | 3rd round | pick 83
Show some bright spots in 2013 especially at the end of the season. Spent the majority of the season on injured reserve.

Hakeem Nicks
2009 | 1st round | pick 29
Was our premier Stud wide receiver with exceptionally strong hands, he commanded to double-team freeing up other members. He struggle his last two years with the Giants to stay healthy. Eventually he left in free agency to join the Indianapolis Colts.

Ramses Barden
2009 | 3rd round | pick 85
Jerry Reese was high on Ramses Barden and actually traded up in the draft to get him. Similar size and frame to Plaxico Burress but never panned out.

Mario Manningham
2008 | 3rd round | pick 95
Manningham caught 18 touchdown passes in 4 seasons with the Giants. He also left in free Agency but injuries mainly kept him on the 49ers PUP list.     Now he is mainly remembered for his sideline catch in Super Bowl XLVI.

Steve Smith
2007 | 2nd round | pick 51
Was Eli’s main target in 2009. He racked up 107 catches for 1220 yards and & 7 TDS becoming the first Giants receiver in history to break 90 catches in one season. One bad knee injury and one impulsive jump during free agency landed Smith with the Eagles and never returned to his old glory.   

In summary Jerry Reese drafts wide receivers, and he drafts them well. Now keeping them on the team or keeping them healthy is another story.

You may also like

3 comments

Shane Momier (@SMomier) February 19, 2015 - 4:33 pm

I hope not, I’d rather see him trade down or add a TE, like FSU’s Oleary. But I believe a defense player or OL would be a more immediate improvement to the team and help us win this year!

Reply
Frank Graham February 21, 2015 - 10:38 am

If WR Kevin White is on the board at 9 you take him. You always have to take a play maker like Kevin White if he is there. Why? Because like OBJ this man is a game changer.. In addition, capable OL/DL lineman can be found lower in the draft. It is very difficult to gage how well an an OL/DL who excelled in College will do in the NFL since they are not blocking or going against NFL caliber players. Based on the latest combine results an OL by the name of Ali Marpet from a small upstate NY school who the Giants knew about because he played in their region, and now many other teams know about demonstrated that he has the skills that will translate well to the NFL, and scored the highest on the OL drills. Whereas Brandon Scherff who is highly rated from a large school did not perform nearly as well.These drills are very telling and have been shown to be reliable in determining how well a OL will perform at the pro level. It takes more than brute strength to be a good OL in the pros.. Ability to use your feet and hips to be able to bend and get leverage are critical. So you never know about an OL who was a BEAST in college. He may be a BUST in the NFL. Remember Kevin Gallery?

A WR like Kevin White plays in open space and it can be more easily determined by watching film on him the quality of his catching technique and route running ability. In addition you can see how he can use his hands leap up and jump for a ball, His talent jumps out at you and is more apparent. This man will be a star as a WR in the NFL. Amarri Cooper on the other hand does not fight for the ball or use his hands to go up for it in tight spaces. He is fast and a good route runner, and good blocker on run plays, and therefore has the skills to play a slot receiver role and kick returner in the NFL. But he will not be a star WR in the NFL. He can be a star as a slot man. You can see the difference in skill players on tape. When you watch OL players it is very difficult to grade them because their footwork is difficult to judge. Many OL look almost the same on tape. So those drills are more heavily weighted for that position.

See the quote above by Jerry Reese.. that says it all. If Kevin White is gone the Giants may either trade down and hope that Dorial Green- Beckham who is a monstrous Wide Receiver from Missouri, is still on the board and take him. He is a bit raw but has all of the skills, the hands. size , speed and leaping ability to defeat any Corner back who tries to cover him. David Fuchess of Michigan is another option for them. He is another large target for ELI with good hands size speed and leaping ability. He can also play the role of a pass catching TE and be a play maker like Jimmy Graham. In the past the G-men have preferred predominately blocking TEs who can catch. But since they have switched to a new offense under McAdoo, Fuchess may now be considered a good fit.

You have to consider how other teams will be able to defense you if you have a second play maker on the opposite side of OBJ, and not just what your immediate need is. . It will be a night mare for them if the Giants add a receiver who is better than Ruben Randell by a wide margin. If your need and the play maker happen to match then you are fortunate. .But you always take that play maker first. That is how Reese thinks and what he showed last year when he took OBJ instead of a Tackle or Guard like everyone wanted him too. Thank goodness he did that.. As it turned out, OBJ was the best player on the board and not a DL named CLOWNEY. Remember him?

Reply
Marco February 21, 2015 - 12:03 pm

Well said Frank “best player available”!
If you would like to contribute to this blog please shoot me an email.
~Marco

Reply

Post Comment

Join For Updates, Exclusive Discounts & Promotions!

We hate spam also & hold a spam free policy!