The talent available
I don
Good work as always Ceri. When I did my needs evaluation (based on all free agents leaving) TE was a major area of need. As you pointed out his injury history (especially his concussions make him a risk even if the team does resign him).
I 2nd MG's compliments Ceri. Your position previews are always good reads & I look forward to as much as I do the draft itself. I patiently await the next installment. Particularly you evaluation of the OTs and OGs
Thanks Ceri...great job as usual.
ceri.....once again, thanks for the time and effort you put into your draft primers......i love reading them and most of the time you are spot on....go Giants!!!!!
I would like to see the Giants pick up Luke Stocker. I think he could fit well into the Giants system and we have seen that the Giants like former team captains.
Ceri,
Spot on as always. The only qualifier I would add concerns Andre Smith's two blocked kicks as they might have been systemic in nature. Beamer puts a great emphasis on this aspect of the game (even running kick block drills with nerf-style footballs) so that VTech regularly leads the top D-I teams in blocked kicks.
Go QPR! Ten points clear with five to go!
Big Hitter
BBH Draft Preview 2011 - Center's
The talent available
This is a position where I simply don
After watching Koets botch snaps like he did and then perform nearly flawlessly when the time came to do it for real, I am not too distressed by Pouncey's shotgun problem.
Just heard Pat Kirwin on NFL radio. Pat says he knows that Pouncey has fixed his snapping problems
BBH Draft Preview 2011 - Guard's
The talent available
Some of the top Guard prospects have already been covered in the Center preview but there are also some appealing players who project inside in the NFL that played Tackle in college, including some with experience inside already. Whilst there may not be any
Nice review. Why do you believe that the Giants won't re-sign Boothe? You mentioned that in both previews.
Quote from: vette on April 16, 2011, 07:34:29 AM
Nice review. Why do you believe that the Giants won't re-sign Boothe? You mentioned that in both previews.
There comes a point in a players career where the minimum salary is simply too much for a back-up. For Petrus to progress up the depth chart Boothe has to go.
I think Ceri's reasoning is sound, Rich. And the fact that Boothe was offered only an original (6th round) tender rather than a "we want to keep him", 2nd Rounder also may be indicative.
Cheers!
I would love to see Boothe resigned, possibly to start at center. If not, we have a strong need to pick two lineman in first four rounds. Possibly a tackle and guard/center in first two rounds. Ohara and Suebert may both not be back due to age and injury. There's a lot of guessing as a fan with free agency still lingering. I hope we can keep Boothe, Bradshaw, Cofield, Boss.
I have a question about the Penn St. player Stefan Wisniewski. How many games did he play in as starting Center in 2010? I thought that Doug Klopacz was the Center for that team but I know he had some injuries. How many games did Klopacz start and how many did Wisniewski start. I also seem to have read somewhere that Klopacz pushed Wisniewski to Guard at some point in their careers.
Ceri,
We are presently sh!tty at center. Presuming that these idiots decide to settle the lockout instead of cutting their own nouts, do you have any handle on the potential free agent talent available at this position?
I assume that you will be at Loftus Road tomorrow for the game against Derby. Best of luck. Go QPR!
Brian
Without getting into the how I know this, Seubert has little-to-no chance of playing football this year. In fact, if he was not so tough, he would probably have little chance to ever play again at all. The injury is even worse than publicly portrayed.
Big Hitter
Quote from: vette on April 17, 2011, 11:07:54 AM
I have a question about the Penn St. player Stefan Wisniewski. How many games did he play in as starting Center in 2010?
Wisniewski started every game at RG in '10 so didn't start at C at all.
Quote from: bighitterdalama on April 17, 2011, 11:11:32 AM
Ceri,
We are presently sh!tty at center. Presuming that these idiots decide to settle the lockout instead of cutting their own nouts, do you have any handle on the potential free agent talent available at this position?
I assume that you will be at Loftus Road tomorrow for the game against Derby. Best of luck. Go QPR!
Brian
Free agent talent is hard to figure out right now but the cupboard isn't exactly well stocked there either. Ryan Kalil (Panthers) and Jonathon Goodwin (Saints) are the sure things and recent Pro Bowlers. Interestingly though there are a pair of collegiate C's - Leroy Harris (Titans) and Chris Chester (Ravens) - who have started at RG because their teams already had C's. One of that duo could be asked to shift back to the pivot if they hit free agent markets.
As for QPR, well of course I'll be there! 6 pts needed from 4 games to secure the Championship Trophy let alone get promoted!! A win tonight means if we beat 2nd place Cardiff at the weekend the trophy is in the bag! Alternatively, we'll have to wait for Hull to come to town on Easter Monday to clinch it.
I played BB in HS with a kid named Will Rackley. Went on to coach at Brown. Also his brothers David and Luther.
Anyway, I can't believe we'll be looking for guard help before the third. At that point, it looks way too late for sleepers like Watkins or Ijlana to still be around. But if one of them is, I'd love to see us get him.
Well done as usual Ceri -
IMO, Rodney Hudson's playing weight in the high 290s just might be too light to hold ground against the mammoth 3/4 NTs he will be asked to face. Agree?
According to Pouncey - the Giants have had a "lot of contact" with him. That tells me they are truly interested and not just gathering more information to "rule him out". I still believe that he is the safest OL pick in the Draft and will be the Giants' selection at #19 (if there of course).
I would prefer the Free Agent route - but it doesn't look as if that is going to happen.
Quote from: bighitterdalama on April 17, 2011, 11:24:48 AM
Without getting into the how I know this, Seubert has little-to-no chance of playing football this year. In fact, if he was not so tough, he would probably have little chance to ever play again at all. The injury is even worse than publicly portrayed.
Big Hitter
I can believe it Brian. I have posted the extensive surgery he underwent and that even Suey is saying he will only begin to run in late July (when he would be ready for the football field is anyone's guess.
Just runnin' this up the flagpole...I wouldn't be so quick to turn the page on Boothe. If Suey can't play this year & Petrus is an unknown (?), wouldn't Boothe be a prudent fallback? A Rook (even a well scouted Prospect selected in the early Rds.) has to still prove he's a Player, which is no guarantee. Boothe proved he can play G & C. Sign him for a one year deal with incentives.
We also signed another swing-type OL, Ike Ndukwe, this offseason. I don't think Boothe comes back.
Ceri, thanks so much for the time you put into these previews! They're really great.
Ceri, what are your thoughts on TCU's Kirkpatrick and Oregon State's Linnekohl as later-round prospects?
Or should I take their omission from the report as your answer? :)
As Chris said...
Ceri, thanks so much for the time you put into these previews! They're really great.
Quote from: todge on April 18, 2011, 12:10:09 PM
IMO, Rodney Hudson's playing weight in the high 290s just might be too light to hold ground against the mammoth 3/4 NTs he will be asked to face. Agree?
According to Pouncey - the Giants have had a "lot of contact" with him. That tells me they are truly interested and not just gathering more information to "rule him out". I still believe that he is the safest OL pick in the Draft and will be the Giants' selection at #19 (if there of course).
Re: Hudson. Disagree! Who exactly are the mammoth 3-4 NT's he's asked to face? I'd suggest winning the Division is more important than worrying about teams we play in a rotation over a period of years.
Dallas' Pro Bowl NT is around 300lb's and wins based on superior quickness. Washington don't have one worth worrying about right now and Philly play a 4-3. That's 6 games covered and no issues in our Division. I'm also not aware of any DT that whipped Hudson in college despite the talent he faced.
Re: Pouncey, he may end up as our 1st round pick but our interest in him is no more than in other players. We're just doing more research on him because we have so many unanswered questions...
Like why is it a guy so talented can't execute a shotgun snap? And why his QB constantly has to reach forward, left or right to take the ball? Or why the QB needs a 40" vertical jump to catch the high ones?
It's not like the days when Ernie Accorsi was GM and he stood dribbling at Miami Hurricanes Pro Days giddy as a school-girl watching the likes of Shockey and Moss, invited them in for visits and then tried to pretend he didn't want them in the worst way when everyone knew he did!
A better indication nowadays may be TC as when he goes to a Pro Day it's because the scouting department have told him a player in attendance and working out is high on our 'wish list' and to look at him and see what he thinks so it is easier to form a consensus on taking that player if he's available. Find out where TC went and you'll find our 1st round pick, possibly even our 2nd round pick as well... After all, he went to South Florida and East Carolina last year...
Pouncey by announcing who he is linked with is simply trying to drum up more publicity for himself - after all, he's already anointed himself as Dallas' selection with the 9th pick overall. By talking Giants as well I'd suggest he's trying to ensure he is positioned in the draft somewhere between them. Oh yeah, he's announced lots of contact with Miami too and they pick 15th.
Thanks Ceri -
it will be interesting to see what the Giants do. It's almost a mortal lock that they take a Center at some point in the first 3 Rounds.
As to Pouncey- I never thought of the angle that his agent has advised him to "stir the pot" in attempts to drive up the interest in him (which of course means more dollars for both!). As to his snapping issues - Russ Lande feels they are all technique-based. Apparently there wasn't a coach at Florida who knew how to help him.
As to Hudson - I certainly wouldn't be disappointed in him in the 2nd Round. He has the look of a solid 10 year starter. If the Giants plan this route - then who do they take in Round 1? There are no LBs or DBs worthy of the pick. Which would lead me to believe the Giants just might take one of the tackles. That would make OL the first two Rounds which is something I wouldn't mind one bit.
How would Pouncy rank as a guard compared to the last few drafts? If he was taken as our new OLG would he have Chris Snee type talent and start right away? Or does have decent OG talent but his ability to play center adds enough for him to be a top 32 pick?
Quote from: vette on April 17, 2011, 11:07:54 AM
I have a question about the Penn St. player Stefan Wisniewski. How many games did he play in as starting Center in 2010? I thought that Doug Klopacz was the Center for that team but I know he had some injuries. How many games did Klopacz start and how many did Wisniewski start. I also seem to have read somewhere that Klopacz pushed Wisniewski to Guard at some point in their careers.
Ceri answered your questioned but just thought I'd add that Doug Klopacz didn't push Wiz anywhere at PSU. They plugged Wiz wherever they felt was the weakest spot on the interior and he'd lock it down. I really think he's good value in round 2 and would love to see him in Giants blue. He's going to be a starter for 10+ yrs, barring injury. One of those plug and play kinda guys.
Thanks PSU. What's the scoop on Klopacz. I understand that he had no interest in a pro career. What kind of a player was he?
BBH Draft Preview 2011 - Tackle's
The talent available
Whilst there is great quality of depth and likely to be future starters drafted for both LT and RT positions well into the second day of the draft (if not beyond) there isn
hmmm not sure about Doug. I know he had injury issues and on top of that he was never a standout player. He tore an ACL and missed a season at one point (the year Wiz started at center, I believe). I don't think he would have ever been able to make an NFL roster even if he wanted it badly.
Quote from: UKGiantsFan on April 15, 2011, 02:35:26 PM
The talent available
This is a position where I simply don
Thank you for sharing this Ceri. I'll trust the Giants to do a good job on the O line for us.
Teams don't draft BPA anymore. They draft "BPA at a position of need". Since we are not privy to Giant Draft grades - it is conceivable that Pouncey might be the highest rated player on their Board at #19. We will find out soon.
Hi, Ceri. I really like your analysis of the Tackles.
I also love Smith but assume he'll go to Dallas at 9.
Of the others, I think the safest picks are (in order) Carimi, Sherrod and Carpenter. I'm not crazy about Costanzo as I don't see him as an ideal LT and don't think he has the strength to be an asset in the running game at RT. I like Solder even less, as I think he plays way too high and will never contribute to a running attack.
Given that, I'd prefer Carimi to any of the other OTs, as I think he'd be a very good RT who could dominate in the run game alongside Snee once McKenzie is let go in two years. He could start at RT right now and not be overmatched, imo. Sherrod seems like a guy who's pretty good at everything, but will not excel...low bust potential but lower ceiling than Smith or Carimi. Carpenter MAY have the talent to become a superb player, and might be able to play both tackle spots and OG. I'd be very happy with him in the 2nd round if we got that lucky.
Indeed, I wouldn't mind a draft with Carimi and Carpenter as our first two picks (although we certainly have a ton of other needs).
As always, thanks for a job well done, and best wishes to you. Yat
BBH Draft Preview 2011 - Full Backs
The talent available
Due to the change in the way the game is played in college nowadays there hasn
I like what I'm reading about Sherman in your preview as a nice fit in this offense.
Chicken or the egg? Tree in a forest?
Another opinion? And the beat goes on.....
http://www.bigblueview.com/2011/3/26/2072798/round-by-round-analysis-of-jerry-reese-and-who-we-will-take (http://www.bigblueview.com/2011/3/26/2072798/round-by-round-analysis-of-jerry-reese-and-who-we-will-take)
How 'bout another cliche'? Right from the horses mouth?
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/giants/2011/04/reese-preparing-for-strange-nfl-draft (http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/giants/2011/04/reese-preparing-for-strange-nfl-draft)
"It
mods....if the intention is to sticky these, i think you missed this one....go Giants!!!!!
As always Ceri a very entertaining and informing read. The more I see of Carimi the more I like the kid and would love it if he were the pick at 19. Love his nasty streak and the movement he gets in the run game.
So many fellow fans want either Smith or Costanzo. I don't. With Smith I am leery of career RTs who the "experts" claim are athletic enough to plat LT. In the past few years we have seen the likes of Kenyatta Walker, Kwame Harris and Winston Justice being touted as LT worthy even though they never played the position.
And Costanzo? Other than the Coughlin-BC connection I don't get what so many are fascinated with. The couple BC games and highlight vids I watched he didn't appear to be that good
The only one I saw, that I noticed seeing, was Marecic. He played linebacker that day and had a pick 6. I don't think the Giants will want him early enough to get him...he seems like a luxury item for us.
And thanks again Ceri..really fun to read your stuff "whilst" sipping a pint.
Nice analysis, Ceri I don't think the Giants would hurt themselves if they took any of the five at 19. Personally, I rate Costanzo and Solder higher than you do. I think if the Giants do take an OT at 19, it will be either one of them.
Cheers!
Hyper accurate report there UK, my two cents on next year's OL; LT Beatty - LG DD will start, then give way to Boothe/Andrews/Petrus - C Koets, Boothe, Petrus, Suey - RG Snee - RT Kareem
Thinkin' it's critical for Jints to capitalize on OT pool with a Legit Swing OT @ 19th overall (Not Smith, no LT experience). My choice is Solder.
Why OT? Tough to find this quality of Prospect bottom 1/3 of 1st Rd. & hopefully we will be Drafting nearer the bottom of the 1st Rd. in the future. If some stud DL falls to us fine...as long as JR believes he can get his OT in the 2nd Rd. even if he has to trade-up a bit
a) No need to rush him into the Lineup. This Rook can learn his trade backin' up Beatty & Kareem next season.
b) With Beatty on board for another four years, the Rook can compete with Beatty @ LT in 2012. Loser plays RT.
c) JR mentioned yesterday that he'd be willin' to trade up a couple, or back a couple spots in 1st Rd. @ 1st I thought smokescreen...then I thought, u never know whom our GM is coveting? If some GM wants to fork over a 3rd Rd. pick to move back two slots, gotta think a swing OT would be there for us @ 21st overall with this OT pool depth.
BBH Draft Preview 2011 - Running Backs
The talent available
While there is plenty of depth, there aren
BBH Draft Preview 2011 - Top 10's at QB & WR
I haven't really got time to cover either of these position's and don't consider either of them in any way to be a 'position of need' so am simply providing a top 10 list and where i have them rated in my overall list. If I get time I will return to this nearer draft day to add a bio for each player.
Note: Where I have them rated personally does not correlate with the mock 1st round I put up earlier
QB
Blaine Gabbert (Missouri) - Top 10
Cam Newton (Auburn) - Top 10
Jake Locker (Washington) - Top 32
Ryan Mallett (Arkansas) - Top 32
Christian Ponder (Florida St.) - Top 40
Andy Dalton (TCU) - Top 40
Colin Kaepernick (Nevada) - Top 64
Ricky Stanzi (Iowa)
Greg McElroy (Alabama)
TJ Yates (North Carolina)
Summary: The Giants have no need to 'force' a pick at this position now they have a veteran back-up in place once again. Were one of Stanzi and McElroy to make it into the draft's third day I wouldn't rule them out as options but I'm hopeful we'll spend our picks on other positions
WR
1. AJ Green (Georgia) - Top 10
2. Julio Jones (Alabama) - Top 10
3. Randall Cobb (Kentucky) is a small-framed 5
OMG - scratch Cannon of the list. At least the early list.
Draft Prospect Marcus Cannon Tests Positive for Lymphoma
http://thecovertwo.com/2011/04/draft-prospect-marcus-cannon-tests-positive-for-lymphoma/ (http://thecovertwo.com/2011/04/draft-prospect-marcus-cannon-tests-positive-for-lymphoma/)
Imagine recieving that news @ a Combine?
Wish Cannon luck. Hopefully they caught it early.
I'd take the kid in third round if the doctor could define "hopefully". Does "hopefully" mean he could return to football or workouts at the very end of his 12 week treatment as opposed to 6 months or does "hopefully" mean his career is in jeopardy? A healthy Cannon would be a nice fit for 2012. I'd write off 2011 though.
According to the report