Big Blue Huddle

Ceri,

Long time follower, but I don't post much.  Question: If I read your board correctly, I infer you must be reasonably happy, correct?

+ In R1, we got TE Evan Engram, a guy in a higher level (Pro Bowl).
+/- In R2, we got DT Davlin Tomlinson, a guy you targeted for R2.
- In R3, we got QB Davis Webb, a guy not not on your board.
+ In R4, we got RB Wayne Gallman, a guy in a higher level (R3).
- In R5 and R6, we got guys you didn't target but at positions of need.

Granted, they may not have been in the order you wanted, but they seem like reasonable picks:
+ TE to beat the Cover 2 looks that consistently contained the O last year.
+ DT who's big, strong, ready to plug in and play now, and who wowed the staff during interviews (unlike Cunningham).
+/- QB who McAdoo liked and who can develop over time.
+ RB to complement Perkins.
+/- DE with classic Giants DE frame and twitch from a small program with big program pedigree and off-field issues that are presumably behind him.
+/- OT with a lot of experience giving an immediate chance to be a swing tackle along with some upside if he reverts to pre-2016 form.

My take is this was a solid haul: Nothing spectacular, with no obvious mistakes, but with some upside potential on several picks, most notably Webb.

What do you think?

One can strong case for dismissing both Reese and Coughlin (and members of their staff) or for retaining one of them.  Much hinges on whether or not ownership can confidently assign blame for the state of the roster on specific members of the scouting staff rather than on Reese himself.  For example, is there a record of missed picks that falls squarely on a scout's poor recommendations?  How much confidence has Ross inspired?

However, ownership will make all of these decisions in context; similarly, it's best for fans to consider these choices holistically rather than discretely.  Moreover, we can expect ownership to have completed an initial survey of the available talent to target before dismissing personnel.  Mara and Tisch will presumably have a better read than most of us do from reading a few speculative articles on the subject, and they will be prepared to resist "change for change's sake."  Mara, an emotional man, is on record stating that he prefers to make such changes absent the emotional frustration he experiences immediately following a disappointing season.  That said, such changes are often made quickly to get a jump on the talent competition. 

The good news is that the Giants are an enviable organization with stable owership, large-market appeal, and a winning tradition.  GM and HC candidates are likely to consider the Giants a top choice among those clubs with vacancies. 

I predict changes will happen because this playoff drought is too long for a club with a franchise QB.  Absent better/inside information, I'd say Coughlin retires and Reese is retained to manage a stable transition to a new coaching staff.