PFW Giants draft pick report

[MightyGiants]

1. Kenny Phillips
(#3 rated S -- behind DaJuan Morgan and Tyrell Johnson.)
Upside: Has great size and moves well for as big as he is. Plays the run hard. Is alert in coverage and has good hips and quick feet. Very competitive. Lined up at CB as a sophomore and shows some man-coverage ability. Matches up well with TEs.

Downside: Not a great athlete. Has a narrow frame and does not play very big or physical. Not a strong tackler. Can be a little hesitant in his transition and does not pop out of his breaks. Does not get his hands on a lot of balls and is not a productive interceptor (only 7 career INTs in 3 years as a starter). Lacks recovery speed and burst. Has missed time with injuries (thumb, ankle, groin).

The Way We See It: Stood out the most early in his career while playing alongside Brandon Meriweather and struggled to live up to the hype as a junior. Does not have great range to play off the hash. A solid hitter who will fit best in the box, Phillips has not proven to be the game-changer he showed flashes of becoming as a freshman, when UM coaches compared him to Sean Taylor and Ed Reed. Is not nearly the athlete, nor does he possess the instincts and physicality of those former Hurricanes greats. He is, however, a very experienced 3-year starter who should compete for a job early.

Interesting Stat: Had 3 FF's as a junior.


2. Terrell Thomas
(#15 rated CB -- behind guys like Jack Ike, Tyvon Branch and Jack Williams.)
Upside: Well-built with very long arms. Makes quick, decisive zone reads. Uses his hands well in press coverage. Passes off his receiver in zone coverage and plays smart. Good sideline awareness. Can keep stride with receivers.

Downside: Has an injury history -- a dislocated right shoulder in '03, torn ACL and MCL in '05 and dislocated left shoulder in '07. Lacks downfield speed to be left on an island in man coverage. Plays over-aggressively and will bite hard on pump fakes and double moves and get beaten over the top. Not a sudden closer or an explosive tackler.

The Way We See It: Big zone corner who warrants looks at safety. Has good size, instincts and tackling skills to play inside. Would fit best in a cover-2 scheme.

Interesting Stat: For all the talk about injuries, he started 26 straight games to finish his career, and had 95 tackles, 19 PD's and 6 INTs.


3. Mario Manningham
(#1 rated WR.)
Upside: Sleek, gliding, quick-twitch athlete. Sharp route runner with a lethal double move. Accelerates quickly off the line of scrimmage and eats up cushion. Shows the competitive speed to gain a step on defenders, tracks the ball extremely well and adjusts to its flight. Has great body control and can pirouette in mid-air and highpoint the ball. A home run hitter. Nimble and elusive in confined space, can shake defenders out of their shoes and turn a short slant into a huge gain. Can snare the fastball. Wants the ball in crunch time and makes plays when it counts (see Michigan State).

Downside: Has a very slender frame with minimal muscular development -- long-term durability needs to be considered. Plays with too much finesse and does not run through contact. Takes some choppy steps out of his breaks. Rounds his cuts on slants and leaves break points open for DBs. Shows some untimely lapses in concentration (see Ohio State). Not a great practice player and will talk too much. Can grate on a coach and will need to be monitored. Immature.

The Way We See It: Manningham needs to add some meat to his bones but otherwise has the skill set to develop into a legitimate No. 1 receiver. Similar to Bengals WR Chad Johnson in physical and mental makeup, he is the type of player teams will not want to defend, yet those teams will be wary about letting him into their locker room. If he commits himself to the game, he could be a regular in Honolulu.

Interesting Stat: 27 TDs in 34 career games.


4. Bryan Kehl
(#14 rated OLB -- behind guys like Lamar Myles, Robert James and Geno Hayes.)
Upside: Good size with a frame to get bigger. Is athletic. Runs hard to the ball and plays with intensity. Solid production. Possesses good coverage skills. Plays smart. Great work ethic. Solid character. Has a passion for the game. Does everything he can to improve. Solid special-teams contributor.

Downside: Needs to get stronger in the upper body and learn to use his strength better on the field. Will overrun the ball and struggle to break down in space. Looks a bit rigid in his movement with an odd gait and could be exposed in man coverage against athletic TEs.

The Way We See It: Was the most athletic of the LB group at the East-West Shrine game and has the ability to cover ground. Could develop into a solid "Will" LB.

Interesting Stat: 4 sacks and 3 INTs as a senior.


5. Jonathan Goff
(#7 rated ILB -- projected in round 4 or 5)
Upside: Has a muscular build with long arms and has weighed as much as 250 pounds. Very productive. 2-time team captain. Intelligent. Durable -- started last 39 games of his collegiate career. Good worker.

Downside: Has zero instincts and is too cautious making reads. Plays too slow, heavy-legged and flat-footed. Too tight-hipped. Limited agility -- struggles to change direction and cannot recover from the slightest misstep. Most of his production comes while moving laterally. Shows marginal balance and awareness and struggles to maneuver through traffic. Too easily chopped down by the cut block. Not a physical tackler. Average playing strength. Glaringly soft when taking on and shedding blocker and too often runs underneath blocks and gets sealed off. Appears overwhelmed in pass coverage. Too robotic and plays like he's afraid to make a mistake.

The Way We See It: Big, stiff inside 'backer who runs well inline but cannot break down in space. Does not play strong enough or cover well enough to play over the TE, lacks the speed and agility desired on the weak side and lacks the instincts desired in the middle. His open-field tackling deficiency could make it difficult for him to contribute in special-teams coverage.

Interesting Stat: 2nd team all SEC MLB.


6. Andre Woodson
(#4 rated QB -- projected as 2nd or 3rd round pick.)
Upside: Excellent size. Towering presence. Has good arm strength with a fluid stroke and delivery and spins a very tight spiral. Can zip it long distances on a rope and throw with touch. Improving decision-maker. Is very calm and collected and has shown the ability to keep his poise under pressure and rally his team from big deficits, as he showed he could do vs. Louisville and LSU.

Downside: Has a tendency to bird-dog his primary target and has a long release with a hitch at the top, where he drops the ball down to throw. Will force the ball into coverage. Has an exaggerated release, requires space to throw and too often aims the ball. Average athletic ability and marginal foot quickness to buy time with his feet and can be flustered in the face of pressure. Looks to the sideline for audibles and will take some time to grasp an offense. Takes time to build a rhythm.

The Way We See It: A bigger, thicker version of Redskins 2005 first-rounder Jason Campbell, Woodson will need a clean pocket to function in the league because of his lack of mobility, wind-up in his release and need to step into his throws. He has the physical tools to develop into a fine pro, but the team that drafts him will need to be very patient. Could be good in time, never great.

Interesting Stat: Threw 71 TDs and only 18 INTs in his last 2 seasons. Completed 63%.


6. Erin Henderson
(Not rated.)


Others
UDFA D.J. Hall
(#24 rated WR -- projected as 4th or 5th rounder.)
Upside: Good height and reach. Takes sharp angles and sells his routes. Adjusts well to the ball over his shoulder and catches the ball well over his head. Willing blocker. Shows some quickness to create after the catch. Has produced in the clutch. Very good career production.

Downside: Too lean with an underdeveloped body. Not physical. Curls up in traffic and shies from contact. Upright route runner -- pad level is too high coming in and out of his breaks. Struggles to beat the jam. Tight in the lower body. Makes some concentration drops. Lacks top-end speed to separate. Average worker.

The Way We See It: A good college football player who could develop into a solid No. 4 or No. 5 receiver in the pros but lacks the toughness, strength and desire to be a front-line player.

Interesting Stat: Alabama's all time leading WR in almost every category.


UDFA Ogemdi Nwagbuo
(#18 rated DT -- projected as 6th or 7th rounder.)
Upside: Has some girth and a frame to get bigger. Shows nice lower-body strength and balance. Flashes some quickness. Did not begin playing football until senior year of high school and has a lot of upside. Is smart and can learn.

Downside: Marginal athlete. A plodder with trudging, heavy feet that often go dead on contact. Gets outmanuevered and sealed too easily. Does not use hands or lock out and consequently struggles to get off blocks. Struggles to keep his feet in traffic. Does not push the pocket or play on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

The Way We See It: Raw former junior-college transfer made the leap to starter in his 2nd season at MSU. A developmental prospect with enough physical ability to develop, but he will require considerable coaching and patience.