McShay's Mock Draft

by cjmulrain on Feb 7, 2008 8:47 AM EST

Ok, now that the season is over, it's time to start thinking a little bit about my favorite offseason event of any sport, the NFL Draft. I was checking out Todd McShay's Mock Draft on ESPN.com this morning, and check out his blurb about the Giants:

Giants - Keith Rivers, OLB, USC
The Giants are in need of an immediate and legitimate upgrade at linebacker, and Rivers is instinctive and athletic enough to contribute immediately on the weak side. They also could use a quick, explosive back who would complement current Giants power back Brandon Jacobs, so keep an eye on this selection.

That last sentence really pisses me off. Umm, Todd, did you watch any of the NFL playoffs, at all? Ever hear of Ahmad Bradshaw? Other than that though, I actually wouldn't mind seeing the Giants get Keith Rivers, a guy who should be a pretty good NFL linebacker. USC guys usually seem to do pretty well. The guy I originally wanted the Giants to target was Aqib Talib, the corner from Kansas, but due to their unfortunate success in the postseason they'll be picking way too late to pick him now. (I'm being facetious, of course).

Finally, all season long I wanted them to draft a QB in the third or fourth rounds, so that they'd have a) a decent backup in case Eli gets hurt, b) a backup plan in case Eli never turned into the QB we just saw over the past 5 weeks, and c) good trade leverage in 2 or 3 years if Eli developed and so did the backup (ala Matt Schaub). However, after this playoff run, it seems pretty obvious that Eli is the guy, and I doubt they'd draft another QB. That said, I still believe they need a good backup, because if Eli gets hurt, they are completely screwed...backups can be the difference between a playoff run or a 2-14 season. Because I doubt they'd draft anyone, I'd like to see them bring in a legit veteran backup QB, someone who is good enough to keep a team competitive, but who understands he's here to be a backup. I'm not really sure if there's any free agents out there who fit the description, so we'll just have to wait and see.

Any thoughts on what the Giants should do in the draft and free agency, leave some comments.

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decent back up

at QB is definitley needed. J-Load is good for jokes and QB sneaks but i dont want to see him leading an important drive in a real game.

by DieEaglesDie on Feb 7, 2008 11:22 AM EST 0 recs

j-load

I thought's he's looked pretty good in the preseason, with Eli where he is in his career, I don't think it's necessary to get another project QB. As Penn Stater I'm pulling for us to draft Dan Connor, it's the only thing stopping me from buying a Jay "Yum Yum Snacks" Alford Jersey. (Yes that is how Jay Alford introduced himself at the Outback Bowl two years ago, no idea why, but I refuse to call him anything else now)

by queler on Feb 7, 2008 11:58 AM EST 0 recs

Jay Yum Yum Snacks Alford

is a great nickname. ET - can we start using that for him from now on?

by DieEaglesDie on Feb 7, 2008 1:26 PM EST up 0 recs

Awesome!!

I know a few weeks ago we all wanted to call him something else -- something much, much worse.

by ETVal on Feb 7, 2008 1:35 PM EST up 0 recs

to be fair

It's not like he wanted to be the long snapper. I don't he'd long snapped since high school, he was only doing it due to the injury to Kuehl (I think that was his name)

by queler on Feb 9, 2008 4:26 PM EST up 0 recs

Mock draft guys

I know these guys know their college rosters, but I don't know that they know NFL rosters that well. For instance Mel Kiper about blew a gasket when the Giants didn't pick a LT with their 1st pick and gave them a bad grade, yet Diehl played well and the Giants had a great draft. Then this guy makes that comment about needing a quick back? I also think the Jints might be ok at weakside with Wilkinson and maybe Mitchell coming back. Honestly I don't follow college much so I have no idea about this Rivers kid. Does anyone know of a draft guru or site that really knows their stuff?

by potroast on Feb 7, 2008 2:25 PM EST 0 recs

I follow college football

but I follow it more for the teams than I do for the players. Sometimes, though, I can just tell when a guy is a beast who is gonna be a stud in the NFL. Every year I make a bet with 2 of my friends where we choose which players we think are gonna be the best pros, and then in 3 years we check back and determine a winner. We've been doing it since the 2003 draft, so we've had 3 seasons of results so far, and I've won all 3, so at the very least I have a decent eye for talent (and this year I picked Adrian Peterson, so I have a feeling I'm gonna win this one.)

Anyway, regarding Rivers: to be honest, I don't know a ton about him. I've watched a few USC games, but the guy who really stands out for them is Rey Maualuga, who I am convinced is gonna be a dominant linebacker. Problem is, he's staying in school for his senior year. I've seen Rivers as high as the number 6 or 7 pick in some mock drafts (whatever pick the Pats got from the Niners), so if he were to fall to the Giants, I'd have no problem with them taking him.

By the way, if anyone's interested even though it doesn't really concern the Giants, here's 2 videos of my personal man-crush and the guy I'm 100% convinced is gonna be the best QB out of this draft (oh, and he goes to my college), Joe Flacco of Delaware:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZxW_RdJjtos&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=PUVjmXq9vUk

by cjmulrain on Feb 7, 2008 2:47 PM EST up 0 recs

Linebacker

Giants are stocked at LB, provided they keep Torbor and Mitchell, who can both be FAs. Don't forget, there is Kiwanuka and Wilkinson. I think you're right -- it sounds like McShay at least really doesn't know the NFL rosters, which makes it tough to do a credible mock draft.

by ETVal on Feb 7, 2008 5:45 PM EST up 0 recs

You're right, Ed, who we draft depends a lot

on what happens with Mitchell and Torbor. Mitchell's a tad slow but he's a hard hitter and learned a new position pretty fast. I'd like to keep them both, although in the open market they might command more $ than the Giants are willing to pay. I did think our secondary should take priority in the draft and free agency but they came through at the end of the year, so maybe not. (Two of the guys are getting long in the tooth though.)
I believe our single biggest need is a speed burner who can stretch the field. Moss looks like he won't make it. It took his brother a few years to find himself. Maybe that will hold true for Sinorice. Two guys with great speed are Hixon and Pope. Does management think one of them might be able to fill the need?
A kicker who engendered more confidence would be nice.
My bottom line is that, given the job the job Jerry's done to date, whatever he decides is okay with me. Like Pot, I don't know enough about college players to have strong opinions about them at this point.

by george cronin on Feb 9, 2008 10:56 AM EST up 0 recs

Flacco

If he lasts till the sixth or seventh round, he might be worth a pick. He looks good on the tape you provided. Several Fighting Blue Hens QBs have made it to the NFL, including (especially) Scott Brunner, who gave Phil Simms a run for his money back in the day.

by george cronin on Feb 9, 2008 10:42 AM EST 0 recs

Gannon

was another UD QB, so far he's been the best of them. Unfortunately, there's almost no way Flacco is lasting till the 6th round, apparently the Dolphins, Ravens, and Bears are all looking at him as a possible 2nd round pick (if they don't take Matt Ryan or Brian Brohm in the 1st round).

Concerning Sinorice Moss and whether it's time to give up on him, I'd just like to compare the first 2 seasons of two second-round picks on our roster:

Player A
Year 1: 1 Rec., 12 Yds, 0 TD
Year 2: 16 Rec., 263 Yds, 1 TD

Player B
Year 1: 5 Rec., 25 Yds, 0 TD
Year 2: 21 Rec., 225 Yds, 0 TD

Both players look pretty similar. Player B doesn't average as many yards per catch and doesn't have a TD, but has 9 more receptions, so they look pretty even on balance. Player B is Sinorice Moss. Player A is Giants all-time leading receiver Amani Toomer, who in his 3rd year only had 27 receptions for 360 yards and 5 TDs, he didn't have a break-out year until year 4 in '99. So I think we need a little more patience with Moss...he has talent, he just needs to be given some more looks.

by cjmulrain on Feb 9, 2008 1:17 PM EST up 0 recs

Flacco looked too good for the Giants to

reach. Given the interest he's getting he'll be long gone before the Giants will want to use a pick. Didn't know about Gannon. Greatly underappreciated, I always thought (like Jeff Garcia.) Interesting data re Toomer. You're a font of info.

by george cronin on Feb 9, 2008 3:15 PM EST up 0 recs

Maybe

Moss showed some flashes this season, which was really his first since he missed most of last year. It's hard to give up on speed, so I'm sure the Giants will continued to give him opportunities.

by ETVal on Feb 9, 2008 8:04 PM EST up 0 recs

Drafting a QB

In the third or fourth round, it would be OK to draft a QB - Remember that the Pats drafted Brady while Bledsoe was in his prime.

Other than that, I always say that games are won and lost on the line of scrimmage, and I would love to see more monster linemen. Depth at the line can be the difference between winning and losing seasons.

Retirements that we have to plan for, if not this year, then soon:

Strahan, Toomer, Madison, McQuarters. Anyone else?

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by NYERinSF on Feb 9, 2008 1:23 PM EST 0 recs

No more retirements, except maybe Feagles

(I hope not.) I think Brady was a sixth rounder.
Stray and Toomer might want to go out as SB winners, but I think they both have a few good years in them.

by george cronin on Feb 9, 2008 3:21 PM EST 0 recs

OK - sixth round

and I think the giants have an extra sixth round pick from the Ryan Grant trade, right?

The thing is, no legitimate veteran is going to come on board now, because he has no real shot at competing for the starting position.

Yes, both Stray and Toomer still have game, though they might want to go out as winners. I do expect the production of each to start declining. I think that, provided he stays healthy, we'll start to see Smith and Toomer alternate at 2nd receiver by the end of the year. Moss is a bust, and is probably gone this year, but I think either Dixon or Tyree might be able to step up

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by NYERinSF on Feb 9, 2008 5:11 PM EST up 0 recs