The New York Giants on Saturday selected Texas cdefensive back Mykkele Thompson in Round 5 of the 2015 NFL Draft, the 144th overall selection. It was the Giants' first pick of Day 3 as they traded their fourth-round pick (108th overall) to the Tennessee Titans in Friday's move up to select safety Landon Collins.
In the first three round the Giants selected offensive tackle Ereck Flowers (Round 1, ninth overall), safety Landon Collins (Round 2, 33rd overall) and Owamagbe Odighizuwa (Round 3, 74th overall).
The Thompson pick might qualify as a bit of a surprise. In his 2015 NFL Draft Guide, Dane Brugler of CBS Sports had Thompson rated as an undrafted free agent. SB Nation's Texas blog, Burnt Orange Nation, also had Thompson projected as an undrafted free agent. Thompson played both safety and nickel cornerback at Texas, and is reputed to be a solid special teams player.
Thompson admitted that he wa surprised by his selection:
"It was a surprise to me. I don't even know how to explain it right now," Thompson said. "This was the only team I took a visit up to. I'm just glad they believed in my ability and picked me up."
The pick brings to mind the 2011 selection of linebacker Jacquian Williams in the sixth round. Few expected Williams to be drafted, but he started 22 games for the Giants during four seasons with them and played well at times.
CBS Sports says Thompson "has good size -- 6-foot-1, 200 pounds -- with impressive athleticism but limited experience."
Thompson told Giants beat writers at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center that the Giants were the only team that had him in for a visit. He also told them his goal was to be signed as a free agent. So, yes, this is a surprising selection. Clearly a player the Giants see differently than the rest of the league.
Walter Football says:
No one mentioned Mykkele Thompson as a draftable prospect, so this pick is pretty sketchy. Thompson has a lot of experience at Texas, but will probably be relegated to special teams for most of his career. This is a reach.
Giants' round-by-round selections
Round 1 (No. 9) -- Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami
Round 2 (No. 33, from Tennessee Titans) -- Landon Collins, S, Alabama
Round 3 (No. 74) -- Owamagbe Odighizuwa, DE, UCLA
Round 4 (No. 108, traded to Titans)
Round 5 (No. 144) -- Mykkele Thompson, DB, Texas
Round 6 (186)
Round 7 (No. 226)
Round 7 (No. 245, traded to Titans)
Big Blue View Draft resources
Here are some of the resources right here at Big Blue View that you might want to refer to during the draft.
- BBV NFL Draft Hub Page, where you will find all of our Draft coverage for the past several months.
- Round-by-round Big Board
- Prospect profiles. We have done more than 80 of these.
- Mock draft database
- Rules for draft success
- Prospect visits tracker