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A Look Back at some Hits and Misses in Giants' Draft History Part 2

This is the second part to the series and I left off after the 2010 Draft. Sources have pointed out that recent drafts by NYG have been total failures and need improvement so I went in to investigate. In this part I will cover the 2011-13 drafts. There are a lot less significant players that were taken after some due to these players still being very young. Remember I am just doing this for observation. NO biases to NYG, Jerry Reese, or anyone else. Enjoy

2011 NFL Draft NYG Picks:

In the 2011 draft we saw things get somewhat better for NYG as they landed more contributors than in previous years. Check out this article by ESPNNY.com on the results of NYG's 2011 draft: (Copy and paste) "http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/columns/story?columnist=youngmisuk_ohm&id=6467672"

Pick #1 (19): Prince Amukamara CB - Nebraska

Prince was a player that, just like OBJ, suffered an injury during his rookie season but Amukamara's injury was season ending. There was a lot of controversy behind the pick because NYG already had a lot of talent at the CB position with Terrell Thomas, Corey Webster, and Aaron Ross. Besides the controversy, this panned out as a pick with major upside as Amukamara showed flashes and success from the 2011 season and on. Amukamara had another injury during the 2014 season but is still an impact player and one of the times NYG hit gold.

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: OT Anthony Castonzo, DE Cameron Jordan, RB Mark Ingram, DT Muhammad Wilkerson, QB Andy Dalton, QB Colin Kaepernick, DE Jabaal Sheard, TE Kyle Rudolph, S Rahim Moore, OG Orlando Franklin, C Stefan Wisniewki, DE Da'Quan Bowers

Pick #2 (52): Marvin Austin DT - North Carolina

Things get funny here with Marvin Austin. He was selected by NYG after Jerry Reese was heavily influenced by WR Hakeem Nicks who was teammates with Austin in NC so Reese pulled the trigger. The Chicago Bears were the very next pick (53) and they were sold and desperately wanted Austin as coach Lovie Smith and DC Rod Marinelli had spent so much time with him. So when Austin was off the board, Chicago was upset and needed at DT so with the VERY NEXT PICK chose Stephen Paea DT - Oregon State and the rest is history... For those that don't know, Austin had a season ending injury during a pre-season games against THE CHICAGO BEARS. He recovered and appeared in only 8 games during the following 2012 season. When the season was over he was released and had stints with the Dolphins, Cowboys and is currently with the Broncos. As for Stephen Paea, he enjoyed a solid career with Chicago where his best season came in 2014 where he racked up 6 sacks and 33 tackles as a DT. After his rookie contract ended, he is now with the Redskins. Funny the way things work out.

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: DT Stephen Paea, C Rodney Hudson, RB Shane Vereen, WR Torrey Smith, RB Daniel Thomas, OT Marcus Gilbert, WR Randall Cobb, LB Nate Irving, LB Justin Houston, RB Demarco Murray, RB Stevan Ridley, DT Jurrell Casey, DB Chris Culliver

Pick #3 (83): Jerrel Jernigan WR - Troy

Jerrel Jernigan had a lot of hype to his name entering the draft. He was highly rated as one of the bests WRs in the draft, was seen as a swiss-army knife due to him being able to play virtually everywhere and also on special teams, and drew comparisons to WRs DeSean Jackson and Steve Smith. As we all know things didn't quite work that way. He was another player that suffered through many injuries and his best season came during the end of 2013 where NYG was in shambles. Towards the final games he caught a spark and played great (in the final three games, had 19 receptions for 237 yards and 2 TDs) but that wasn't enough to save his career as he is now a free agent.

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: DE Allen Bailey, DB Chris Conte, LB K.J. Wright, S Da'Norris Searcy, OG Clint Boling, TE Jordan Cameron, LB Sam Acho, RB Roy Helu, WR Cecil Shorts, RB Kendall Hunter

Pick #4 (117) James Brewer OT - Indiana

Full name: James Da'One Brewer, James was another player that didn't develop and produce the way NYG had hoped for, he was inactive for every game of his rookie season and had his struggles as a starter when he was forced to start in 2013, he was not resigned and is currently with the NY Jets. It's now safe to say that James Brewer just wasn't "Da'One" *Ba Dum Tsss*

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: CB Cortez Allen, TE Julius Thomas, DB Davon House, CB Buster Skrine, OG Marcus Cannon, CB Richard Sherman, DE Pernell McPhee, CB Byron Maxwell, TE Charles Clay

The next two picks were people that didn't last long; LB Greg Jones, an ILB that had a lot of success at MSU and took the place of Jonathan Goff when he was injured and recorded 31 tackles. Jones didn't survive the final cuts to the roster in the following season, and CB Tyler Sash, appeared in all 16 games his rookie season but was released in August of 2013. There were no significant picks due to them being so late and close together.

Pick #7 (202): Jacquian Williams LB - South Florida

Jacquian was a player that had a lot of upside in the beginning of his career. He was teammates with JPP both at Fort Scott CC and South Florida and as a rookie had 78 tackles. He was also known for his famous ball strip in the 2012 NFC Championship against the 49ers that lead to the game winning FG to advance to Super Bowl XLVI. Williams saw his production take a hit over the next years due to injuries. Williams suffered a concussion and shoulder injury in 2014 that made him miss multiple games and eventually led to him not being resigned by NYG. Williams is still a young player that was sidelined by injuries.

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: TE Virgil Green, FB Bruce Miller, OT Derek Newton

Pick #8 (221): Da'Rel Scott RB - Maryland

Scott was a player that Jerry Reese fell in love with. At the combine, Scott ran the fastest time for a RB (4.34) and Reese hoped that Scott would develop into a player such as Steelers All-Pro RB Willie Parker. Scott had a promising rookie season but like a lot of others; was plagued with injuries and was released. He was resigned in the horrid 2013 season when David Wilson was hurt but Scott hurt his hamstring and was released again. Scott took part in the Inagural NFL Veteran Combine.

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: LB Malcolm Smith

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2012 NFL Draft NYG Picks:

This was the year that NYG went to Super Bowl XLVI and beat the Patriots and stunned the world. they held the 32 pick and this draft had some ups and downs to it.

Pick #1 (32): David Wilson RB - Virginia Tech

Still one of my favorite players of all time, David was one of the most promising prospects in recent years but his career was stopped short to a neck injury he suffered in a game at Philadelphia in week 5. The ball was fumbled, Wilson tried to pick it up and take it out of the end zone to avoid a safety and suffered a hit right to the crown of the helmet. Wilson was taken out to be evaluated but he kept insisting that he was 'fine'. Wilson stated that he remembers feeling a burning sensation in his neck but did not have any difficulties with moving or running. He even tried to sneak back onto the field but Coughlin had to kick him out. Doctors evaluated him and diagnosed him with spinal stenosis. Doctors informed Wilson he could still play but was advised not to because another dangerous hit could be disastrous... Wilson always kept a positive attitude saying on Social Media he would be back but he had to accept fate and leave the game he loved so much. Wilson in a heart felt message was optimistic and said he 'lived his dream' playing in the NFL and scoring touchdowns and was thankful to all the fans. He was placed on IR and was eventually released. Wilson holds the NFL record for Most All-Purpose Yards in a Single Game (327) and is the first player in NFL History with 200 return yards and 100 rushing yards in a single game and was the second player since 1970 to have two rushing TD's and one return TD in a single game. After football Wilson now goes and enjoys life with friends, family, and fans and visits Virginia Tech regularly and has also taken up Track and Field. David Wilson will always be running #PocketRocket.

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: TE Coby Fleener, LB Courtney Upshaw, WR Alshon Jeffery, LB Mychal Kendricks, LB Bobby Wagner

Pick #2 (63): Rueben Randle WR - LSU

Randle was a player that struggled a bit to blossom in his first years in the league only totaling 298 yards in his first year and struggled with consistency but with new OC Ben McAdoo, he flourished and totaled 938 rec yards. At barely 23 years old, he has his whole career to shine. Randle is the age of some rookies with 3 years under his belt already, Randle's rookie contract is up at the end of next year so you should see him in a significant roll in 2015.

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: TE Dwayne Allen, QB Russell Wilson, WR Mohamed Sanu, QB Nick Foles, WR T.Y. Hilton

Pick #3 (94): Jayron Hosley CB - Virginia Tech

Hosley was a player that was graded as first round talent but his biggest weakness was his lack of size that took affect when Hosley started to play. He was another player that missed alot of time with injury and in his three years with NYG was only able to produce one interception. Dan Graziano from ESPN has already labeled him as a 'bust' and his rookie contract will be up next offseason so this is a make or break for Jayron Hosley in 2015. He has an opportunity to show his worth now that the Nickel spot is open, somewhere where he was drafted to play.

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: RB Lamar Miller, QB Kirk Cousins, RB Robert Turbin, TE Ladarius Green, CB Brandon Boykin

Pick #4 (127): Adrien Robinson TE - Cincinnati

Ah, the infamous Adrien Robinson or if you ask Jerry Reese, the "JPP of tight ends". Adrien was a TE that had a lot of hype to his name. Coming out of college he was still very raw and undeveloped but had freakish athleticism and was a good blocker. Adrien Robinson is considered a bust due to his lack of production. He caught his first and only NFL touchdown in Novemeber of 2014 against Dallas. He was beaten out by undrafted rookie Larry Donnel (of the same draft year) and Daniel Fells. Adrien's rookie contract is up this offseason, lets see how things will pan out for Jerry Reese's "JPP of tight ends".

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: N.A.

Pick #5 (131): Brandon Mosley OG - Auburn

Mosley was a person that NYG had hoped would develop into their future on their O-Line but it never happened. After winning a BCS in 2011, Mosley was thrusted into the starting lineup in 2013 when everyone was injured and it was bad to look at. Mosley has his struggles and had a minor injury in training camp. IMO I will label his as a bust that I believe should be released. Out of the 22 games he has appeared in he has only started 1. It's time for NYG to move on and find his replacement.

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: LB Brandon Marshall, WR Marvin Jones, DB Jeremy Lane, RB Alfred Morris, TE James Hanna

Pick #6 (201): Matt McCants OT - Alabama-Birmingham

When McCants was signed, he didn't make the final roster cuts the following season and was placed on the practice squad. He was cut from the team the following year.

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: LB Emmanuel Acho, DB Alfonzo Dennard

Pick #7 (239): Markus Kuhn DT - NC State

Makus Kuhn was born in Germany and had close relations with HOF DE Michael Strahan. He suffered a torn ACL late in his rookie season and showed a lot of promise. In his next season he only appeared in 5 games and in the 2014 season saw an increased roll appearing in 14 games. In three seasons with NYG, he appeared in 29 games and only started two, had 28 Total Tackles, and 1 Sack. IMO He is an average player that is quality backup at best.

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: N.A.

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2013 NFL Draft NYG Draft Picks:

2013 was a draft that saw more success but still many players are very young and have more to tell. If you don't remember, there were a lot of offensive lineman taken in the first round.

Pick #1 (19): Justin Pugh OT - Syracuse

Pugh was the 6th Offensive Lineman taken in the draft and proved to be one of the much better ones. In his two seasons he has started every game he has been in and has only missed two games. In his rookie season has a -1.6 grade in Pass Protection and a +2.5 in run blocking and had a final grade of +7.1 by PFF but did not make PFF's All-Rookie team even though his grade was much higher than that of DJ Fluker, but that was due to Fluker switching sides. In the next season, Pugh finished with a PFF grade of +5.1. There in controversy this offseason as to if Pugh will move inside to LG next to Beatty or even RG if NYG drafts a player such as La'el Collins, Ereck Flowers, or Andrus Peat. Pugh has stated that he is the RT for NYG and nothing else. This will be interesting. Overall Pugh is still a young player that has shown a lot of progress and he can only get better from here on out.

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: OG Kyle Long, CB Desmond Trufant, CB Xavier Rhodes, WR DeAndre Hopkins, LB Alec Ogletree, C Travis Frederick, TE Zach Ertz, RB Giovani Bernard, LB Manti Te'o, LB Kiko Alonso, RB Le'Veon Bell

Pick #2 (49): Jonathan Hankins: DT - Ohio State

Another great player NYG has landed in recent years. My favorite thing about Hankins is how he is barely 22 years old. That's incredibly young and he has already shown how much of an impact he has up front. A great player with a lot of upside. All he's missing is someone to compliment him to his left.

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: LB Jon Bostic, LB Jamie Collins, TE Vance McDonald, S D.J. Swearinger, RB Montee Ball, RB Eddie Lacy, RB Christine Michael, TE Travis Kelce, G Larry Warford, S Tyrann Matheiu, WR Terrance Williams, WR Keenan Allen, WR Marcus Wheaton

Pick #3 (81): Damontre Moore: DE - Texas AM

Moore, or as his college nickname goes, "DaMonster", is a player that did have some hype to his name coming out of college but had concerns about his size at the next level. Appeared in 15 games as a rookie but only had 19 tackles but saw a bigger role in 2014 and racked up 5.5 sacks and is a great contributor on special teams. He is still young talent at 22 and new NYG DC Steve Spagnuolo says he 'loves' what he sees in Moore and says he can develop him into a threat. Let's see exactly what he means in 2015.

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: DB Logan Ryan, RB Knile Davis

Pick #4 (110): Ryan Nassib QB - Syracuse

There isn't much to say about Nassib due to him being a backup his whole career. There is still a lot to be seen before anything can be said. Will look forward to what he does in pre-season.

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: RB/WR Denard Robinson, DB Tharold Simon, WR Kenny Stills

Pick #5 (152): Cooper Taylor S - Richmond

Cooper Taylor started his collegiate career at Georgia Tech. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome and missed a significant amount of time and then transferred to Richmond where he excelled. He received a ridiculous amount of awards for his success on the field and in the classroom. Taylor has incredible size for a safety standing at 6-4 230 lbs. In the NFL, Taylor was another player that struggled through injuries and missed the entire 2014 season with a toe injury after he was expecting a significant role at the Safety position. If Taylor can stay healthy in 2015 he is expected to have a huge role and a significant chance to start.

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: DB Micah Hyde, RB Zac Stacy, WR Corey Fuller, RB Andre Ellington, RB Theo Riddick, WR Charles Johnson

Pick #6 (225): Eric Herman OG - Ohio U

Herman was a guard that had success at Ohio U and Reese kept his eye on him and when he fell to the 7th round he snatched him. Overall NYG needed depth at the OL position and Reese liked Herman for his toughness and versatility. Herman didn't appear in any games his rookie season and in 2014 was suspended for not having a TUE (Therapeutic Use Exemption) for one of the two medications he was using. He was waived and placed on the practice squad.

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: N.A.

Pick #7 (253): Michael Cox RB - UMass

Cox first started his collegiate career at Michigan for three years but transferred to UMass and was the second to last pick in the NFL draft. Cox was liked by scouts and Reese for his size and elusiveness for an RB but that never seemed to transfer over at the NFL level as he struggled to produce and have an impact but NYG is holding onto him and see if he can take that next step to be a starter in the NFL. In two years with NYG, Cox has appeared in 18 games and started one in the 2013 season and has 76 yards on 26 carries and no TDs. With those stats, Cox is averaging 2.9 YPC.

Notable players taken after the pick and before the next: TE Justice Cunningham (Only notable for being the 2013 NFL's Mr. Irrelevant.)

That's it for part 2! I won't be doing 2014 because I mean c'mon, the players are still young. Odell set the NFL on fire, Richburg played impressively well out of his natural Center position, Bromley should see more snaps, Williams will get a bigger role in NYG's Three-Headed Monster backfield, Berhe is young but really confident in his new opportunity, Kennard was a hidden gem NYG was fortunate to find, and Jackson should get a second chance if he is converted to Saftey but there's still a lot more for these rookie to prove. Hope you liked it and I know I had accuracy problems in Part 1 so I hope that I was more accurate in Part 2 and if there's something I missed then please let me know down in the comments and I'll be sure to add it in. Leave your questions, comments, complains down in the comment and remember, GO BIG BLUE!

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