In this weekend's NFL Draft, the New York Giants made two things abundantly clear.

For one, general manager Jerry Reese stuck to the Giants' tried and true philosophy of drafting for value rather than need. Second, New York realized it had a dire need to add speed to all three phases of the game - offense, defense and, perhaps most significantly, special teams.

The selection of Nebraska CB Prince Amukamara in the first round was the absolute value pick, as very few people had cornerback as an area of need for New York. Amukamara was widely prognosticated as a top-10 pick, and having him still on the board at the 19th pick was ultimately too enticing for the Giants. Alabama RB Mark Ingram and Boston College OT Anthony Castonzo were commonly linked to New York prior to the draft and were still available at No. 19, but Amukamara still presented the most value. Now, the Giants have arguably the deepest collection of defensive backs in the NFL with Corey Webster, Terrell Thomas and Aaron Ross at cornerback and Antrel Rolle, Kenny Phillips and rookie Tyler Sash (see below) at safety. Amukamara also brings speed (4.43-second 40-yard dash at the Combine)), another welcome addition to the secondary.

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Maybe Jerry Reese really did realize how badly he needed to bolster the Giants' linebacking corps. after all.  The Giants selected South Florida outside linebacker Jacquian Williams with their third sixth-round pick and the 202nd pick overall in the 2011 NFL Draft.  Just 17 picks earlier, Reese selected Michigan State's Greg Jones, an inside linebacker. Reese is probably also hoping to strike gold again with another South Florida player to go along with last year's top pick, Jason Pierre-Paul. 

Here is some information courtesy of NFL Draft Scout on Williams:

2010 ALL-BIG EAST CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM (COACHES): LB Jacquain Williams, USF, Sr., has been selected All-BIG EAST Second Team for the 2010 college football season as selected by a vote of the league's eight head football coaches. In his first season as a starter at linebacker, Williams, who is also a captain, led the team in tackles with 68 and TFL with 9.5. He picked his game up as the season went on and posted 41 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, an INT and a PBU over the final six games of the regular season.

I'd write more, but the Giants have a seventh-round pick coming.  Actually they probably already chose him!

With the 185th pick (6th round) in the 2011 NFL draft, the Giants selected inside linebacker Greg Jones of Michigan State.  I have to tell you folks, I am personally ecstatic over this pick.  I live in Madison and watched Jones play against the Badgers this past season, and he is an absolute beast.  To be honest, I have no idea how he fell this far.  I know he was originally projected as a first or second-rounder.  But trust me, I think the G-men have a sixth round gem here. 

Here is a bit of Jones' player bio from Michigan State:

2010 SEASON (SENIOR): One of 10 players in the nation to earn unanimous first-team All-American honors (The Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, Football Writers Association of American and the Sporting News) . . . was the only repeat selection from the 2009 team to the 2010 AFCA and AP All-America Teams . . . also garnered first-team All-America accolades by SI.com, Phil Steele, CBSSports.com and Scout.com . . . named to the All-Big Ten first team for the third straight year . . . earned the Governor's Award (Team MVP)

Here is what Mel Kiper had to say....."Heck of a college player," Kiper said. "I think people are going to look at him and say, 'OK, is he going to be equally as good in the NFL?' And there's some questions. That's why instead of being the first- or second-round pick that collegiate press clippings lead you to believe, he becomes a fourth- or fifth-round pick."

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The New York Giants selected James Brewer, OT, Indiana in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft on Saturday. The Giants had the 117th overall selection.

Brewer is a 6-foot-6, 323-pound offensive tackle who could possibly have the ability to play on either side of the line. Here is part of Draft Countdown's report on Brewer:

Appears to have the tools to play left or right tackle at the next level --- Supremely talented with tantalizing potential but may not have the intangibles needed to fulfill it --- Classic Boom or Bust prospect who could thrive if he can stay healthy and  learn  to play with more of a nasty demeanor.

NFL Draft Bible immediately proclaimed the pick "a major steal."

Sounds like the type of high-ceiling long-term project player that Giants' General Manager Jerry Reese seems to love. Brewer would also, again, qualify as tremendous fourth-round value according to draft boards. He was ranked 89th by Draft Countdown and SB Nation's Mocking The Draft ranked him 86th.

-- You can check out Big Blue View on Twitter for a whole lot more reaction to this pick and other draft news.

You have to say this for New York Giants General Manager Jerry Reese. He was adamant prior to the draft that the Giants would take value over need, and the selection of Troy wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan with the 83rd overall pick was the third straight case of the Giants doing exactly that in the 2011 NFL Draft.

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The New York Giants' selection of North Carolina defensive tackle Marvin Austin is a roll of the dice by General Manager Jerry Reese on an extremely talented player with a checkered past, evidenced by his suspension for the entire 2010 season. The pick is, largely, playing to great reviews around the Inter-Google.

• "Great value pick." -- USA Today
• "And the Giants land another steal who inexplicably falls" (Grade: A) -- Walter Football
• " There's no denying his talent." -- SB Nation

There is also no denying the risk. Austin comes with plenty of questions not only about the 2010 suspension, but about his effort. The Giants, of course, are fully aware of all that.

"We did a lot of work on him. He was very highly rated on our board. The value was tremendous at that point," Reese said. "Again, we did a lot of homework on him. We couldn't pass him up."

Giants coach Tom Coughlin said the team had "probably seven or eight of our people" at Austin's North Carolina Pro Day.

"He wants the opportunity to prove a lot of people wrong. The fact that we do all kinds of tests on people and those tests were very good. A lot of people substantiated the fact that although you do have to have some borders in place, he's basically a guy that's sharp and, if focused, can be a very good football player," Coughlin said. "I think anybody's a risk. Until they come in and prove exactly what they can do, there's risk involved for anybody. But we're in a high-risk business."

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The New York Giants selected Jerrel Jernigan, WR, Troy, with their third-round selection (83rd overall) in the 2011 NFL Draft. I can hear those of you insisting that the Giants absolutely had to draft a linebacker or a center screaming already, even though we know little to nothing about this guy.

Jernigan is a 5-foot-8, 185-pound receiver/return man. Here is a quick scouting report from Draft Countdown:

Best fit at the next level might come as a slot receiver and return specialist who can also be utilized in the Wildcat and on reverses --- Dynamic all-purpose playmaker who is a threat to score every time he touches the ball from anywhere on the field --- Just may be a bigger,  much faster version of Dexter McCluster.

Still would be nice to get a linebacker and a center, but let's just see what happens. Your thoughts?

Draft Preview: Jerrell Jernigan (via foxsports)

The New York Giants took North Carolina defensive tackle Marvin Austin [full profile] with the 52nd pick of the 2011 NFL Draft. Austin is a 6-foot-3, 310-pounder with immense talent. He is a "high-risk, high-reward" player.

Your thoughts?