Manningham, Woodson choices add intrigue

by Ed Valentine on Apr 28, 2008 7:13 AM EDT in News Comment 17 comments

So, what did you guys think of the Giants' haul during Draft Weekend?

In case you haven't seen the list -- and if not, why haven't you? -- here is what the Giants did on Day 2 Sunday.

• 3rd round (95th overall) -- Mario Manningham, WR, Michigan
• 4th round (123rd overall) -- Bryan Kehl, OLB, BYU
• 5th round (165th overall) -- Jonathan Goff, ILB, Vanderbilt
• 6th round (198th overall) -- Andre Woodson, QB, Kentucky
• 6th round (199th overall) -- Robert Henderson, DE, Southern Mississippi

Added to the first-day selections of safety Kenny Phillips and cornerback Terrell Thomas that meant five of the seven picks were spent on defense. I love that, because that is where I thought the emphasis needed to be.

Yet, the two most intriguing picks are the offensive players.

Manningham is an explosive receiver with first-round talent, but off-the-field issues raised character concerns and caused his stock to drop.

He could be a star. Or, he could be a head-case and a total bust.

ESPN described the risk/reward with Manningham this way.

The Giants put themselves in position to hit a home run by taking Michigan receiver Mario Manningham in the third round. But they also can strike out with this pick.

There is no doubt that Manningham has first-round talent. He set a Michigan record with six consecutive 100-yard receiving games as a junior. Physically, he's one of the top receivers in the draft. Yet character concerns caused him to fall into the third round.

Coming off a Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots, the veteran-laden Giants might be the right team to get the most out of Manningham. Obviously, New York general manager Jerry Reese did enough homework to determine it was worth the risk.

If the Giants are correct, Manningham could be one of this year's biggest draft steals.

Considering all of the trouble the Giants have had adding big-play threats on the outside I can't blame Reese for rolling the dice with Manningham.

Take the Manningham poll at the end of this article. Click 'Entry Link' if you don't see it.

The Woodson choice was also an interesting one, and quite possibly spells doom for both of last year's backup QBs, Anthony Wright and Jared Lorenzen. With David Carr also added to the roster Eli Manning could have two new backups.

Woodson was apparently thought of as a guy who would be selected much earlier until a very poor Senior Bowl performance. The Giants seem thrilled to have found him sitting there for them late in the draft.

Coach Tom Coughlin, from Giants.com.

"This was just too good a pick for us to pass up," Coughlin said. "This is a guy that was rated highly on our board. We found ourselves in a position where we felt like he was a guy we wanted to bring in as a young quarterback who could work in our system and be a guy who we could develop as we went forward."

Reese, also from Giants.com.

"For years we have talked about bringing in a young quarterback and developing him in our system," Reese said. "Let him grow up here. This guy has got a strong skill set. We like a lot of things about him. He is very productive playing for Kentucky. He has a lot of production over his years there as a quarterback. He has the arm to make all of the throws. He is a pretty good athlete for that position. So there are a lot of positive things about him down there in the draft room. We are going to bring him along and see if he can challenge for some of our backup quarterback spots."

I am not going to try and grade this draft. There is no way to realistically do that until the players get on the field. As I said, though, I thought the emphasis was right.

I will have more on these guys in the next few days. For now, though, I am anxious to see what you guys have to say.

More On the Draft

• Tom Coughlin post-draft video
• Jerry Reese post-draft video
• Manningham doesn't think he's a risk. Ledger On Giants
• Undrafted players to watch for. ESPN
• The funniest draft story you will read anywhere. Deadspin
• This draft class has a lot to live up to. FOX Sports
• Reese's NFL.com interview

Poll

What do you think of the selection of talented, but troubled wide receiver Mario Manningham?

Worth the risk

40 votes

Not worth the risk

1 votes

Undecided

1 votes

42 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 17 comments

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Comments

Prisco likes us!

haven't heard too many good things about this draft class. most experts have the giants in the C to B- range - which is encouraging because it's graded much higher than last year's crop.

the only "A" i've seen so far, comes from pete prisco of CBS:

Best pick: Getting Michigan receiver Mario Manningham in the third round will pay off. He has some character issues, but that shouldn't be a problem playing for Tom Coughlin.

Questionable move: Taking Miami safety Kenny Phillips in the first round over Arkansas State safety Tyrell Johnson. OK, that's nitpicking; both are good players.

Second-day gem: Fourth-round pick Bryan Kehl, a linebacker from BYU, was rated higher on some boards. The Giants need help at linebacker and Kehl should provide it.

Overall grade: A. This team gets it. Jerry Reese knows how to find quality football players. First-round pick Phillips will start as a rookie.

by SBakerTheTouchdownMaker on Apr 28, 2008 8:13 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Interesting

I don't pay much attention to these grades, but that is nice to hear. I go back to last year when most experts thought the Giants had a horrible draft, and it turned out to be a historically good one. I think the emphasis was good, and Reese did what he should do on the second day -- take a couple of fliers on guys who could/should have gone earlier and see if he can hit a home run.

by Ed Valentine on Apr 28, 2008 8:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Draft Grades

I think maybe some of the low grades are due to not trading Shockey. Honestly, I think it was the right decision unless someone wanted to knock our socks off with an offer. Yes, I know we won the Super Bowl without him, but that doesn't mean he doesn't make us a more dangerous team. I think the fact that we won the Super Bowl without him* might actually help to keep his mouth in check a little, and if that's the case and everyone is on the same page then he could help contribute to a very dangerous offense.

* Yes, I know I'm repeating, I just like typing the phrase "we won the Super Bowl".

by Josh on Apr 28, 2008 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I throw that phrase

Into random conversations I'm having every day, so you're forgiven.

We Won the Super Bowl!

by cjmulrain on Apr 28, 2008 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I type the words

defending Super Bowl champion whenever possible. Like right now!!

by Ed Valentine on Apr 28, 2008 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Reese strikes again

Good move taking (another) "gamble" on a quality player with a few blemishes on his record. Reese and company surely did their homework on Manningham and must have come away feeling he was worth the gamble.I don't recall anything negative being said about Bradshaw once last season began and have to figure Manningham could thrive with the in house support the Giants will offer. Did you do anything during college you weren't especially proud of? Imagine he works out for the best we could potentially line up with Burress and Manningham wide with Shockey and Boss posting the middle. Which hand do you want it with?

by big blue wrecking crew on Apr 28, 2008 9:32 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

and with

Steve Smith in the slot. I'm a big Steve Smith fan and think he could be poised for a breakout year this season. He just knows how to get open and get first downs.

by cjmulrain on Apr 28, 2008 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good point

Smith started to show some real skill down the stretch and in the playoffs

by Josh on Apr 28, 2008 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

According the Daily News...

Manningham scored a 6 on the Wonderlic. Do you suppose he was buzzed when he took it? One hopes...

by drunkUncle on Apr 28, 2008 9:37 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Isn't that

the same score Vince Young got? He's done pretty decently so far (not a great passer, but he wins ballgames.)

If a QB can get by in the NFL with a low wonderlic, I'm not too worried about a receiver, who doesn't have to be that smart anyway. As long as he can get open and catch the ball, he'll be fine.

by cjmulrain on Apr 28, 2008 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

As the 95th selection

Manningham is worth the risk. The rest of the picks were a little confusing once I read their respective bios. Many of the defensive players don't seem well suited to a blitz oriented attack. I'm sure Reese, Coughlin, and Spagnolo got to know these playeres skills better than I do, but at first blush they seem ill-fitted.

by rzor on Apr 28, 2008 10:19 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Defense

Thomas seems like a risk, but he is reputed to be a bump-and-run corner. That is what you need in Spags' system. We'll see how it works out.

by Ed Valentine on Apr 28, 2008 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

kiper/mcshay

anyone else think mcshay with kiper hair looks an awful lot like michael showalter?

as for the draft, i was pleased. like ed, glad to see lots of defenders picked and the 2 O players could turn out to be the steals of the draft. minor gripe would be that you can alsways use more depth at o-line and that hasnt been our strongest suit in a while, but you only get 7 picks and we had no glaring holes there.

i also dont get these draft grades. you can never know now, and even later, if players dont pan out, thats part of the calculated risk you take. just cause a player busts doesnt necessarily mean the GM made the wrong call.

reese (in my and it seems everyone elses) estimation correctly identified the giants personnel needs and made decisions to address these concerns. for that alone he gets a PASS for this draft. and his risky picks didnt come at the expense of our immediate concerns.

reese seems to get the NFL and his judgment is sound. from cutting unproductive veterans, to signing quality, cheap 'filler' guys as free agents to his short but amazing track record with the draft, I think we have a pretty good GM here. i also like how the team is getting younger and more competitive.

now we just have to somehow survive the long off season until we kick off the season against the dedskins. thats going to be rough.

by DieEaglesDie on Apr 28, 2008 11:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Two LB picks

Not much has been said about Kehl and Goff. I saw Kehl play a couple of times and he has a nose for the ball and can certain QB a defense. Hardnosed player.

Goff I have not seen much.

Do you guys know anything else about them? Seems like they were great value picks for the gints.

One thing that is alittle odd to me is that the gints typically go after some smaller school guys and find great value there. This draft was all about big school, big division players. I wonder if reese and others saw too many of these small school guys being looked at and did not see the value there anymore as some of those guys were rated high by other teams. Just an observation.

by losangelesmets on Apr 28, 2008 2:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs