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Mario Manningham only caught four passes as a rookie. Here, he heads upfield after one of his rare grabs. |
Today we move to an interesting player in our 2008 Giants draft retrospective.
Third-round pick Mario Manningham, the wide receiver from Michigan.
The only way to describe Manningham's first season as a Giant is like this -- it was a complete waste.
Manningham fell victim to the Giants Curse of the Rookie Receiver Quad Injury, following in the footsteps of Sinorice Moss and Steve Smith.
The injury kept him off the practice field throughout most of training camp, and Manningham was never able to make up for that lost time.
The sum total of his contributions was four catches for 26 yards and one disastrous 12-yard loss on a reverse against Philadelphia. He played in just four games.
That is not the kind of production the Giants were hoping for when they gambled on Manningham last April. The Giants were looking for a playmaker. Instead, they got Moss II. A player who never had a legitimate chance to show if he can actually be a contributor.
Many considered the 5-foot-11, 183-pounder a first-round talent a year ago, but he slipped down draft boards due to some off-the-field incidents and concerns about his ability to master a complicated NFL passing attack.
Considering the Giants current situation at wide receiver you have to think that come training camp they will give Manningham every opportunity to show that he can be the kind of player they envisioned. I would expect that regardless of who else the Giants trade for, sign or draft.
Manningham's rookie season was undoubtedly a failure. I think, though, that we have to give him another year before we declare him a bust.
Rookie Season Grade: F
