Remember those comments New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin made at the NFL Scouting Combine about the team needing a center in the upcoming 2011 NFL Draft? Well, ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper certainly did.
In version 3.0 of Kiper's Mock Draft, which was released today, Kiper has the Giants selecting Florida guard/center Mike Pouncey [full profile] with the 19th selection of the first round.
Said Kiper:
Pouncey's brother was taken at No. 18 overall last year and became a Pro Bowl player in his first year with the Steelers. Mike offers a very similar skill set to Maurkice. He can play guard or center, gets to the second level very well and should help the Giants in the running game. New York is a much better team when they have a running game that the heat off Eli Manning and it should start up front.
Another Mock Draft source I like very much is Draft Tek, which uses a simulated model. The most recent Draft Tek simulation, run Tuesday, also has the Giants selecting a center. Draft Tek gives the Giants Stefen Wisniewski [full profile] of Penn State.
Here is what Draft Tek's Giants analyst, Bill Bliss, said about the result:
Center is a very big need for the Giants, with Shaun O'Hara's best days behind him and uncertainty about the health of the Rich Seubert. A bit of a reach at pick 19, the DRAFTSIM model selects Stefen Wisniewski out of Penn State, the top-rated C in this class. Wisniewski is a durable and versatile lineman with quality NFL bloodlines - his uncle Steve was an 8-time Pro Bowl guard, and his father played with the old Baltimore Colts. He's excelled at both guard and center at PSU, earning 2nd team AP All-American honors at G in 2010. While the Giants could go with OLB Martez Wilson here, Wisniewski is a much safer pick, and is just the type of guy Reese and the Maras like.
Your thoughts, Giants fans?