Okay, Jon Gruden, so the Giants' first round draft pick, Nebraska's Prince Amukamara needs to figure out that he can only bump receivers within five yards of line of scrimmage in the NFL. It sounded like he was stretching to find fault with this kid, and it seems like most of you on BBV had the same reaction--in fact, I can't remember the last time fans were this excited about a first round pick we made. Here are some other thoughts from around the Web....
In Amukamara, Giants Select Talent Over Need With First Pick - NYTimes.com
The Giants’ most obvious concerns were at linebacker and the offensive line, but with Amukamara slipping further than expected, they made a pick that would have been hard to predict before the night began.
Value once again rules for Giants, as they take Nebraska CB Prince Amukamara with 19th pick - The Washington Post
In the weeks leading up to the NFL draft, general manager Jerry Reese insisted repeatedly that value would determine the New York Giants’ draft choice. So, while they needed help on the offensive line, at linebacker and the receiver positions, the Giants didn’t hesitate to take Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara with the 19th pick overall when the Big 12 defensive player of the year was still available Thursday night.
Nebraska Prince slips to Giants - NYPOST.com
It was widely believed Amukamara would be gone well before the Giants’ turn came up and, even though the position was not a glaring need, it was simply too much value to pass up. And so, with the top running back in the draft, Mark Ingram of Alabama, still on the board, and a quality left tackle, Anthony Castonzo of Boston College, also available, the Giants trusted their draft board and happily took Amukamara.
New York Giants select Nebraska defensive back Prince Amukamara with 19th overall pick in NFL draft
It seemed like a fairy tale as it was all unfolding, but the Giants ended up with one of the top defensive backs in the NFL draft Thursday night when Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara - a descendant of Nigerian royalty - surprisingly fell into their laps. He was almost universally pegged as a Top 10 selection, but somehow fell all the way to 19th.
Prince Amukamara Lands at New York Giants as No. 19 Pick in NFL Draft - Bloomberg
Prince Amukamara had never been to New York City until this week. After being taken as the 19th pick in the National Football League draft by the Giants, he’ll be spending a lot more time there. The 21-year-old cornerback was chosen by the Giants last night at Radio City Music Hall in New York after being named the Big 12 Conference defensive player of the year.
NFL draft carnival of boos, Faith Hill and poultry - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
At 19, the New York Giants selected cornerback Prince Amukamara, who is the son of a Nigerian chief and whose family took the stage in full royal garb. Take that William and Kate.
I was hoping to find more reaction from columnists and pundits this morning, but to be honest, I think most of them were in a bit of shock that Prince fell this far, and had nothing even remotely prepared this morning about the Giants' top pick. So we'll have to wait a few hours, I guess. Everything above is basic instant reaction and a lot of words like "surprise," "fell," and "landed." Of course, you're going to have plenty of goofballs like the one just above this using a royal wedding reference. Ugh.
Meanwhile, here is the latest on the labor dispute:
NFL tells teams to resume football operations | NJ.com
The first round of the NFL Draft was held tonight, as had been scheduled for months, but earlier in the day hundreds of players around the league had a different reason to celebrate: the league’s announcement that players and teams could resume work at 8 a.m. Friday. DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the former players union, deemed it a "great day for our country" because "football’s back" — at least for the time being.
Take this with a grain of salt, football fans. Because the league is still trying to appeal to a higher court about this. The good news, of course, is that right now players are allowed to return to work until instructed otherwise. We'll have more coverage throughout the day about Prince and what the Giants' top competitors did in the first round.