Who are the best players available for the New York Giants as Round 2 of the 2012 NFL Draft begins Friday night (7 p.m. ET, ESPN & NFL Network)? Well, that depends on who you ask.
Every draft analyst has an opinion on that. Here are some of them:
- Pro Football Weekly
- CBS Sports
- Draft Countdown (a full list of 32 names)
- National Football Post
- Mocking The Draft
- ESPN | Mel Kiper
Is there a common thread that could impact the Giants among all of these lists? For me, the biggest thing that jumps is that due to the way the first round worked out there is a plethora of offensive linemen still available.
Peter Konz (C, Wisconsin), Cordy Glenn (G, Georgia), and Jonathan Martin (OT Stanford) were considered likely first-round picks. Bobby Massie (OT, Mississippi), Amimi Silatolu (G, Midwestern State), Mike Adams (OT, Ohio State were among borderline first-round guys according to many analysts. Guys like Kelechi Osemele (G/T, Iowa State) and Jeff Allen (OT, Illinois) are other players with possible second-round value. So, if the Giants want to bolster their offensive line there should be players to choose from with the final selection of the second round, 63rd overall.
How about tight end? Coby Fleener of Stanford is still on the board, though he is likely to be gone within the first few picks of Round 2. More likely, and maybe a better fit for the Giants is Dwayne Allen of Clemson. He should be available toward the end of the second round.
There are a bunch of defensive linemen still on the board, as well. Jerel Worthy (DT, Michigan State), Devon Still (DT, Penn State) and Kendell Reyes (DT, Connecticut) were possible first-round picks according to some analysts. How about defensive end Vinny Curry of Missouri or Andre Branch of Clemson?
Linebacker? Courtney Upshaw (Alabama), Lavonte David (Nebraska) and Zach Brown (North Carolina) are still on the board.
Wide receiver? Stephen Hill (Georgia Tech), Reuben Randle (LSU, Mohamed Sanu (Rutgers), Alshon Jeffery (South Carolina) are among the players still available.
So, there will be a quality player available for the Giants at the end of Round 2.