Giants' GM Reese set for first draft

For the past four years, Jerry Reese ran the NFL Draft room for the Giants as director of player personnel. Next weekend, Reese for the first time will have the final say. As the first-year general manager, Reese is filling a dual role. He has yet to hire someone to fill his previous position. The GM is always linked to the players he selects in the draft, and Reese's legacy starts getting shaped eight days from now. The Giants own the 20th overall pick and are likely to lean heavily on fortifying their leaky defense.

"I really don't think about it as MY first pick," Reese said yesterday, engaging in his first pre-draft press conference after replacing the retired Ernie Accorsi. "It's the New York Giants pick." Reese has not exactly hit the ground running. The Giants did not open the floodgates in free agency - their most high-profile addition was linebacker Kavika Mitchell - leaving plenty of holes to be plugged in the draft. Reese blamed an inflated market for the lack of signings. Continue