Smith fills Giants' passing fancy

It was all-too apparent last season: After Amani Toomer went down to a knee injury, there was absolutely no one the Giants could turn to for help in the passing game. Plaxico Burress was given special attention by opposing defenses and so was Jeremy Shockey. Eli Manning looked downfield and no one was able to emerge as a target.

This coming season, the Giants envision Steve Smith filling that role, which is why last night they used their second-round pick in the NFL Draft on the productive receiver from USC. "If they're going to take away 17 [Burress] and they're going to take away 80 [Shockey] you got to have somebody else," general manager Jerry Reese said. "Quarterbacks like these kind of guys." In the third round, the Giants took Jay Alford, a defensive tackle from Penn State. Continue