Giant Football Blog

Giants sign first-round pick Amukamara

Giants first-round pick Prince Amukamara has agreed to a contract, according to someone with knowledge of the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity because it has not been formally announced. It was first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter. Amukamara was the final unsigned first-round pick.

All first-round picks receive four-year contracts. The issues have been guaranteed years. Amukamara received the same salary structure as the No. 17 and No. 18 picks, according to the source. He received the maximum allocation allowed. (continue)

Prince fits into Giants plan

If the Giants' first-round pick in this year's draft turns out to be the shutdown cornerback many expect him to be, they can thank a current member of the Jets' coaching staff for it.

Bill Callahan, now the assistant head coach and offensive line guru for the Jets, was the one who recruited Prince Amukamara to Nebraska and also the one who first decided the promising running back would fit best in the defensive backfield.

"He was a great athlete coming out of high school," Callahan told Newsday. "He could play anything. He was amazing. Hell of a basketball player. And in football, he could do anything with the ball. He could play anything. We gave thought to playing him at receiver. He had an abundance of talent."

So why move him to cornerback?

"I think there was a need at the time," Callahan said. (Newsday)

Giants take 2 LBs,S,RB with final picks

In his mind today, Jerry Reese heard the voice of the late Tom Boisture, the former Giants director of player personnel who passed away in March.

“When you scout guys,” Reese recalled Boisture often telling him, “you respect production.”

Reese and the Giants’ front office respected the production of Michigan State linebacker Greg Jones, a three-time All-Big Ten selection and a two-time All-American who had 465 tackles, 16 1/2 sacks and two interceptions in his college career.

The Giants selected Jones with the first of their three sixth-round picks, despite questions about his height (6 feet) and a subpar senior season.

The reason: production.

“He’s played at a high level (and is a) very instinctive player,” Reese said of the 185th overall pick. (Ledger)

Giants take T Brewer in 4th round

It took until the third day of the NFL Draft but the Giants finally selected an offensive lineman today when with their pick in the fourth round (117th overall) they took James Brewer, an offensive tackle from Indiana.

The greater need for the Giants is in the interior of the line, where three players (Shaun O’Hara, Rich Seubert and Adam Koets) are coming off surgeries. The Giants view the 6-6, 323-pound Brewer as a developmental player who won’t have any pressure to play right away.

General manager Jerry Reese called Brewer “a late bloomer’’ who only played one year of football in high school because he was concentrating on basketball. “He probably thought he was going to be a basketball player but you don’t see a lot of 335-pound basketball players.’’ (Post)

 

3rd round Giants select WR Jernigan

There is a good amount of uncertainty with the health of the Giants' wide receivers right now, especially with Steve Smith in his recovery from knee surgery.

So with their third-round pick, No. 83 overall, the team drafted a bit of insurance in Troy wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan, a player who impressed the Giants with his versatility as a a slot receiver, Wildcat quarterback, high-school quarterback, returner and all-around special-teams contributor.

“He’s a little guy, but he’s extremely fast,” Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross said of the 5-8, 181-pound Jernigan, who ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine. “(He has) just a great feel for the game. … He’s going to add some speed to our team on offense and special teams.” (Ledger)

Giants draft DT Austin in 2nd round

Four years ago, the Giants drafted a running back with plenty of character concerns. So Jerry Reese brought in Ahmad Bradshaw and told him he’d be on a short leash.

“I won’t let you down,” Bradshaw told Reese.

Bradshaw hasn’t. Neither has 2008 third-round pick Mario Manningham. And the Giants can only hope Marvin Austin won’t either.

The team Friday night selected the North Carolina defensive tackle in the second round of the NFL Draft, with the 52nd overall pick. One round later, they added a wide receiver in Jerrel Jernigan from Troy.

From a talent standpoint, the selection of the 6-2, 312-pound Austin was a steal, as he was being compared to the top tackles in last year’s draft because of his quickness off the ball and what Reese termed a “nasty” streak on the field. From a personal standpoint, it was a risk because of many character concerns.

Which is why Austin can expect the same speech Bradshaw received when he makes his first appearance at the team’s facility. (Ledger)

Surprise, CB Amukamara taken by Giants with 19th pick

The Giants did not go into the first round of the NFL Draft thinking cornerback, but they sure changed their minds when their selection came around at No. 19 and sitting there, shockingly, was Prince Amukamara, the highly regarded player from Nebraska.

It was widely believed Amukamara would be long gone well before the Giants' turn came up and, even though the position is not a glaring need, it was simply too much value to pass up.

So, with the top running back in the draft, Mark Ingram, still on the board, and a quality left tackle, Anthony Castonzo, available, the Giants trusted their draft board and happily took Amukamara, whom Tom Coughlin said was "clearly the highest-rated player on the board.'' (Post)

Anything but O-line in 1st round would be a surprise

Mike Pouncey's goal Thursday night is to be drafted at least as high as his twin brother was last year. Maurkice Pouncey, a Pro Bowl center with the Steelers, was taken with the 18th pick.

However, if Mike Pouncey doesn't get his wish, the Giants might get theirs because they hold the 19th selection in the NFL draft Thursday night and they have had their eye on the Florida offensive lineman for a while.

It's not a lock they will select him, but he is the player most scouts and experts have pegged for the Giants in the first round. Judging by the players they have worked out and visited with the last few months and the workouts and Pro Days they attended, there is no doubt they have been scouring the landscape for offensive linemen. And with the Giants' three centers - Shaun O'Hara (ankle, foot), Rich Seubert (knee) and Adam Koets (knee) - all recovering from surgery, even Tom Coughlin admits center is a big need. (News)

O-line a draft focus for Giants

The Giants might have a glaring need at defensive tackle if Barry Cofield goes elsewhere.

They might be in the market for a new starting running back if Ahmad Bradshaw signs with another team.

There would be no proven tight end on the roster if Kevin Boss leaves.

All three could be deemed free agents, or all three valuable players could be contractually bound to the Giants for another season.

The uncertainty is numbing, but that’s how general manager Jerry Reese— and all his counterparts throughout the league — head into the NFL Draft, a three-day event that begins with Thursday night’s first round.(Post)

Draft business as usual for Reese

In a typical offseason, Jerry Reese already would have spackled up many of the cracks on the Giants' roster with free- agent acquisitions. There would have been some guys who played the previous year but left, either as free agents themselves or in trades, and there would have been new additions being folded into the team during workouts.

But this is not a typical offseason. The NFL has been in lockout mode for six weeks. There has been no movement of players since then, and even when a collective-bargaining agreement is agreed to -- ostensibly sometime before the start of the 2011 season -- it's impossible to say what rules will govern who becomes a free agent and how much money teams are allowed to spend on them.

It might be tempting, therefore, to look at next week's draft as different from any other. But Reese insists the Giants are not changing their focus.

"It is a little strange," he said of having the draft before the free-agency period at his annual pre-draft news conference Thursday. "It's just flipped. Still, we will go into the draft looking for the best players available. Then after the draft when free agency starts, we will probably say, 'OK, let's fill some holes where we think we need some help.' " (Newsday)