I think we all can agree on one thing- that the Giants CAN TRADE DOWN AND DO REALLY WELL.
If a team near the bottom has a desire to trade up, you drop 10-15 spots, pick up another 2 and draft not one but even possibly TWO LBers like Washington, Weatherspoon, Hughes, and even Graham. I agree there is more of a gamble, more volatility in Kindle at 15. All else equal, I TRADE DOWN and still get a LBer. It fulfills not one, not two but THREE RULES FOR WINNING IN THE NFL in one shot:
(4) “Linebackers, I collect’em”- Bill Parcells.
(9) Trading down in the draft is good.
(23) Second round draft picks are the best value in the draft. No sizzle, all steak.
Wonder is finishing up his analysis of the entire draft and his macro message is this: THE 2010 DRAFT IS NOT HEAVY AT THE VERY TOP. BUT IT IS VERY DEEP WITH PLENTY OF SOLID TALENT THROUGH 3 ROUNDS, EVEN INTO ROUND 4.
This plays into how the Giants can get THREE EXCELLENT PLAYERS INSIDE THIS WINDOW by trading down to ~25 or 30 and getting the LBer, the Safety AND the DT. This draft also has loads of solid TEs, so the Giants can likely be situated well in Round 3 to take a TE that will backup and be a quality understudy to Boss. (I do not know why I even mention TE, when our Offensive Coordinator wouldn’t know one if it bit him in the a**. Maybe we should just stay with Plan A and starve the F***er.)
Let’s revisit the slot at 15. Before making the mock pick on Sunday, I watched highlights of the Alabama game to zero in on Kindle, and he was a force. You hear the professionals talk about this a lot… what did that player do against the best competition.
I hate… repeat, HATE Tweeners. That is why Pete and Wonder both know and understand that there ARE RISKS with a guy like Kindle. This cannot be understated- there really should be NO RISKS with a #1 draft pick. It should be someone who you think will be an impact player period. It is for this reason that trading down makes so much sense once McClain is gone. If no one will give me anything for trading down, then at that spot you go for someone like Kindle or Mays. But let me drop down to the end of Round 1, pick up a really solid LBer that can do many terrific things for this franchise over the next 8-10 years, and while I am at it I pick up another #2. DONE. Graham is a tweener too, he is more of a 3-4 LBer, so that means he should be going higher for a 3-4 team than us. Tough noogies. So only take a guy like that at an appropriate spot. I doubt he’ll be around at the end of the first round, but in the small chance he is, look how much more opportunity you have created with that extra #2 pick created. Kindle will not be there at 25-32. But stranger things have happened, so you have so many avenues that await you. The reason why is that, with so many more LBers awaiting, it all makes a great deal of sense.
Simple Math: at 15, McClain is likely gone. Kindle, Graham, Washington, Hughes, Weatherspoon, Mays, and a few others we like at different positions at 15 are all still there. That is like ~8 players- they ALL won’t go in the next 8 picks. So if you look at the draft value chart for how many picks down the Giants have to trade with someone to also get their #2 pick in this year’s draft, it is 1050=720+330 OR the 25th pick. Yes, this draft value chart is flawed, not an exact science, but roughly speaking you are there in the ballpark. The 15th pick = 25th pick + 57th pick. Considering at 25 we can get a very good player we might even be picking at 15, AND we also get the “steak” of another 2nd rounder, this is how you build a SUPER strong team with excellent players everywhere.
Depending on who is there at 15, the whole subject is moot. Someone may fall to 15 that the Giants simply cannot pass up based on value. That is called optionality. BEFORE THE DRAFT STARTS, you talk to a few teams about trading down, and negotiate well in advance. They can opt out if the landscape at 15 has changed, and you can too. But at least you have prenegotiated and know who may have interest.
There are now only 10 minutes in between picks. You have to be prepared for every scenario. The Giants traded down in 2006 because there were ~5 or 6 players they liked ~equally… so why not trade down from 25 to 32 (like they did) and still get one of them. DeMeco Ryans was available (… A LBer!), but Accorsi went for the pass rusher they knew from BC. This year, there is so much strong talent all across the first few rounds that it just makes too much sense to not at least inquire about the interest from teams that pick down there. I just love second rounders… I could recite them over and over and over again… Sehorn, Strahan, Osi, Toomer, Jumbo, SSmith, Snee, Barber, Webster etc… it is a parade of impact players.
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