NY Giants Team Needs in 2010 Draft

Let’s formally list the team needs of the NY Giants as they head into the 2010 NFL Draft.

For starters we can look at NFL.com Pete Kirwan’s breakdown of AFC teams and NFC teams.  The most need for the Giants is with the linebacker unit.  Until Sintim, this unit wasn’t touched in round 2 of the draft since 1993.  Of all the teams listed by Kirwan and positions of need, LB is a top 3 need for 11 of 32 teams.  2 teams, the NY Giants and Denver Broncos, have OLB and MLB/ILB as 2 of 3 top needs. So wouldn’t that increase the probability that an LB will be drafted in round 1?  Or is there another position that we may be overlooking?

While we wait for Pete’s draft board, we’ll use Wonder’s to look at what is available at these positions of “need:”

Note there are 2 valued near 15: McClain at 13, and Kindle at 18.  Yet if we look at Wonder’s and NFL House’s LBers rankings of immediate impact players, the odds of getting one in the 2nd round are much lower.  From Wonder’s list we have McClain valued at 13 to Brandon Graham valued at 41.  In addition, NFL House has McClain at 6 to Jerry Hughes at 38.  Yet they have Daryl Washington listed at 66.  If the Giants do not trade out of their pick/s and move up or move down, they look to be picking where the LBers are not.  Weatherspoon can help the LBers get better, but is that the answer at 15?  The Giant could easily go for another position of need and better value.  How many of you are comfortable with a linebacker roster of Boley, Goff, Sintim, Kehl, Wilkinson and Blackburn this coming season? 

Glenn had a great post the other day, “Picking Reese’s Brain”.  He listed the transition and continuity of the NY Giant GM philosophy.  Glenn separately noted an interesting pattern that may reveal their strategy going into the draft.  He pointed out that the Gmen drafted OL In 1988 with the first 2 picks of the draft and in 1999 they drafted OL in the 1st and 5th.  Last year they possessed 3 picks in the first 2 rounds and picked Beatty in round 2.  McKenzie has shown signs of aging and injuries the last 2 years, Seubert is not a spring chicken anymore and Diehl as we all know is not a natural LT.  All this points to a very high probability that they will draft an OL with at least 1 of their first 2 picks.