Criticized by some for his selection of cornerback Eli Apple at No. 10 overall in the 2016 NFL draft, New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese fired back at draft pundits on Monday.
“When somebody doesn’t know what they’re talking about, it’s easy to depict it that way,” Reese said, via NJ.com. “Because they don’t know what they’re talking about.”
Reese and the Giants first saw the Tennessee Titans trade up to No. 8 to take tackle Jack Conklin. A pick later, the Chicago Bears moved up to No. 9 to draft linebacker Leonard Floyd. Both were considered potential targets for the Giants.
When New York came on the clock, Apple—a young, high-upside corner from Ohio State—was the best player on the Giants board.
According to NFL.com, Apple was the draft’s 37th best player. CBS Sports ranked him 20th overall.
Offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and linebacker Myles Jack were still available for the Giants. But neither was considered a clean choice, with Tunsil’s gas-mask video appearing on Twitter right before the first round and Jack’s potential time-bomb knee.
Reese sounds overly defensive of his first-round draft pick, but it must be difficult to do months of exhaustive work to build a board and eventually make a pick, only to have outsiders criticize a player you feel will help your franchise. Then again, the best draft critics and pundits also do the same amount of exhaustive work in building their own rankings and big boards. And no decision made by an NFL organization is ever free of criticism, as Reese surely knows.
The Giants general manager picked the top player on his board. Others outside New York’s draft room felt differently. Time will tell the rest of the tale, but Reese’s attack on draft pundits sure feels sophomoric and empty.
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