“Let’s get one thing straight about 2011’s OTackles right off the top,” says Wonder. “There are no Russell Okungs and Trent Williamses in this Draft. And at Guard, for that matter, there are no Mike Iupatis either. So please take everything said in that context.
“The best value pick in the draft at Tackle is Castonzo. He’s not the highest, but he is the best value.”
Wonder adds some color about these players on the OL… coaching is crazy important. “Offensive Line, and to a lesser extent, Defensive Line, are the two areas where position coaching can really leverage ability. Position coaching in the secondary and running back, for example, are far less impactful than at Offensive Line.”
Think Flaherty. Think Jim “Mouse” McNally, who transformed no-names like (undrafted) Rich Seubert, Chris Bober and Jason Whittle into starters.
Good OL coaching can take undrafted guys and make them into good players. And they can take good players who are drafted with some potential and mold them into mainstays. Wonder sees a guy like Joe Barksdale as “FOF” feast or famine, a sleeper in R4 or R5 who can blossom with good coaching. The Giants have had success in drafting OLinemen everywhere, be it early (Snee), late (Diehl) or never (Seubert), so late works with patience and coaching.
Summary: Loads of people are naturally alerting us to the possibility of Castonzo (with the BC connection) being a NY Giant. And this would not be a “bad” pick. But with that said, I’d rather get the #1 LBer like Houston and parlay a R5 pick like Barksdale into a possible starter. REMEMBER, last year, we said that if LBer was not available at 15 and we could not trade down, that Iupati or Pouncey was a great choice because we had the possibility of getting a 10 year “1” type of player (even if it was inside, not at Tackle). Castonzo is a “3,” a solid starter. Is that what you want out of a 1st Round pick? I’d rather take a shot on a R1 LBer that could breathe life into the defense. The only life we are getting on offense is when Gilbride gets a lobotomy.
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