Did the Giants do enough in the draft?

Did the Giants do enough in the draft?  SNY’s Wheelhouse debated this issue and we heard that a prominent Giants Pro-Bowler said 2 days after the draft that (he and more than a few other) players were “stunned” at the selections, dismayed at who the Giants took. 

That comment probably comes from the perception at the time that DE and DL were less of a need.  Subsequently, some Giants players on the Defensive Line backed off when they saw the new players in minicamp.  Perhaps this was just adhering to the company line? No one will truly know, but the initial reaction of the ‘stunned’ players speaks to the same reaction of many here on this blog. 

Wheelhouse Video Link

Giants needs before the draft:
Linebacker
Defensive Tackle
Offensive Tackle
Guard/Center
Running Back
Safety

Defensive End was not a ‘need.’  Given that Joseph, Jones, Dillard and Petrus all targeted needs, Jason Pierre-Paul is the endpoint of this debate.  Statistically speaking, only ~2 picks from each draft class survive to become solid starters.  We have seen from the averages by position that your first rounder averages about a 3.6, between a solid starter and a replaceable starter.  The bottomline is that you need your #1 pick to be one of the two solid starters or else you likely did not have a good enough draft.  Of course, rounds 2-7 can generate the solid starters too.  But everyone knows full well that your first round pick is your best opportunity to fill out that roster.

We probably will not know how the Draft Class of 2010 did until ~3 years from now (with the same 5 year revisit).  Similarly, we need adequate time to assess the outcome of JPP.  “Best Player Available” is a noble effort to obtain value at every juncture in the draft.  The Giants think they got the best player available.  The stakes are greater because need was not addressed.  When you miss with need, perhaps you get a 4 or 5 that can still plug up the roster.  When you miss on a player who is not need, he is in less of a position to help the team because he sees less time and has less of an opportunity to develop.  The good news for Giants fans is that the team is extremely loyal to their first round pick and will make sure JPP gets every shot at developing.   

We eagerly await camp to get our first look at Pierre-Paul and all of the draft picks.  As we saw in 2007, a solid draft can put you over the top to win a title.