1) I like it when Wonder gets to reply to another draft analysis that is contrary to his own thinking. We see how they think and perhaps collectively we can get better insight into whether one of them is missing something.
Wonder likes, not loves Nicks. He is not excited about Sintim and certainly does not like him IN THE SECOND ROUND. In walks a KC Joyner critique of Nicks and Sintim that is very positive. What are we missing?
Wonder: “Nicks will be playing against a LOT of press coverage which makes these numbers irrelevant..however, he should be able to learn to use his big body to shield and catch..like Keyshawn somewhat…and the CB’s are a LOT faster and better.
“As for Sintim…I really don’t agree with Joyner…I think he’s actually pretty good against the run..but not FAST enough to be an OLB/pass rusher in the NFL.”
2) Separately we asked Wonder about Sintim in light of his comments about not having the speed to be a SAM in coverage, but being able to rush the QB.. why not just make him a MLB? Answer: “Yes…I think it’s his ONLY chance for Jints.” The Giants are pretty smart about player development. They will figure out what they need to do to get this player on the field.
3) “Wonder”
At 2:11AM (Between Day 1 and Day 2 of the draft) he emails: “as for tomorrow, ….would LOVE Turner for Jets…also, I like Murphy for Jets..BUT the real Home Run for Jets is SHONN GREENE..I would even trade my 6th and 3rd to get the 1st pick tomorrow and RUN to the podium (if not, maybe A.Brown)…I must admit, IF he’s gone, Jets MIGHT go for Michael Johnson..it’s a BIG gamble..but if he “fills out” w/o losing his speed, he would be a stud DE.”
At 2:27AM he emails another time: “my god…I’ve lost my mind…I forgot about Gilbert…for Jets..IF Greene not available…I would take either him or M. Johnson depending on how the Jets evaluated them…”
Well, at 10AM the third round opened up. The Jets trade up to the #1 pick of Day 2 and take ..SHONN GREENE. Note also that Gilbert went 4th and Michael Johnson went 6th. So the three people he keyed on were selected in the first six spots of Day 2. The Jets needed to pay their 3rd, 4th and 7th to move up, which is more accurate than just a 3 and 6. Nonetheless he was right on target for what the Jets ‘should’ do. People are already saying that Rex Ryan is aggressive- so is Wonder, and it should not surprise that he is in synch with the coach. The only thing that remains now is to see how Greene does in the pros.
Btw, note how Wonder was keyed on Andre Brown if Greene was gone by the time they picked at 76. The Bmen got him a round (and a half!) later at 129. This was a good day for New York teams getting running backs.
4) Speaking about “and a half,” let’s remember that Reese has been drafting from the back of the line for two years now. Considering we have filled in the blanks (Edwards asking too much, Maclin trade to move up 9 spots) it is not as if he is asleep at the switch. On the contrary, he is playing poker with much weaker position and is still doing a good job of getting a lot of good people in.
5) Speaking about Maclin, as much as the Ultimatenyg mantra was against taking a WR in the first round, as much as the last minute thoughts before the draft asked that the Giants did not trade up even higher for a WR (I was worried about them doing that for H-Bey), if Reese would have grabbed Maclin you would have to be COMPLETELY ON BOARD with that move. Maclin was a lot of value at that spot. I will go further and say that the Eagles got a very good player. Ralph Vacchiano may be correct to point out that the Giants will not necessarily see him hurt them initially at WR, but I think he overlooks the more important impact… I am particularly concerned about his special teams contributions he will make. I do not watch a lot of college football, but the one game I did catch was scary– it was very obvious that you had to do everything in your power to keep the ball away from this guy on specials. The opposition did that well, until one play in the second half, and boom the game was over, he broke open a close one with one touch of the ball. All I can think about is the line from Deacon Jones, a must-see video.
6) Speaking about the Eagles, we will have a recap of all 32 teams’ drafts next week.
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