Most Giants fans are ecstatic their G-Men selected CB Prince Amukamara from Nebraska as their 1st Round pick… but had they been religiously following the scouting reports here and at PE.com’s “On The Inside” over the last year, they would not be celebrating…
I loved the Prince’s Nigerian family royalty showcase on the 1st Round selection TV show the other night… it was pretty cool.
But the fact is, Prince peaked in high school.
I know, that’s harsh to say…and I could be wrong. But when you have guys from the Bored here (like JB99, who actually played for Nebraska, and our esteemed Gate Keeper, “GK” Brizer) who have been scouting the Prince’s deficiencies on film for the past two years, you have to wonder if Giants fans are buying into a “fool’s gold” scenario…
Interestingly, Bill Parcells shares JB’s and Bri’s skepticism about Amukamara. In his Draft Confidential program which aired on ESPN, Parcells mentioned Prince’s short arms as a concern. Because he has a short arm span, according to Parcells, this was a major reason he did not have any interceptions his senior year. This was corroborated by the Sun Sentinel’s analysis of Amukamara. According to the Sun-Sentinel, he has short arms and small hands, which might explain why he didn’t record an interception as a senior. Another interesting tidbit from their combined analyses: the Prince also tends to get caught with his eyes in the backfield too often.
To be fair, the Giants’ selection of Amukamara fits defensive coordinator Perry Fewell’s Tampa 2 scheme. The Giants obtained a player who can play off coverage. But remember Fewell’s scheme does not work against the top notch quarterbacks. Amukamara may get away with watching a mediocre quarterback’s eyes. However, the better quarterbacks (Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady) will not give away any freebies.
Sure, he was the top player on the Giants’ board, because he had the least likelihood of busting. Prince will be a solid pro. Other guys available at #19 may have had more upside, but knees (Bowers, Ingram), behavior (Clayborn, Jimmy Smith), and less than ideal physical talent (Castonzo, Carimi) knocked those guys down. Maybe Cam Jordan and Muhammed Wilkerson make the Prince pick look like a mistake down the road, but Prince will contribute right away, and any rookie Giants D-lineman may have to wait awhile to see the field. The two things I like about the Prince pick for the Giants: he’s a converted running back that is still learning the position (upside!)… and the Giants just got faster on defense (hello DeSean!).
The reason why Amukamara is as good as he is—- he is 6’0, 206, and runs a 4.38 40-yd dash. That’s faster than Ross and Webster combined… He is the guy who you need to defend the D-Jacks and Maclins of the league… He may be better than Peterson. The main concern was that he makes a lot of contact after the 5 yard limit, which is legal in college but illegal in the NFL. But bottom line: he’s a damn physical, big corner that runs a sub 4.4 ’40…
Yet let’s be real…Nebraska faced very little in the way of passing opposition in 2010.
It was a down year for Texas…Bradford left Oklahoma… and, although I think Gabbert is more fluff than player, he was the only decent Big-8 guy I can think of at QB that attempted to throw against the Prince..
Colorado was a bust… which is why their coach is toast and the entire league had a down year.
The fact is— Amukarama was available at #19 for a reason. If Andy Reid had thought Prince was that good, he would have traded up… So would numerous teams that desperately need DB’s of all kinds. Prince fell to 19 for a reason… and would probably have slipped to #23 where the Eagles picked had not the Giants grabbed him.
In Rounds 2 and 3: Much to many New York fans’ chagrin, the Giants did not draft a linebacker in the second or third round. Although the Giants drafted good players ( Marvin Austin and Jerrel Jernigan), the defensive tackle and wide receiver positions were not as pressing “needs” as offensive line and linebacker… Austin’s selection means DT Barry Cofield is gone. Even Rocky Bernard may be let go, too. On gamedays, the Giants dress three defensive tackles…and with Austin now on the team, the Giants have a stockpile of defensive linemen. Like Jason Pierre-Paul, Austin will most likely contribute on special teams. Speaking of special teams, Jernigan is a speed guy who can only improve the Giants’ putrid return game.
So after three rounds, the Giants had not added an offensive lineman or linebacker…
Day 3 saw the Giants grab 5 players. Let’s quickly review them:
Round 4 (117) OT James Brewer—
“Big and Strong. Not a super stud… Can play on next level… Can pass-block sometimes, can run-block pretty well… Low risk and has potential… Has to play RT… A little slow, strong and powerful, just another guy… Giants could be a good fit because of power running, value in R5.”
Comment: Addresses need… the potential is there to see him not only make the roster as a backup, but also be a starter. Thumbs up.
Round 6 (185) LB Greg Jones—
“Too small for MLB and not fast enough for OLB.”
Comment: See all of the other late Round LB’er picks of the past 10 years for an indication of what is in store for Giants here… Bust.
Round 6 (198) S Tyler Sash—
“He’s a Strong Safety, he can fill a need … Hits, decent-to-good cover… Tackles. Average speed for a SS… But he can play…
Smooth… good athlete… INT’d a ton of balls over the course of his career, a Belichick kind of player…”
Comment: SCORE! Fills a need, tremendous value and live upside for such a late rounder…
Round 6 (202) LB Jacquian Williams—
“Worthless.”
Comment: Another late round LB’er bust. Deja Blue.
Round 7 (221) RB Da’Rel Scott—
“Forget about it…a good college scatback…but a wasted pick…”
Summary: The Giants found two guys on Day 3, Sash and Brewer. The Giants overall were able to collect 5 players that will make their roster and contribute. Those are Amukamara, Austin, Jernigan, Brewer and Sash. Sash helped solidify this draft a little bit by addressing a need late… A shame that they once again could not get a LB. Just one good LB’er and they would be much more upbeat…. Let’s keep our feet on the ground and remember that overall, the team did not address TE, RB and LB… And Brewer, although serviceable, is not an immediate replacement for McKenzie. Jernigan, for his part, did target a need in special teams and the Giants hope he can be an answer there.
The Giants will have to find a LB’er in free agency. Rent-A-LB’er continues in New York… If they are able to find a LB’er through the open market and keep their OL-men healthy for a season, they can be competitive. But asking a bunch of older men on OL to remain healthy is a tall order… and for LB’er they willl have to wait. The Giants definitely got better in the locker room from this Draft… but it is still just a little too lumpy on the field, where they need a lot of help at three positions.
But all good Giants fans know the real score: They all knew the need was LB and OL…and they missed… Granted, when a top corner falls to where he did, you take him, lest you end up looking stupid if he becomes a lockdown corner for somebody else for the next 7-8 years… But,chew on this—Greg Jones is the 17th linebacker drafted by the Giants since they “stole” Jessie Armstead in the eighth round of the 1993 draft. The list of names includes: Phillip Dillard, Adrian Tracy, Clint Sintim, Bryan Kehl, Jonathan Goff, Zak DeOssie, Gerris Wilkinson, Nick Greisen, Quincy Monk, Brandon Short, Dhani Jones, O.J. Childress, Pete Monty, Doug Colman, Scott Galyon, and Ben Talley.
I remember when the Giants were once known as “Linebacker U.”
(Thanks to the Furman Brothers and Glenn Warciski over at UltimateNYG.com for letting me crib some of their reactions to the Giants Draft of 2011…)
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