Apr 292016
 
Sterling Shepard, Oklahoma Sooners (November 21, 2015)

Sterling Shepard – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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With the ninth pick in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected wide receiver Sterling Shepard from the University of Oklahoma.

SCOUTING REPORT: The 5’10”, 194-pound Shepard may lack ideal size, but he was arguably the best slot wide receiver available in the draft. Shepard is a very strong, extremely quick, and super-productive receiver with good speed. He plays bigger than his size due to his strength and excellent leaping ability. Shepard is an excellent route runner who knows how to get open. Sudden and creates separation. He is tough, fearless, and super-competitive. He attacks the football and has excellent hands. Runs well after the catch. Shepard has an outstanding work ethic and plays with a chip on his shoulder. He has experience returning punts.

MEDIA Q&A WITH GENERAL MANAGER JERRY REESE: (Video)

Reese: Sterling Shepard, wide receiver, Oklahoma. Slot receiver. Has some return specialist to him. Terrific competitor. Just everything you want in a slot wide receiver. Our coaches believe he can play on the outside as well. The highest player on our board. I know you guys think I’m kidding when I say that, but highest player on our board, and an easy pick for us. Had a couple more names around that we liked as well, but it was too much value for us to pass this guy up. We think he’s going to come in and he’s NFL-ready —ready to play right now. He’ll be right in our receiver corps, and get a lot of competition in there, we hope. Any questions?

Q: Is he a little bit like a young Victor Cruz?

A: Yeah, some of scouts—that name came up when our scout group talked about him. That’s one of the names that came up, a young Victor Cruz. Very similar in some ways, body type. The one thing about this kid is he’s 5’10 and some change, but his strike zone—what we call a strike zone—is bigger than that. He’s got a 41-inch vertical jump, he’s got big hands…he’s a tenacious slot receiver, run after the catch. Get the ball to him quick and he does some nice things after that catch as well. Yeah, Victor Cruz was one of the names that came up.

Q: Does that worry you at all? Is that anything you guys even think about? Obviously Victor is a smaller guy, Odell plays bigger but under six foot, now a third guy under six foot.

A: You’d like to have all of them 6’5 that run 4.4 and all that, but it’s just not the way it is all the time. I think that there’s a lot of tall receivers in the Hall of Fame that probably never even played in a Super Bowl, if you look at that history. We think he’s plenty tall enough, and we think he’s a terrific young receiver.

Q: You said he’s NFL-ready…what are some of the things he has picked up to be able to play?

A: He plays in the slot…he’s just crafty and knows how to get open in his routes. He has the quickness, the explosion in his route, the run after the catch, and the toughness to go over the middle, those kinds of things. Good bloodline, too; he’s been around football all his life.

MEDIA Q&A WITH VICE PRESIDENT OF PLAYER EVALUATION MARC ROSS: (Video)

Q: What did you like about Sterling Shepard as a player that drew you to him?

A: He’s a guy that you go to Oklahoma, especially over the last few years – you go to certain schools and there are young guys, and you think ‘Who is that guy?’ He’s been that guy at Oklahoma because he’s always made plays. He’s quick, athletic, competitive and savvy. He’s has been a playmaker for them since the time he stepped on campus.

Q: Does his height matter to you and how much do you take that into consideration?

A: You like 6’5”, 200 pounds and run a 4.4 and all that, but this guy overcomes his lack of height with his other skills. He’s got a 41-inch vertical. He’s competitive to the ball. His catch radius is bigger – he plays bigger than his actual size. His catch radius is where he can go up and get the ball. So short receivers who play small are our concern. Short receivers who play big are not a concern.

Q: On tape he looks very tough, like he could break a tackle. Do you see that as well?

A: He’s very tough. That’s the knock on the little guys. They’re tough, but can they play big? He does both. He is very tough. He’ll go inside with no fear, catch the ball, take the hit, make guys miss and keep going.

Q: Do you think his lack of height kept him out of the first round?

A: Maybe, it might have been a factor.

Q: He’s not a skinny guy, right?

A: He’s rocked up. He’s not a frail, short guy. He’s thick and muscled up.

Q: Is he the type of guy to run the entire route tree?

A: Yes, he runs it all. The offense they run at Oklahoma, he runs all the routes, unlike some other college systems where they run up the field and turn around. This guy runs an NFL route tree.

Q: Everyone is saying he’s a young Victor Cruz, who wasn’t drafted. Do you see that?

A: It’s been thrown around. It’s been in our meetings. The comparison has come up. The stature, the quickness, the toughs, the ‘make you miss’ – those things are very similar. But I never like to say guys are the next somebody or compare them like that. But I can definitely see why the comparisons are made.

Q: You said that Shepard was the one you wanted. Were the first eight who went ahead of him not as important to you as he was?

A: All of the players are important. We stacked the board the way we like the guys and the way we think they’re going to fall. Obviously the first round is kind of predictable. The second round is predictable. But once you start getting into the third round, it just goes all over the place. But we stack our guys and say: first round, we like this group of guys, second round we like this guy. But coming into today, this was a guy we really liked to get.

Q: What does it say about how the league has changed, when your first two picks are nickel corner back and slot receiver?

A: It’s basketball on grass. Guys throw the ball. You need athletes getting in space. You still need to block. You’ve got to protect. But the more athletes you have out there, the better. It’s not ground and pound anymore. We throw the ball and a lot of teams do that.

Q: Was Shepard the top-rated receiver you had on your board since the start of the draft?

A: Probably not.

Q: Was this a guy you had your eye on prior to this year’s draft process?

A: Yes. He’s a senior, which is rare. You never see a top player stay for all four years. He had a nice body of work, as opposed to a junior who does one year and comes out of nowhere. This guy has done it for a few years. So when you go to Oklahoma, you always hear about Sterling Shepard – the guy who makes plays.

Q: Do you wait for positioning as you move along in the draft to get a specific position player?

A: We always try to match the need and the value, so hopefully we have a group of guys of equal value and need. We’ll take those guys.

Q: Did someone from the scouting department see all of Oklahoma’s games last season? Either in person or on film?

A: Yes, throughout our process, we had three scouts that go there. We break it down to early, middle and late, where our scouts go in and watch film that particular time of year. I immerse myself in the tape; Jerry, the receivers coach, as well.  We’ve pretty much seen anything this guy has done.

Q: Was there any particular game that made him pop out?

A: The Tennessee game. That’s a quintessential game if you want to see what he’s all about. They were down and he’s making big touchdowns at the end to win the game.

Q: How instrumental was Ben McAdoo in the process given he’s an offensive coach?

A: No more than any other one. He was instrumental in that he liked him, which makes it good.

Q: Do you see Shepard augmenting or helping a guy like Odell Beckham Jr. go to another level?

A: I hope so. The more playmakers you have around a guy like Odell, the better. You want to double Odell, this guy will kill you. If he’s healthy, that’s a nice scenario for us.

Q: Is the goal of the draft to find a guy to complement Odell?

A: We definitely had our eye on the receiver position.

Q: Does it concern you that a guy you had your eye on has a big Senior Bowl week?

A: Without a doubt. That’s happened in the past, where we think we had a guy who wasn’t as highly rated as you think he is and then he blows up at the combine or the Senior Bowl. Then everyone jumps on him.

Q: Do you hope that doesn’t happen when you have a guy you like?

A: Yes, for sure, especially the combine. You like a guy, then he blows it out and becomes a combine superstar. Then it’s over with for you.

MEDIA Q&A WITH HEAD COACH BEN MCADOO: (Video)

McAdoo: Hope is everyone is well tonight. We got a great pick tonight, Sterling Shepard, tremendous young man, high character, plays the game the right way, plays the game the way it should be played, feisty player, can separate both inside and outside, strong hands, he’ll block you and we’re fortunate to have him, fortunate that he was on the board when he was.

Q: Is there a little Victor Cruz in him?

A: There are times when you see him make some moves inside where you see that strength and that explosiveness that Victor has, yes, but they are different players.

Q: Is he a classic example of a player who plays bigger than his size?

A: Absolutely. He has a bigger catch radius than someone who is 5’10. He has big hands, so he is not afraid to reach out and pluck it away from his body and he is very confident after the catch.

Q: Does he remind you of anyone who has played or currently plays in the NFL?

A: There are some similarities between he and Victor [Cruz]. There are some similarities that I have seen with some of the guys I have coached in the past in Green Bay. He is a high character guy and when you take a look, there may be a little Randall Cobb in him, you see that. He will reach back and pluck the ball the way James Jones did a little bit in Green Bay in the past, so he has that in him; strong, confident hands as far as being a hands catcher but there are some guys out there that he reminds you of.

Q: Is he mostly a slot guy?

A: No, he is like the rest of the guys we have. You look at Odell, he can play inside and outside and Victor can play inside and outside, as well, and Sterling is no different that way. He has been productive in the past on the outside, this year he played more on the inside but they need to be flexible that way and they are definitely bright enough to do that and he certainly fits that role for us.

Q: Is it mandatory for him to contribute as a rookie being a 2nd round pick?

A: Well, he is going to get an opportunity to compete just like everybody else and the cream will rise to the top there.

Q: You obviously mentioned Cruz and Odell. Can you see those three on the field at the same time?

A: Yeah, absolutely. We play a lot of receivers and we like to use a lot of different guys there. Dwayne Harris factors there as well. He had a nice year. Geremy Davis is coming along, Myles [White] has done some good things for us and there are a lot of guys who are in the mix as far as that goes and the more the merrier, the better the competition.

Q: Does it make it harder for teams to match up when you have three guys who can play all of the positions?

A: It gives you more flexibility. Obviously, Odell is a difference-maker and Odell is a guy that is going to play inside and outside, he is going to be on the single side, he is going to be to the three-receiver side, he is going to be in the backfield, he is going to be a little bit of everywhere, so the other positions have to have flexibility.

Q: How important was it for you to get a compliment to Odell in this draft?

A: We had the minicamp last week. We have confidence in the guys that are already in the locker room and we expect that they will continue to push each other. They are certainly not going to make it easy on Sterling and that is how we want it, we want competition in that room.

Q: You would have been alright going at it with what you had if the draft had unfolded that way?

A: Absolutely.

Q: What do you find are some of the toughest things receivers have to pick up and learn as they come into the NFL?

A: Well, I think the offenses are different from where they are coming from. He has been maybe in a little bit more of a pro style type offense than some that we see. There will certainly be a little bit of a learning curve for him so that is probably the number one adjustment. We are a little bit different than maybe most because we will spend a lot of time in the no-huddle, so that may help him with the learning curve a little bit. The defenses that he is going to see. He is going to see a lot of big, physical, gifted athletes playing the corner spot. That will be a big adjustment for any receiver coming into the league.

Q: Sterling had some experience at Oklahoma on punt return. Do you envision him fulfilling that role in New York?

A: We will certainly add him to the mix there. He will be a guy that is going to get some opportunities there, yes.

Q: What are you looking to get out of your final four selections?

A: The highest guy on the board.

Q: You said the no-huddle with help him a little bit?

A: Yeah, I think it streamlines things as far as the information that they get and how they get it. It is a little more visual than it is verbal and some guys learn a little easier that way.

Q: He made a big jump between 2014 and 2015. Is there anything that you saw on film with that? Maybe a better quarterback?

A: I think the natural maturation of a young player and their quarterback play was better this year. That is a good point.

Q: How is he as a blocker?

A: He gets after you. I like that. He is a complete player. He is not a finesse guy by any stretch of the imagination.

MEDIA Q&A WITH STERLING SHEPARD:

Q: When you found out you were drafted by the Giants, how much did you think about playing with Odell Beckham Jr?

A: I mean that’s one of the guys I look at. I look at (Beckham’s) game every week and I try to pattern my game after him. I was excited to be able to get drafted by the New York Giants and be able to play alongside him, as well as Victor Cruz—another guy that I look at, too. I’m excited.

Q: Odell Beckham recently tweeted out that the Giants got themselves a good receiver or something like that. How does that make you feel to get the Odell Beckham Jr seal of approval?

A: That’s always good. He’s now a teammate so I’m excited to be alongside of him, like I said. To have his approval is great, it’s a great feeling.

Q: How much contact did you have with the New York Giants coming into tonight? Did they talk to you at all at the Combine at all? Did you interview with them?

A: No, that’s the funny part. I hadn’t talked to them very much at all. I went to the Combine, I went to the Senior Bowl and I hadn’t talked to them at all. I think I may have filled out a questionnaire, but that was about it.

Q: You had some good times over at Oklahoma…you had one of college football’s best coaches, Bob Stoops, helping you out down there. How did it feel to play at such an elite program, a program that was nationally recognized and made the college football playoff? How did the experience at Oklahoma prepare you for the NFL?

A: It’s a huge program, and it comes along with a lot of history. A lot of the guys that came before you that made a name for that program, so it was an honor to play there. I got to play after my father and wear the same number as him. It was an honor to put that jersey on every week and go out and give them my all. I loved it, I loved my experience at Oklahoma.

Q: A lot of people here with the Giants know Victor Cruz very well and say you remind them a lot of him. Do you see some of that?

A: Yeah. Like I said, that’s one of the guys that I look at a lot. Victor Cruz is a great receiver…we’re kind of the same size, same stature. I definitely look up to that guy. I can see some similarities.

Q: Do you consider yourself a slot receiver or do you think you’re a guy who can play on the outside? What would you call yourself?

A: Honestly, I play so big, I don’t limit myself to just the inside. A lot of people think that that’s all I can do is play inside just because of my size, but I think guys like Odell and Victor have proven that that’s not the case. I’m definitely one of those guys that can be bounced around and move all around.

Q: Is that something that motivates you — that people look at your size and pigeon hole you as just a slot receiver?

A: Yeah, man. I listen to it and I take it in and move on because I know what I can do. Just gives me a little bit more fire.

Q: Do you know Odell? Do you have any relationship with him? Have you ever met him?

A: No…I mean we have some mutual friends—Kenny Stills—those guys know each other. But no, I’ve never met him or anything like that.

Q: What do you anticipate with that when you do get to meet him?

A: It’s going to be like we’re going straight to work. Everybody is ready to work. I feel like we’ll click when I get there.

Q: In what ways do you feel like you benefitted from going all the way through your senior year as a player and a student-athlete?

A: One, I got my degree…that’s one of the things I’ve always wanted to accomplish since I was a little kid, is graduating from Oklahoma, so I was able to accomplish that. Then I got to mature just as a young man. I got to accomplish those two things. As a player, I got to get bigger and stronger and faster. Coach Smitty does a great job with the weight program and the conditioning, so I just developed.

Apr 282016
 
Eli Apple, New York Giants (April 28, 2016)

Eli Apple – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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With the tenth pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected 6’1”, 199-pound cornerback Eli Apple from Ohio State University.

SCOUTING REPORT: Third-year sophomore who turns 21 in August. Apple started 27-of-28 games for the Buckeyes. Apple combines good size with excellent overall athletic ability, speed, and quickness. He has the physical tools and plays a physical game. He demonstrates very good aggressive man coverage skills and makes plays on the football (22 pass defenses the past two seasons). However, Apple needs to improve his overall coverage technique and reading routes. Apple makes a lot contact with receivers in coverage, drawing flags. He has a big upside.

MEDIA Q&A WITH GENERAL MANAGER JERRY REESE: (Video)

Reese: Eli Apple, cornerback, Ohio State. A really good, young player. Height, weight, speed. Big school. Only 20 years old. Has all the tools. He holds all the tools to be a starter. He was the highest graded player on our board, beyond the guys with issues. I’ll take any questions about Eli.

Q: Did you take Tunsil off your board after the video?

A: I’m not talking about that. I’m not talking about who’s on our board, who’s off our board.

Q: How surprising was it the way this played out?

A: We’ve got scouts who did a nice job with our board and the board came off very similar…the names came off very similar to how we had them stacked up.

Q: Was trading down ever a possibility?

A: I don’t know if it was ever a possibility. We got a call, we didn’t like it, and we stayed where we were.

Q: Was there ever a possibility to trade up?

A: Was there ever a possibility to trade up? There’s always a possibility to trade up if you want to pay the price to trade up. Yeah, there’s always a possibility to do that.

Q: Was the price too high?

A: Yeah, absolutely the price was too high.

Q: Were you concerned going in that the Titans and Bears might do what they did?

A: You never know what people are going to do during the draft. We knew there were going to be nine picks in front of us. People say they knew or thought something was going to happen in front of us, you don’t know that, nobody knows until the name is turned in. We’re very happy to have this player, this is a good player. He’s a terrific young player, and it’s a need pick. It’s a value pick where we had him ranked, and it’s absolutely a need pick. Look out there and see our corner depth, you guys can see that.

Q: You mentioned big school…does that upgrade a prospect?

A: You like to get kids who’ve played in big time programs. It’s not the end all, but kids that come from big programs are usually more ready to jump in and play at this level.

Q: Can he play in the slot? Is that something you envision?

A: I think he can play all over. He is big, he’s over six foot. He’s a 200 pounder, ran 4.4. He can play somewhere back there for us.

Q: Do you envision him starting immediately?

A: Everybody has to come in and earn their spot for the New York Giants, but we think he has starter caliber tools.

Q: Do you look at him as only a cornerback or do you think he’s a guy who can play safety?

A: No, he’s a corner.

Q: Did you have to alter your board at the last minute here today?

A: I tell you guys every year…every year during the draft, something funny happens. It’s no different this year.

Q: I know you don’t want to speak specifics about players you might take of the board, but you said “the highest player on our board, beyond the guys with issues.

A: I’m not calling anybody’s name. I said just beyond the guys who had some issues, he was the highest guy on our board. It’s not fair to call anybody’s name.

Q: Because Vernon Hargreaves plays the same position and went one pick later, can you explain to us from a scouting perspective the difference in the two players?

A: We thought (Eli) was a better player, that’s all you need to know. We thought he was a better player. We had him ranked higher, we thought he was a better player. We think Hargreaves is a good player, we thought this guy was a better player.

Q: Prospect-wise, how would this guy compare with Prince Amukamara when Prince came out?

A: Yeah, that’s been so long ago…I’ve looked at hundreds of guys since Prince came out. I don’t know if it’s fair to try to couple him with Prince. We just know that he’s a terrific young player with a huge upside, highest guy on our board, and a need pick. We’re very excited to have him.

Q: No disappointment at all when the Bears jumped ahead of you and took Floyd?

A: No, you don’t get disappointed up here. You just stay with your board and when they come off, they come off. Nobody’s crying in there when somebody gets picked. You know, “Okay, who’s the next best guy available?” We think we got a really good player.

Q: When the Bears traded up, did you assume that that’s who they were going for?

A: Well, you never know. You never know what guys do. People can say, “Yeah, we knew or we thought something was going to happen.” There were some possibilities that it could happen, but it happened and we’re not looking back.

Q: You go through scenarios non-stop in the days leading up to the draft. Is this one that you went through?

A: We try to go through every scenario.

Q: Did you go through this one?

A: Yeah, we try to go through every scenario.

Q: You talked about a need…most of the time there’s only two cornerbacks on the field. Are one of the other two corners possibly a safety—DRC or Jenkins?

A: No. When you have two corners in this league, you’re short one because the offensive teams throw the ball so much and you’ve got to have three quality corners to really get out there and function at a high level, I think. This guy gives us three quality guys that we think we can play with anybody around the league with these three kind of guys.

Q: If teams were willing to deal tonight, perhaps if you got another first round pick, would you entertain the offer?

A: We keep all our options open.

Q: Eli Apple was talked about recently in the last 24-48 hours and referred to by an anonymous scout questioning his life skills. Is that anything that you guys worried about?

A: You hear everything. It’s all people talk about, the draft, it’s a phenomenon now. Half the stuff people we’re talking about, they don’t know what they’re talking about. There’s stuff spewed all over the place. We listen to our scouts, we do the work. Hey, this guy is a good player, he’s clean. We don’t have any issues with him.

Q: Do you care about his cooking?

A: I don’t care about his cooking.

Q: Can you clear up the perception about whether you could have gotten him further down in the round?

A: You can always say that and you’ll say, “We’ll be cute and we’ll move back,” and the next pick is the guy you want. You can always speculate on about where you could have got him. People might say, “Well, they could have moved back later and got him.” Nobody knows that…nobody knows that.

Q: Eli has some great experience on college football’s biggest stage. He was the MVP of the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, he has a Big Ten championship, he has a college football national championship. How much did that play into your decision?

A: All that’s part of the equation, but what he does on the field, how he played, he’s a big time player, big time program. He’s 20, he’s got a huge upside, he was the highest player on our board, it’s a need pick. We’re very happy to have Eli Apple on the New York Giants football team.

MEDIA Q&A WITH VICE PRESIDENT OF PLAYER EVALUATION MARC ROSS: (Video)

Q: Did the draft unfold the way you expected?

A: We plan out scenarios basically the last couple of days leading up to the draft with how we think it will play out and who we’ll be comfortable drafting. It just played out kind of like we thought it would.

Q: What was it about Eli Apple that stuck out to you guys?

A: We like Eli just because he’s the number one corner on our board. The guy is big. He’s fast. He’s athletic. He’s clean off the field. He’s got tremendous upside. He played at a high level on a quality defense with a lot of other playmakers and guys that were going to be drafted. We just felt this guy would come in, and with the cornerback group we have, fit in right away and give you some versatility. It was a need position. It was value and need and it worked out good for us.

Q: Did you think there were going to be a couple of teams that would trade up ahead of you before you picked?

A: We don’t worry about what other people do or think or plan. We do our plan. We do our work. We’ve got great scouts. The coaches are heavily involved. We do a lot of planning. We’re comfortable with how we do it and it’s what we thought would happen.

Q: Were you comfortable sitting at the 10th pick or did you consider trading up?

A: No. We were comfortable sitting right there. That’s part of the thing that gets discussed the last few days. Should we move up? But this guy is here. Should we move down? What happens there? This was a scenario where we were comfortable just sitting right there where we were.

Q: When did Eli first catch your eye?

A: In the fall, when you go to Ohio State, you know you’re coming there for some seniors, but you’re coming for this star-studded class of juniors that they have there that are coming off the board and more to come. You’ve got your eye on them, and then obviously once he declares, then you hit it hard. We’ve got three area guys going to Ohio State. I’ve been there for the Pro Day, Combine, and the whole deal. He’s been vetted thoroughly.

Q: Was there a specific game when you were there that stuck out to you at all?

A: No. Practice was my first exposure to him.

Q: One of the surprises of the draft was Laremy Tunsil sitting at 10. Was his video a factor?

A: We factor everything in.

Q: What about Myles Jack?

A: We factor everything in.

Q: Is Eli a guy that can play in the slot right away or is he an outside guy?

A: No. He can do both. The guy can bend. He’s very flexible. However Spags wants to use those guys, it’s up to him. But I think all three of those guys can give you a little something different. I’m talking about the two starters we have and now Eli. We’ve got some big, athletic, fast guys.

Q: With the way the league is throwing the ball, is it almost a necessity to have three guys who can play corner?

A: For sure. What is it up to, 60% now, that teams are in three wide or more? So your third corner is essentially a starter now and that’s the way you’ve got to look at it. A guy like Eli, with size, is almost more than a third corner. You can use him in different ways.

Q: What do you think when you hear the cooking comment about Eli?

A: It’s ridiculous. You look at players and you scout them for the qualities that are important. Somebody asking about cooking is ridiculous.

Q: If someone sees this as a reach, what would you say?

A: We’ve heard it before. We’ve taken other players that (were called) a reach. Nobody knows. If you get a dime for every expert, I could retire. Come on. Experts? People analyze. People have opinions. What’s it based on? Nobody has seen the tape. Nobody goes to practice. Nobody puts in the work like the scouts do. It’s easy to second-guess and pick and say get everybody’s pick right and tell them what they should do, but you’ve just got to put in the work and trust what you do.

Q: You said you’d use him in different ways. Do you see him at the line of scrimmage?

A: Spags was excited. Our corners coach was excited because he’s got a really good feel for the game. I’m sure in different packages we can move those guys around. This guy, although he’s only played two years, has a really good feel. He’s not raw in terms of his football mind. His film study is excellent as far as analyzing the game on the tape. He studies tons of film. He’s got a smart football mind.

Q: He didn’t have a high interception number the past year. Does that bother you at all and how does that factor in?

A: No. Sometimes stats lie. There’s true stats and when you watch the film, there’s production. So stat production and then real production. If you watch this guy, he can lock people down and they don’t even throw his way. Whereas you have some corners where balls just fall on them and they could be standing there and balls fall on them. The guy that set an NCAA record in interceptions last year went undrafted. We think (Eli’s) production was more so shutting people down as opposed to getting interceptions.

Q: How were his ball skills when you saw him at the combine?

A: Really good.

Q: Was he destined to be here as the other Eli?

A: We’ll see. Hopefully he makes a name for himself. He’s got the perfect name for New York and here.

Q: Was that a factor in picking him?

A: Of course. Just like the cooking was and ironing and laundry.

Q: You joke about that, but how much of a concern is it when you draft a kid who is that young?

A: This guy came from a good family, went to college and we’re asking about cooking. We’re talking about practice… Come on. The guy plays football. He shows up to practice. He goes to class. He’s got great parents and we’re talking about cooking? It’s not a factor at all. It’s that he does things that are football related that work out.

MEDIA Q&A WITH HEAD COACH BEN MCADOO: (Video)

McAdoo: Hope you are all doing well tonight. [It is an] exciting time for us.  [We] drafted a young man, Eli Apple, have a chance to bring him home, exciting time, young player, 20 won’t be 21 until, I think, August 9th. [He is a] combative, physical corner who interviewed great. [He] tackled well on tape. We like his size, we like his length, good ball skills — that showed up, which is something that he is working on, and we are excited to get him in here.

Q: What was the experience like for you watching everything happen in the nine picks before you?

A: That was exciting. I mean it is like anything else, you go through the process, trust your board, you see how things come off and you hope you have somebody sitting up there you like when it comes time to pick, and we obviously did and we are excited we have Eli.

Q: It did not look from an outside perspective that things went according to plan. Is this a scenario you planned for?

A: We planned to pick the highest guy on the board and Eli is a guy who is an outstanding young man, high character, good football player, his best days are ahead of him as a player and we are excited to have him.

Q: When you have a young guy, do you give him a little bit of a longer leash when you coach them up because they may not be as developed as a 22 or 23 year old?

A: He is young but he is mature. He showed that in the interview where he could — he did a great job communicating with us about football, about things that weren’t about football, about his personal life. He did a great job when the film was on. He can jump on the board and communicate that way, so he is a mature young man who comes from an outstanding program that has a lot of great players and he shined there.

Q: His interception total went down this year. Were people staying away from him or what?

A: That is a good question. I think he has some things that he needs to work on. I think he shows that he has the ball skills to do it. It is tough when you are playing press man coverage to intercept the ball if you are playing a man not with vision. When you play with vision, it is a lot easier to intercept the ball than it is when you are playing press man. That is where we like him. When he learns to catch the flash of the ball a little bit better, which he will and he showed he improved on, he will have more opportunities for picks, for sure.

Q: Do you see his skills as somebody who can play in the slot?

A: He can play in a variety of roles for us. We will take a look at him everywhere and we are not going to pencil him into any role right now. We are going to get him in here, get a feel for his skill set — he will be in here for two weeks in phase two after this week. We will get him in the rookie minicamp and he will have an opportunity to get out there versus Frank Air in phase two and work on his skills that way, without anyone across from him, and then we will get a chance to look at him there.

Q: Is he similar to DRC in any way?

A: I think they are a little bit different of a player. He may like to press a little bit more but I think he is a — I’m not going to compare him to anybody at this point but I think he is a young, combative, physical guy. He likes to tackle, he can make plays pressuring off the backside edge to the boundary. He is aggressive in the run game and again, it is hard to find guys of that size, that young, that have his skill set.

Q: You mentioned a few times how well he interviewed. The one anonymous scout stated that his life skills weren’t great. Are you telling us that that was not your experience with him?

A: As far as the life skills, I am not sure what you are referring to. I just know from the interview, I thought he did an outstanding job at the interview. He was very well read, he knew football, he got ball and that was important to us, and he seemed like a high character young man and I’m sure he is and we look forward to getting him in here.

Q: Was there any temptation from you to maybe roll the dice based on how crazy those first nine picks were?

A: No, I think you trust your board and we got exactly what we wanted, where we wanted.

Q: What was your interaction with him during the process? Where did you meet him, where did you talk to him and did you send someone to go work him out at Ohio State?

A: Yeah, we have had plenty of opportunities to look at him. We viewed him in a bunch of different situations and at a bunch of different locations and he made a great impression on us.

Q: You personally met with him multiple times?

A: We had a variety of looks at him at a variety of different locations and he made a great impression.

MEDIA Q&A WITH ELI APPLE:

Q: Did you think the Giants at number 10 could be a possibility?

A: Not really, honestly.  They talked to me one time at the combine, but that was about it. It’s kind of crazy to see myself on the screen (at) like number 10 and all that stuff, but I’m excited.

Q: You’re going to have a chance to work with a great coaching staff here in New York. Who have you talked to so far and how confident are you that you can contribute immediately to this team?

A: I’m very confident. I talked to the defensive coordinator and a couple of the other guys as well on the phone. They’re just very excited to have me come, and I am as well.

Q: How does it feel to be part of something that’s absolutely historic right now going on at Ohio State? So many guys being picked in the first round here…

A: It’s the greatest feeling. Those are guys that you battle with, guys that have just been through so much. So to see us succeed right now and go through all this good stuff is a great celebration.

Q: I know it’s 90 minutes or so from where you grew up, but you’re kind of coming home.

A: I know.

Q: Did you think about that at all?

A: Yeah, that was like the first thing I thought about. When I saw them calling me and it was a New Jersey number, it looked kind of familiar. I didn’t know if I had to pick it up. I was like, “Oh my goodness, this is probably one my friends trying to prank call me.” My mom was like, “Yeah, don’t pick it up.” My coach was like, “What you mean? Pick it up.” So I pick it up and it was one of the Giants coaches and I was very happy.

Q: When you picked it up first were you worried it could still be a prank?

A: Yeah, I was just a little guarded like, “Okay, this better be a coach or something.” I didn’t know who it was, but then it was the dude from the Giants, so I was very happy.

Q: Who was it? Do you remember who it was?

A: I believe it was the head coach, McAdoo.

Q: You said you were surprised…did you ever think you’d go this high?

A: I didn’t know where I was going to go, honestly, you hear a lot of things. My sister was telling my all the different stuff, my parents were telling me all this different stuff…you never know. I was just playing it by ear, just expecting everything.

Q: How do you see yourself fitting in right away with this team and this defense? Have you given yourself an opportunity to look over the depth chart, look at the names, see the guys who are here?

A: Yeah, I got it. It’s DRC, it’s going to be Janoris Jenkins. I’m excited to get with those guys and really get to work and try to build a great secondary and be legendary, that’s the goal.

Q: You had a couple of sort of weird controversial things come up in your pre-draft process back at the Combine and then again yesterday. What was it like to go through that and be at the center of those couple of things?

A: It’s all good. That’s the part of the process, I knew it was going to be crazy. I didn’t think it was going to be like this crazy, but now that it’s over, I’m happy. I can’t wait to start playing football and do something I actually love to do, so I’m excited.

Q: What’d you think of the cooking comment when you first saw it?

A: I just laughed at it…it was something very funny. You don’t think too much of it, it’s just something funny, I guess. It’s whatever.

Q: Do you know where that came from? Did you mention that to anybody in an interview or something?

A: No, I never talked about it. I never talked about it. It’s weird.

Q: You’re from Voorhees…were you an Eagles fan?

A: I was not an Eagles fan, I was kind of a fan of a lot of players. My dad was an Eagles fan, he still is a little bit, but he’s not going to be for too long. I wasn’t really a fan of anybody.

Q: Have you talked to Urban Meyer at all since the selection?

A: Of course. He was showing me good love, he told me he loved me and everything after I got selected. So yeah, he talked to me.

Q: Have you ever played in the slot. If so, how much and when and where?

A: Only when I was tracking the number one receiver. So I played it a couple times, and that’s something I can be comfortable in. As long as I’m out there on the field playing man or playing anything—just playing corner, playing football—I’m cool.

Q: They joked about your name a little bit as being suited for being here, obviously with Eli Manning but also the Big Apple. What are your thoughts about that? I would imagine it would make for some attractive headlines.

A: Yeah, of course. I guess it fit. Changing my name coming out of high school and now being drafted by the New York Giants, going to the Big Apple, it’s definitely going to mean a lot.

Q: The NFC East has a lot of elite receivers—you’ve got Dez Bryant, you’ve got Jason Witten, you’ve got Pierre Garcon, you’ve got Jordan Reed, you’ve got Jordan Matthews. How do you think playing in the Big Ten against some pretty good offenses prepared you for that?

A: That definitely will prepare me a lot, just going against great guys, especially in practice as well, like Michael Thomas. A lot of the guys in the Big Ten, they’re physical and that’s how the receivers in the NFC East are. I think I’ll be ready.

Feb 242016
 
Ben McAdoo, New York Giants (February 24, 2016)

Ben McAdoo – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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BEN MCADOO PRESS CONFERENCE AT NFL COMBINE…
New York Giants Head Coach Ben McAdoo addressed the press at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday. The video of the media session is also available at Giants.com.

Q: What do you usually get out of the combine and does that change for you now that you’re head coach compared to being a position coach or even a coordinator?

A: No, what you try to do as a coach is—you’ve knocked out free agency, you’re in the middle of scheme evaluations—you come down and you want to really get a first look at these guys. Have a chance to see them, have a chance to meet them, and wrap your hands around the, I guess, the draft class.

Q: Obviously you’re more a part of the decision making process. Will it change functionally?

A: No, you’re going to try to operate the same way: just take a look at the offense, defense, and special teams.

Q: You worked for two head coaches that have won Super Bowls and you’ve rose to be a head coach. What does that mean to you?

A: Well it gives you a blueprint. You get a chance to work with Mike [McCarthy] and work with Tom [Coughlin], see a couple of different ways, really, to go about your business. There are a couple different ways to skin a cat, and Tom and Mike are great examples of that.

Q: What’s the transition been like for you going from offensive coordinator to head coach?

A: It’s really large-scale leadership. You do things on a smaller scale as a position coach—you’re the head coach of your position. Then as a coordinator, you’re the head coach of the offense. So now, you have a chance to work with different people and a variety of areas, and have a chance to wrap your hands around the entire team.

Q: Rashad Jennings got going towards the end of the season when he was getting volume and the snaps were split as much between the runners. Is that something you plan on continuing into next year or do you plan on keeping that?

A: Oh, it’s early to say. We’re still in the process of evaluating the scheme. We looked at our players and looked at the free agents. We have a chance to go back and look at the draft film, we’re early in the process there. And take a look at some different teams in this league, take a look at teams in the college league, and put that research in, go in and implement in what you want to do, and then see what your roster looks like coming out of camp. That’s really how you decide how the carries fall, how you get those touches.

Q: Have you talked much to Victor Cruz? What’s your sense on what he will able to give you?

A: Yeah, I had a chance to get in touch with Victor; he was by the office the other day just kind of bouncing around, he was doing some rehab. He seems in good spirits, looks great, feels good. Hopefully we have a chance to get him healthy.

Q: Do you expect him to be on your team next year?

A: Absolutely. Right now we’re taking a look at things and he’s on the roster right now. If anything changes, I’ll be the first to know.

Q: What did your time in Green Bay mean? Do you have anything, two or three things, you got from Coach Mike that helped you get here?

A: Time in Green Bay—Green Bay is obviously a special place for me and my family–having a chance to win the Super Bowl there and be a part of some great teams and a great organization. You take a little bit from everywhere you’ve been and obviously I’m going to take a lot from Green Bay and a lot from my experience in two years with the Giants and some other places in the past. You take that and you mold it and you make it your own.

Q: Do you know what you’re going to do as far as calling plays?

A: You know what, that hasn’t been decided yet. We’ll take a look at a couple different scenarios moving forward. But like I said in the past, that’s a schematic advantage so I’m not going to talk about that.

Q: So you think we’ll know opening day or might we not even know opening day?

A: We may give everybody a call sheet on opening day. No, that’s something that we’re going to work through that process and whatever we feel is best for the Giants, that’s what we’re going to do.

Q: You’ve talked a lot about looking back at your team over this past month or so. What did you see when you looked back and what’s your assessment?

A: We’re still right in the middle of scheme evaluation. We haven’t hit the situational part of things yet. We worked through normal down and distance, obviously, the player evaluations. What’s interesting before you get to situations and you’re looking at the normal down and distance, we’ve had a lot of leads in games in the fourth quarter when you’re looking at the scoreboard in between plays. We have to end the game with the lead, and that’s going to be important to us. That’s not something that we’re going beat into the ground with these guys, but that’s something we have to learn from last year and find a way to close these games out.

Q: Did you get any updates on Jason’s [Pierre-Paul] surgery?

A: I spoke to Jason a couple of different times so far throughout the offseason. He seems in good spirits. He went through a procedure and we’ll have to see how that goes.

Q: Is playing without a club something that might be happening or is that something that might still be used moving forward?

A: That hasn’t been determined yet.

Q: Do you have a part of the combine now when you come here as a head coach that, I don’t want to say you look forward to, but you place more emphasis on now than maybe you did as an OC?

A: I think when you look at the history of the combine, probably still the most important thing is you have the chance to get these players in front of the doctors and get them examined there so you know what you’re dealing with and get a medical grade on them. You have a chance to meet them and shake their hand and look them in the eye and talk to them, and kind of get a feel about what they’re about—they’re not just a guy on tape, they’re not just a guy on a piece of paper, but they’re a human being–and what they’re all about and what they stand for and where they came from. Those are two important parts for me. I think it’s good to get out and see them move around on the field and bend their knees a little bit, and get their hands on some footballs and see how they look there. You have a chance to put a name with a face and just take them off the sheet of paper and off the film and know who they are.

Q: Has Jerry [Reese] decided how things will go on draft day?

A: Jerry and I, we’re attached at the hip. Lines of communication are open, we’ve had productive dialogue, and whatever he needs from me, I’m willing to do. I look forward to building that relationship.

Q: What’s your evaluation of the depth of the wide receiver position behind Odell Beckham? How is Victor Cruz doing?

A: Victor Cruz had a successful procedure done. He feels good, he looks good, he’s coming along in rehab. No hiccups there so far, we like that, we’re encouraged with that right there. We have some other guys that are going to have a chance to step up, possibly some young guys. Again, it’s still early in the process.

Q: You have an obvious need at pass rusher. Do you think that Jason can still be a dominant pass rusher in this league? And am I right that it is a priority in finding pass rushers for you this offseason?

A: It was obvious when Jason came back last year how disruptive he was without playing football for a long time. Just coming in and having a couple weeks to get his feet underneath him being able to go out and be disruptive as a pass rusher. I just think when you look at him and his ability to get off the ball and get after the quarterback, it’s easy to see and that’s something that comes natural for him. You don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon? I don’t either.

Q: Is finding guys who can get to the quarterback tops on your to-do list this offseason?

A: Yeah, I mean, the quickest way to get better is up front on both sides of the ball. You have to protect your quarterback and you have to get after the other teams quarterback. It’s directly related to the QB rating differential, which is important in winning and losing games. You want to do a better job getting after the quarterback whether it’s up front, or whether it’s coming from the secondary, putting pressure there from the linebacker level. But you have to make the quarterback comfortable, certainly.

Q: Changing the strength and conditioning program on the team, is that related to the injuries that this team has had over the last few seasons?

A: No, Aaron Wellman and I, go back a little ways. I’ve had my eye on him for a while. I think he does a tremendous job. He’s a forward thinker and that’s something that’s important to me. He can still crack the whip if need be, and that’s hard to find in today’s league. He’ll do a tremendous job. As far as the injuries go, you can’t just point to one thing. Injuries, you have to look at a variety of things that impact injuries. Whether it’s the way we practice, whether it’s the way we hydrate, the way we sleep, the way we recover—you just can’t point to one thing and say that’s going to cure everything as far as the injuries go. But we’re going to look at a variety of things there.

Q: Not just in regards to the strength and conditioning, but how much change do you expect in the organization?

A: Well we’re going to change. Like I said before, I’m not going to try to be Tom. I’m not Tom. He’s already taken. But we’re going to evolve a little bit, it’s evolution, not revolution. If something works and we feel good about it and we like it, we’re going to stick with it. If not, we’re going to make some changes. There are some things that we’ve done in the past and we’ve kicked around a lot of ideas within the staff. We’re going to implement those moving forward, and we’re going to make it our own.

Q: How far along did your talks with the Eagles get before you took the job with the Giants?

A: I went down for an interview.

Q: They never offered you the job?

A: Never offered me the job.

Q: What did you see in Patrick [Graham]? We’re you at all surprised he was available?

A: Patrick had a chance to come down for an interview, showed tremendously well. We didn’t want to let him out of the building. We feel very fortunate to have him and I look forward to working with him.

Q: Did you have a second interview schedule with the Eagles?

A: There was a potential for a second interview.

Q: You guys released two offensive line—Will Beatty and Geoff Schwartz. What was the thinking behind that? Why was there not an effort made to try and maybe renegotiate with them and the decision was made to part ways?

A: First of all, we thank those men for their contributions to the Giants. This is a business, sometimes things don’t work out. We wish them nothing but the best.

Q: I guess Tom Coughlin has spent some time around the office since the change was made. Have you had much interaction with him? Has that been helpful or awkward?

A: No, not awkward at all. I respect Tom. Have talked to him a few different times since he left. I feel we have a strong relationship. I’m going to bounce ideas off Tom as long as I can bounce ideas off of Tom. He’s someone I have a tremendous amount of respect for, and I’m grateful for everything that I learned from him.

Q: Can you talk about the run game for next year? It seemed like Rashad really got going towards the end of the year.

A: We’re going to take a look. Again, we studied our players. We’re going through, we’re studying our scheme right now. We’ll take a look at free agency, we’ll take a look at the draft, we’re going to study some other teams, and we’re going to study some college teams. We’re going to put it all in the pot, we’re going to stir it up. We’re going to get to training camp, we’re going to come out of camp, and we’re going to take a look at things there and how the roster looks and how we look up front. Coming out of camp we’ll determine that, it’s way too early.

Q: The Giants have been 6-10 the past two years…

A: Where we need to improve? The game’s about the ball, number one, so we need to take care of the ball better. The next thing we need to do is we need to extract the ball better, we need to take it away. After that, we’re going to spend a lot of time on blocking and tackling. If we can take care of those things we’ll be able to find some more wins.

Q: As far as the talent level, do you think the roster needs some major upgrades?

A: We need to add some pieces, yeah. When you look at things, we have a lot of guys right now on the roster who are free, so we need to address that. We need to add some pieces there, but they need to be the right pieces. We need to look out for the long term interest of the New York Giants and what’s best for the future of the New York Giants, number one.

Q: You’re a lot of money under the salary cap. What are you looking to accomplish in free agency as a coach?

A: Again, we evaluated guys, we had a big meeting earlier in the week. We need to do what’s in the best long term interest of the New York Giants and find some right pieces to add to the mix, whether it’s our own guys that we bring back or going out and bringing some other guys in. Again, free agency is free agency. It’s a combination between free agency and the draft on how you add players, how you acquire players. We just need to add some good pieces.

Q: During the combine, especially in the interviews, what are some things you will try to identify from players perhaps showing leadership or just showing qualities you look for?

A: You have to give the agents credit, they do a great job as far as coaching these guys up. They’re well-coached when they come in here. They have a pretty good idea of what’s going to be asked of them. Most of them—I would say 90 percent-plus—do a good job and they show well. It’s hard to find the crack in guys from an interview standpoint anymore, they do a nice job. You like to throw on some football and when you get into the interviews with him and see if they can talk ball and how they can communicate, how they can take criticism, and how they take praise, and do they change? Are they willing to learn, listen and grow?

GIANTS.COM Q&A WITH MARC ROSS…
The video of a short Giants.com Q&A session with New York Giants Vice President of Player Evaluation Marc Ross is available at Giants.com.

ARTICLES…

Jan 072016
 
Adam Gase, Chicago Bears (November 9, 2015)

Adam Gase – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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GIANTS INTERVIEW ADAM GASE ON FRIDAY…
The New York Giants will interview Chicago Bears Offensive Coordinator Adam Gase on Friday. Gase also served as the Denver Broncos quarterback coach in 2011-12 and offensive coordinator in 2013-14, working with quarterback Eli Manning’s brother Peyton. Gase has received interest from the Browns, Eagles, and Dolphins.

As reported previously, other candidates include:

  • New York Giants Offensive Coordinator Ben McAdoo, who interviewed on Tuesday.
  • New York Giants Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who interviewed on Thursday.
  • Detroit Lions Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin, who interviewed on Thursday.
  • Jacksonville Jaguars Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach Doug Marrone, who will interview on Saturday.
  • Carolina Panthers Defensive Coordinator Sean McDermott. However, the Panthers say the only team that has requested an interview with McDermott thus far is the Cleveland Browns. Teams can interview McDermott this week but not next week because of the Panthers playoff schedule.

BEN MCADOO INTERVIEWS WITH EAGLES…
As previously reported, New York Giants Offensive Coordinator Ben McAdoo interviewed with the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday for their head coaching vacancy.

MARC ROSS INTERVIEWS WITH TITANS…
New York Giants Vice President of Player Evaluation Marc Ross interviewed with the Tennessee Titans on Thursday for their general manager vacancy. Ross has been with the Giants since 2007, serving as the team’s Director of College Scouting for six years before his position evolved to vice president of player evaluation. Regardless of his title, Ross has run the team’s drafts since 2007.

RASHAD JENNINGS WINS FEDEX GROUND NFL PLAYER OF THE WEEK…
Fans have voted New York Giants running back Rashad Jennings the “FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week” for his performance in the regular-season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles. In that game, Jennings rushed for 170 yards on 27 carries (6.3 yards per carry) and a touchdown.

ARTICLES…

Jan 052016
 


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MARA, REESE, AND COUGHLIN ADDRESS THE MEDIA…
New York Giants team officials, including President/CEO John Mara, General Manager Jerry Reese, and departing Head Coach Tom Coughlin, addressed the media on Tuesday morning. Transcripts and video clips are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

One key item to note is that the Giants have offered Coughlin a position within the organization. “I asked him would he consider staying on in some capacity,” said Mara. “I don’t want to let all that knowledge walk out the door. I asked him to think about over the next few days ways that he might be able to help us going forward. He agreed to do that. I don’t think either one of us have an idea yet exactly what form that could take. Let’s face it, he brings a unique perspective. He knows our team as well as anybody. He knows the league as well as anybody. There may be some capacity in which he could help us. This is not a situation where we wanted to see him walk out the door. We want him to stay involved because of everything he has brought to this organization, everything he could still possibly do at some point in the future.”

BEN MCADOO AND STEVE SPAGNUOLO AND WILL INTERVIEW FOR GIANTS JOB…
Team President/CEO John Mara confirmed on Tuesday that New York Giants Offensive Coordinator Ben McAdoo and Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will interview for the team’s head coaching vacancy sometime this week. “I’m not going to talk about specific candidates other than to say both our coordinators, both Ben and Steve, will be interviewed,” said Mara.

GIANTS REQUEST TO INTERVIEW ADAM GASE…
According to NFL.com, the New York  Giants have requested to interview Chicago Bears Offensive Coordinator Adam Gase for the team’s head coaching vacancy. Gase was also the offensive coordinator in Denver from 2013-14.

MARC ROSS TO INTERVIEW WITH TITANS…
According to CBS Sports, New York Giants Vice President of Player Evaluation Marc Ross will interview for the general manager position of the Tennessee Titans. Ross, who runs the team’s draft, has received interest from the Bears, Buccaneers, and Dolphins in recent years.

REPORT – CHIP KELLY NOT A CANDIDATE FOR GIANTS JOB…
According to NJ.com, ex-Eagles Head Coach Chip Kelly is not a candidate for the Giants head coaching vacancy, contradicting an earlier report from Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia.

GIANTS SIGN SIX PLAYERS TO RESERVE/FUTURE DEALS…
As is always the case once the season ends, the New York Giants have begun to prepare for the next season by signing players to reserve/future contracts. The Giants have signed the following players:

  • QB/WR/S S G.J. Kinne
  • WR Tavarres King
  • OC Shane McDermott
  • OT Jake Rodgers
  • CB Leon McFadden
  • PK Tom Obarski

All of the players except for Obarski were on the Giants’ Practice Squad. Obarski was originally signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2015 NFL Draft, but he did not make the team. Obarski has a strong leg for field goals but does not kickoff as well for distance.

ELI MANNING ON WFAN
The audio of Monday’s WFAN Radio interview with quarterback Eli Manning is available on CBS New York’s website.

ARTICLES…

As I sit back and reflect on Coach Tom Coughlin, I remember all the one on ones in your office talking football, game plan, etc. I think back to when I was named captain and I used to try and beat you to the facility. I would get there at 6, you where there. I got there at 530 and you were there. 5 am… I knew I would beat you then.. NOPE YOU WERE THERE. I remember feeling the hood of your car and it was cold. Come to find out there were nights you slept in the office. No one worked harder, no one demanded more and I LOVE YOU for it. I chose this picture for one reason and one reason only. Everyone knows you for your dedication to your team and how intense you are on the football field. But I will remember you for helping me become a man and challenging all of us to be better husbands and fathers and men. You did it the right way Coach. And you might be retiring from coaching but I'm sure this isn't a goodbye. That's not in your nature. #halloffame #5minutesearly #areyoush*ttingme

A photo posted by THEREALJUSTINTUCK91 (@therealjustintuck91) on

Dec 312014
 
Odell Beckham, New York Giants (December 7, 2014)

Odell Beckham – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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Odell Beckham Named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month: New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham has been named the “NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month” for his performance during the month of December 2014. In December, Beckham caught 43 passes for 606 yards and seven touchdowns.

Injury Update on S Nat Berhe: Safety Nat Berhe left the season-finale against the Philadelphia Eagles with a knee injury. Behre told The Bergen Record on Monday that the MRI showed merely a sprain and no ligament damage.

Articles on New York Giants President/CEO John Mara:

Articles on Head Coach Tom Coughlin:

Article on New York Giants Vice President of Player Evaluation Marc Ross: Giants’ Marc Ross on radar again as possible general manager candidate after Odell Beckham selection by Jordan Raanan for NJ.com

Article on Former Giants Quarterback Coach Danny Langsdorf: Danny Langsdorf explains decision to leave Giants for Nebraska offensive coordinator job by Jordan Raanan for NJ.com

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May 102014
 
Weston Richburg, Colorado State Rams (November 2, 2013)

Weston Richburg – © USA TODAY Sports Images

New York Giants Draft Weston Richburg and Jay Bromley: On the second day of the 2014 NFL Draft on Friday night, the New York Giants selected center Weston Richburg (Colorado State) in the second round and defensive tackle Jay Bromley (Syracuse).

BBI scouting report on Weston Richburg:

Richburg was a 4-year starter at Colorado State. Richburg combines decent size with very good overall athleticism for a center. Good pass protector who has the size and strength to anchor against big tackles and the feet and balance to keep up with quick rushers. Richburg lacks ideal power as a run blocker, but he plays with very good leverage and tenacity. Mobile and agile, Richburg, can block at the second level and pull on outside runs. Smart, tough, aggressive, competitive, and a team leader. Versatile, Richburg can also play guard. Richburg played well at the Senior Bowl practices against DT Aaron Donald.

BBI scouting report on Jay Bromley:

Bromley was a 3-year starter at Syracuse. He combines decent size and strength with good athletic ability. Bromley is more of a 3-technique disruptor than 1-technique run stuffer. He has good initial quickness and will penetrate into the backfield against both the run and the pass. Bromley hustles and pursues well. When Bromley plays with good leverage, he can be very difficult to block. But he plays too high at times. Bromley is a very hard worker both on and off the field. Team leader. Giants want him to add weight.

Here are some YouTube highlights of Richburg and Bromley. Rounds 4-7 will be held on Saturday starting at noon.

GENERAL MANAGER JERRY REESE’S REACTION (Video – Richburg) (Video – Bromley):

(After Richburg Selection) Richburg, center, Colorado State. A versatile player, a really good athlete. He can play guard or center. High test score. Centers are very important, a very integral part of our new offensive scheme, so obviously we brought J.D. in as a free agent but we tried to create some depth there as well and some competition. This guy is a really good, athletic center. He’s one of those guys, one of those bonus guys. Not a lot of centers can pull, this guy can snap the ball and pull and get out on the perimeter. He was terrific. He was an ideal pick for us, a clean pick. A lot of things we liked about him. I’ll take any questions.

Q: You say an integral part of the new offensive scheme, can you talk a little bit about how that’s different from…?

A: Well, you know, I don’t know how different, I just know that the new coordinator likes the center to be very involved with some of the protection scheme things and this guy is really smart. He was outstanding when we interviewed him at the combine so he fits the mold of what we want, besides being a very good football player.

Q: You mean in terms of making protection calls?

A: Yes.

Q: He had to do that for a while at Colorado State, right?

A: Yeah, I think he’s like a 50-game starter. He’s played a lot of football games out there. What we’re looking for.

Q: How much do you like the size? 6-3, 300 for a center is a little bit bigger than normal.

A: We like big guys. We like big and fast and smart and tough, we like all that. The thing about him, he’s got long arms. His arms are almost 34-inch arms, most centers’ arms are not that long so that’s a bonus in itself.

Q: What does this say about Walton? How has he recovered from whatever injuries he’s had? I know he hasn’t played.

A: He missed last season but he’s been out here and he looked like he was 100 percent out there. He’s doing great for us. We expect him to be the guy who Richburg is going to battle for that center position. Obviously you need depth at every position and that’s the position that we think Richburg will provide for us, some depth at center which is his natural position but we think he could play guard as well. Again, last year we had a couple injuries early on the offensive line and it was pretty devastating, we had to bring some guys in that struggled some at those positions so we’re trying to make sure we have enough depth at every position. This guy will help provide that for us.

Q: Were you intent on getting an offensive lineman in the first two rounds?

A: We were just intent on getting good players. We know what we feel like our needs are and positions that we need to create some depth on our roster but right now we’re focused on getting good football players and he fits the mold of being a good football player for us.

(After Bromley Selection) Bromley, defensive tackle, Syracuse. Size, speed, another team captain. We like team captains. We think this kid has a lot of upside, 10 sacks from the inside position. Lots of things to like about the kid, long arms, all the things that you like for your defensive tackle to have. I’ll take any questions.

Q: Does he compare to any of the recent guys…?

A: I’m not sure, I can’t recall anybody off the top of my head to compare him to.

Q: How much could he do some of the things that Linval Joseph used to do for you guys?

A: Well, this guy, he’s big, he’s got some two-gap ability, he can stand in there and hold the point of attack. He’s got speed, the guy ran 4.9 and some change at the combine so he can get up the field and finish on the quarterback. Like I said, he had 10 sacks. He can hold the point, he can run, he has some range to run lateral and make plays down the line of scrimmage.

Q: Could he line up at defensive end at this level?

A: I don’t think he’s a defensive end. Just body type of sort of reminds me of Canty, a shorter Chris Canty how he looks in his uniform.

Q: When you came into the day was he a guy that you kind of targeted or was it just how the board…?

A: Well it was just how the board unfolded for us. We had him at a value spot and obviously we could use some depth on our defensive line as well. It’s a combination of stuff like we try to get all the time.

Q: Even as a second-round pick?

A: We had him at a good spot on the board to take him right now.

Q: Given the fact that you’ve talked about the importance of the first three picks, you say that a lot, how comfortable, how gratified are you that you’ve got these three guys?

A: We feel good about the… obviously we feel good about the receiver, we have the center who we think will be a starting center at some point. It gave us some depth and will battle right now for that center spot and have some versatility, play guard for us. We’ve got a defensive lineman that can definitely start and jump in our rotation and help us out.

Q: It seemed that the common threads were that football acumen was key; they’re all nearly pro-ready. Are these things that were clearly important on your characteristic chart?

A: They’re all, as you go down, as you get into the later rounds, there’s something wrong with all of them. If they were all clean and perfect, you’d pick them all in the first row. All of those guys you can pick in the first row. None of these guys are perfect but we think they’re all really good football players that are going to help our football team. They’re all clean. Like I said, they’re all captains. They’ve got a lot of things that we like with our first three picks. Those are the kinds of things we look for when guys are going to come in and be good players and good contributors to our football team.

Q: Have you devolved a comfort level at all with Syracuse?

A: I don’t know anything about Syracuse except the football players. It has nothing to do with comfort level. They’re all just good football players. It’s just a coincidence that we’ve had a couple players from Syracuse. You could say that about LSU, we’ve got several players from LSU.

Q: Obviously you do a lot of planning coming into this event, how did this unfold compared to what you were expecting?

A: I think things broke our way pretty good from where we were sitting on the board. It didn’t make sense for us to try to move up or down, we had good players that we like available on the board so we were set where we were and made good picks we think on the players that we picked.

Q: At the end of today you look at it and say, ‘We’ve got a receiver, we’ve got a center and we’ve got a defensive tackle.’ Do you think there could have been any scenario where at the end of this day you would have looked at it and said, ‘We’ve got this, this and this. Humf, I never would have thought of that?’

A: Not really. You never know in the draft. Those are positions that we think can really help us, all three of those positions, but we could have used three positions, three other players at different positions as well. We’re happy to get the three players that we have at those positions but it could have gone a different way and we would have been just as happy.

Q: Was it a goal to go for a defensive lineman somehow?

A: If you don’t have big people, it’s hard to win in this league. If you don’t get big guys, it’s hard to win. Most of the time you’re going to lose so you’ve got to have big people up front, you’ve got to have guys in your rotation on your defensive line, you’ve got to have some depth in your offensive line. That’s where it all starts. You’ve got to have some playmakers. We got a combination of all three of those things I think with our first three picks.

Q: Do you feel Bromley is a playmaker?

A: He had 10 sacks. When you play at a high level of competition, he had 10 sacks, he can run, he has long arms, plays hard. I think our coaching staff is going to really like this kid.

Q: Does what you’ve done so far change anything for how you look at moving forward at this point? Maybe you wouldn’t grab a center but maybe in regards to the other positions are you still… getting more bodies on the defensive line, getting more bodies at wide receiver?

A: We’re just trying to get good players as we move forward. The next best player on our board, in the fourth row, in the fourth round – we’ll try to pick him. It really doesn’t matter that much to me right now what position it is, we’re just trying to get good players to create competition and depth on our team. You may get a starter somewhere in the fourth row. It happens all the time.

Q: Do you seem Bromley as a guy who can come in and play right away?

A: We hope so. He’s a big kid, he’s played at a high level of competition and he’s a strong kid. He had good reps at the combine, big, clean, hardworking, tough football player. We expect him to come in and be part of the rotation.

Q: Was that big to you? Tom mentioned it yesterday that you get guys that can play right away or is that just the way…?

A: Well we try to, we try our best. Most kids are developmental no matter how you cut it. Most college kids that come up and play at this level, they’re developmental in a lot of ways. But the guys that we get that can come in and be contributors for us, we look for that. We hope we can get that because, in this day and age, there aren’t many guys you can sit around and red shirt and wait on for a long time. It happens and everybody… you have to develop players. With all of the young players coming out, the juniors coming out, the draft is younger and younger every year with all of the juniors coming out.

Q: Is that why, I’m not saying targeting but you said you like team captains, seniors…?

A: We like captains. We like captains because we think they’re character guys, they have leadership ability. It’s not easy to be picked captain for your football team and these guys have been captains and that’s attractive to us.

Q: But in terms of accelerating them…?

A: Yeah, we think they’re mature if a guy’s a captain because if you’re a captain on your team, there’s some kind of leadership role that you have to take as a captain. Again, that’s attractive to us.

VICE PRESIDENT OF PLAYER EVALUATION MARC ROSS’ REACTION (Video):

Q: When you look back at the last three rounds how do you view the picks compared to what you were expecting coming into the draft? A: It went pretty well. First round, for sure, went how we liked; second round, for sure; and even this last pick we had a good idea [Bromley] was going to be there. There were not any shockers like in years past where guys were rated real high and falling. This year we targeted and guys fell right where we thought they would.

Q: Coming into today were [Richburg] and [Bromley] two guys you were zeroed in on?

A: Not zeroed in, but there were a lot of discussions about these being two quality players we would like to have, and we think they will fall right for us.

Q: John Mara said a couple months ago in regards to the draft that he wanted to take fewer risks. Are [Richburg] and [Bromley] more of a sure thing?

A: Yes, these guys are high character, team captains, hard workers, smart, competitive guys with no issues whatsoever. These are the things we look for all the time. It does not always happen. Certain things you take a little more calculated risks on at certain times. This just happened to fall right for us where we felt these guys were at the very highest in regards to character.

Q: What do you like specifically about [Richburg] and [Bromley]?

A: It’s not just one quality. Richburg is a throwback. He’s a football player. He is smart, competitive, a good athlete and he’s going to give you everything he’s got every play. Jay Bromley has been an underdog his whole life, so he is going to come in here and you are going to have to kill him to get him off the field. There is nothing to deter that guy with what he has been through. That shows with how he plays. It’s great when the best asset for a player is determination and desire, and that is Jay Bromley.

Q: Jerry Reese mentioned how good of a fit [Richburg] is with what Ben McAdoo is going to do on offense. How much do you ask [McAdoo] what he is looking for in a center moving forward?

A: Yes when we have draft meetings we talk about everything. The scouts and their reports, coaches talk about their reports of the players and then we talk about how everybody fits and how guys can be used and the value to the team. One thing Ben [McAdoo] talked about was how important the center was. It was not like we elevated Richburg because of that. We already had a high grade on him because of that, so that just added to his value.

Q: Were certain skills stressed in needing to play center in this offense?

A: Yes, I think with this offense the center is more of a communicator, pointing things out. He is the quarterback of the offensive line, and he helps the quarterback out by identifying certain things about the line front and the MIKE.

Q: As a talent evaluator, what skill sets are you looking for in order to successfully play center in this offense?

A: You can just tell a guy by watching them, especially with an offensive lineman in regards to their IQ, how he plays, his savvy and his instincts. With centers you look for how they are pointing guys out or some centers just put their head down and snap the ball. Those are some things Richburg clearly does on tape, and being around him and his interview at the combine was tremendous. The guy scored a 31 on the Wonderlic. This guy is a smart guy. Those are things that were very intriguing.

Q: It is fair to say he was your highest-rated center?

A: Yes

Q: With Bromley, how much could you tell by talking to him how little he has been handed to him in his football career?

A: That is what our scouts do in the fall when they go to the schools and talk to all the people they talk to at the universities. That is their job, to get this information. Throughout this whole process, we do more digging and research. We interview the player. [The scouts] start it off and they establish a foundation and we work from there.

Q: Could you personally tell by talking with [Bromley] that nothing has been handed to him football-wise?

A: Yeah, you could tell with his personality. You get a good feel for how they are. You can tell he is a hungry kid.

Q: Can you develop a comfort level with certain [college] programs?

A: For sure. I think you build a trust level with certain schools as opposed to others where you know the information you are getting based off of how the players have performed once they leave school. When you go in there the next year, you get certain coaches that you trust more than others. It’s not like we targeted Syracuse guys. I know that is probably your follow-up question. It just happens to fall that way. [Justin] Pugh is a guy we really liked as well as [Ryan] Nassib at the time and now Jay [Bromley].

Q: [Jerry] mentioned LSU as well…?

A: Our scouts do a really good job and they have great contacts at most schools. It is not as if LSU and Syracuse are the only exceptions.

Q: Does Bromley remind you of any former Giants defensive lineman?

A: No.

Q: What do you view [Bromley’s] top skill as? Obviously the 10 sacks this past year jump out at you.

A: As I said earlier, his desire and determination on the field. That grit that he has is his number one quality. He is still young and developing some skills such as his pad level and hand use and other things of that nature. He is still a young guy. Really his motor is just tremendous. I think that is his best asset. He is a big guy that worked out really well, and he produced. The motor and determination are his best attributes.

Q: Do you see [Bromley] as a rotational guy along the defensive line or more of a passing down situation type of player?

A: He can do a little bit of both. He is a big body; he will throw them in there. I’m not going to say this guy is going to come in and start right away, but hopefully he develops into that. It is a big man’s game. As many of those big guys that you have, the more successful you are, so hopefully [Bromley] can get in there and bang around and make some plays for us.

Q: Do you see more room for him to grow in his frame?

A: Yes, he can get bigger. He is 307 [pounds] now, but eating right up here and getting great meals and lifting every day, football will become his full-time job. He is going to develop and thicken up.

Q: How much would you like him to weigh?

A: 315-320 pounds. He will probably put that on very easily.

HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN’S REACTION (Video – Richburg) (Video – Bromley):

(After Richburg Selection) Good Evening. Second pick was a very good athletic young center. He was a captain and leader while being a four-year starter at Colorado State. All of the scouts raved about this guy. When the coaches got a chance to study him, he can pull, he can block the zone schemes and he makes all the calls. The center position here for us is one of responsibility in terms of dictating to the rest of the offensive line exactly how the scheme is going to go. This guy will fit right in in terms of that. Interesting story about him: He broke his right hand in 2012 and finished the year snapping the ball with his left hand, so you know he can do that as well. We feel like we have a good solid young center who is very smart. He did a good job despite his long arms on the bench press, so he is strong. He is a good worker, and as I said, he has earned his stripes. He is the leader of his offensive line and offensive team. He was voted captain. We are pleased to have Weston [Richburg] on board.

Q: At the extent to who makes the call [for the O-line] Jerry [Reese] just said that could change with the new offensive coordinator?

A: No, the center is very much involved, but in this scheme there will be more responsibility on the center.

Q: How much in regards to responsibility differs for the center? Jerry [Reese] mentioned pulling possibly. He seems more athletic than some of the centers you have had in the past.

A: There may be a possibility of [the center pulling]. He can [pull] if asked to. Whether that happens or not, we will see. He does and has done that in college.

Q: Is [pulling] something that JD Walton cannot do?

A: No. Not necessarily. It is one of the attributes that is very noticeable when you do grade [Richburg], so it is worth mentioning.

Q: [Pulling] was not a trait that you thought was necessary when you think of playing center?

A: Well, it gives you more versatility. Even more, there would be no restrictions in terms of what you would ask [the center] to do. If you were going to pull or there was an opportunity based on the front you’re playing against, where the guard is not in the position to pull, then the center would or could pull. It has been done and you can count on [Richburg] to do that. He would be able to get out in front and make a block etc.

Q: The offense line in the past years has had some versatility. Richburg has had some experience playing guard. How much does that play into drafting him?

A: You always look for versatility if you have it, but this guy is a center. He has been a center, and he is a young center in the fold here. We are first and foremost going to talk about him as a center.

Q: Was he the top player on your board coming into today?

A: I am not going to go into where he was [on our board]. He was among those at the top.

Q: How about his size? He seems to be bigger than most centers at 6-3 300 pounds.

A: Pro Bowl centers are 304-305 [pounds]. He is right in there.

Jay Bromley, Syracuse Orange (October 12, 2013)

Jay Bromley – © USA TODAY Sports Images

(After Bromley Selection) It’s interesting, Jerry (Reese) comes down and I come down, we’re talking about the same thing, probably using the same references because when you talk about the players that you’re getting ready to draft, what happens is you maybe set aside five or six names and you try to start it early enough where you go to the area scouts and you go to anyone else that’s been asked to go in there and grade the player and then you go to Chris Mara and you go to the defensive coach or the offensive coach, regardless of which side of the ball it’s on, and eventually it comes back to my grade on the individual and Jerry gives his grade on the individual, so there’s a lot of discussion about every player and it’s important that you start out early enough so that you can hear from everybody. That’s usually what we do in this round because it’s five-minute rounds, you’re out there seven or eight picks when you start talking about these guys, so you do hear the comments from the scouts, from the coaches, from Marc Ross, from Jerry, from Chris Mara. You hear all of the comments so that’s why when we come into the room following one another, a lot of what you hear is probably a ditto.

Nevertheless this young man, Jay Bromley, of course, went to a great school, played defensive tackle, had 10 sacks, which is really interesting. You stop and think about it, a kid playing basically a three technique who has 10 sacks, runs very well, he’s quick, he plays hard. He plays hard, he runs well for a defensive lineman, he’s a captain of his football team, he’s well-respected, he’s a quiet guy, he’s some, although you wouldn’t tell by the answer on the phone that I just went through because mom was there and mom was yelling and screaming. And when they heard it was the Giants, being from Jamaica, Queens, they were very, very excited. It’s fun to share in the excitement of someone who is truly, truly… it meshes geographically because this guy is very close to his mom, because he played at Syracuse, because he is a man that’s worked very hard for what he’s got and will be asked to work even harder because he’s around the 310 mark. You’d like him maybe to be a little bit bigger than that and to get back in the weight room and work.

One thing he does do is work so we have no question about this kid’s character, his work ethic, his focus and how serious he is about the job that he’s about to undertake. Those things being said, they speak very highly of what we’ve tried to do throughout this draft up to this point. We’re excited about having this kid. It was great to hear him on the other end of the line and the excitement, which is genuine excitement, with which he answered the phone.

Q: You haven’t talked about the significance of drafting three captains so far. In your experience in football, what does that tell you about a guy when he’s a captain of his college team?

A: It tells me that he is an individual that not only is a good football player but he’s someone that’s well respected and trusted on the part of his teammates. Many times it’s, I remember when I played it was pretty much a selection by the coach. That’s probably not the case most of the time now. The players do have an opportunity to evaluate. When you have an individual, first of all, who is courageous, who is strong of character, strong of belief, an individual believes in the program who’s willing to sacrifice and willing to pay the price when in fact he’s being evaluated by those around him while it’s taking place. Usually it speaks for a guy that gives his all, puts his heart into what he does, is not afraid to be an individual who leads by example that may be helpful to younger players in terms of how they direct themselves. He’s not afraid to do that because he’s putting his best foot forward.

It’s not always perfect, it’s not always the best, but he tries as hard as he possibly can and, by virtue of that, leads by example. Leading by example is the one sure way in which to indicate to people how it’s done. It isn’t about talking; it isn’t about all that stuff. It’s about playing hard, being consistent, having virtues and values that you believe in and are not willing to sacrifice them for popularity. I believe that’s the kind of individuals that we would like to have working for the New York Giants in our program, guys that we can trust, guys that are football players and dedicate their minds and work ethic to becoming the very best that they can be.

Q: How much more of an emphasis was placed on this this year?

A: It’s always an emphasis but I think it’s probably been talked about more this year in the room than maybe last year or two years ago or whatever.

Q: Why do you think that is?

A: Why is it? Because we would like to feel like the people that come here are absolute football players, devoted to it. Let’s face it, where we are, there are areas that could be distractions. We need to have people that can operate in this environment and stay focused and do the job they were brought here for and not get off track.

Q: Is that something that has been a problem?

A: Not necessarily, you’re not going to get any names; you’re not going to get any major discussion. It’s what you want; it’s the desire that you want perhaps when you start at the top of the board. If, in fact, it’s being talked about more now, it’s obviously been talked about by us in the room.

Q: Could part of that be because some of the team players — Tuck, Diehl and other guys — are gone, guys that you used to rely on for that kind of leadership in the locker room?

A: That’s a good point. The fact that some of these players that have been looked upon as outstanding leaders have gone on and we have others here who will take that role, I’m sure. But it’s always good to have a self-starter, it’s always good to have somebody that is completely devoted to their job.

Q: Does that maturity also help when you need to get these guys in as quickly as possible and get going in your program without a rookie minicamp, without being able to bring them along as a group of rookies?

A: There are reasons for why there isn’t a rookie minicamp. They will be here. It’s never been done before. In the past you’ve had to work it so that when they came for the minicamp they stayed. Well we’re into the program, we’re on the field four days a week, so to shut this thing down so we can have a rookie minicamp or do something, a one-day camp on the weekend, we could have them on the field Tuesday. It is integrating them right into the program but it’s not a reason for us not to have a rookie minicamp and certainly they’ll be right with our veteran players right from the get-go. That really isn’t a motive behind what we’re talking about. You like to have mature people, no matter what their age is. We’ve all seen it where a rookie comes in and he gets it and we’ve all seen it where they come in and they don’t get it. If I had, if we had our preference, we’d take the ones that get it.

Q: How much of a priority was it to get a defensive lineman in this draft?

A: Well it was very important. We’ve had some people move on, so we have an offensive line and a defensive line and what we’re trying to do is play New York Giant football, get back to the physical aspect of how we play, the camaraderie, the believing in each other, the ability to be the stronger unit on the field.

Q: You said Bromley is at 310. And you want him to put more weight on?

A: I’d like him to be stronger, bigger as he grows a little bit older and spends a lot of time in our weight room. Sure, absolutely – bigger, stronger, faster.

Q: And you’ve envisioned him as mostly a three-technique kind of guy?

A: He’s a defensive tackle. He’ll be asked to do more than there here. That’s what he did play, yeah, he played defensive tackle. He will be a defensive tackle here.

Q: Does he give up some stoutness against the run, with the sacks?

A: No, I don’t think so. That would not be a concern.

WESTON RICHBURG’S REACTION (Giants.com Insider Video):

Q: Is this about where you expected to go and were you surprised with the Giants or did you think maybe that was a good chance?

A: I wanted to be the first center selected and it turns out I was. I’m just so excited to be selected by such a great organization.

Q: What was in like when you met with them?

A: I just met with them at the combine, we had a formal meeting at the combine, I got to speak with Coach Coughlin a bit and we talked a lot of football and film. We reviewed a lot my film and kind of just went over X and O details with those guys.

Q: What was your impression from that point?

A: You could tell how professional these guys are and how well-run the organization is. Just after seeing that, I’m so excited to be a part of it.

Q: Why was it important for you to be the first center selected?

A: I’ve always been a guy from a smaller school. Even though Colorado State is a Division 1 school, it’s in the Mountain West so we don’t get a lot of respect sometimes. When it comes to going against other big school guys, it’s always been my dream to be the best center in the country. Today I kind of got that recognition by being the first center selected.

Q: Tom Coughlin seemed to love the fact that you broke your regular snapping hand and finished the season with the other. How tough of an adjustment was that to switch hands?

A: That’s something I take a lot of pride in. You don’t see a lot of guys doing that. It was tough, it was a tough kind of change but I took it with open arms. Looking back at it, it was something that I’m really prideful about.

Q: Did you actually have a club on the broken hand while you were snapping with the other?

A: I did, yeah. A big old, goofy looking cast club type of deal on my hand.

Q: I think you started every game at Colorado State. Have you ever missed a game?

A: In high school I only played offensive line one year, my senior year. I had an ACL injury that kept me out my sophomore and junior seasons and before that I played quarterback my freshman year of high school. I’ve kind of been all over the place but when I got to college I started every game on the offensive line.

Q: Do you think you can play right away in the NFL?

A: I do, I think I can come in and contribute. It’s going to take a lot of work but I think that’s something that’s carried me this far is my work ethic. I enjoy working and now it’s my job, that’s even the cool part about it. It’s my job to lift weights, to watch film, to get better playing football. I want to come in and try to contribute to this year and really help this organization be as successful as it can be.

Q: How much did you pull at Colorado State and how much do you think your athleticism allows you to do that kind of stuff?

A: We pull quite a bit. Since I was able to do that, our coaches felt more comfortable using me in that type of way. It’s something I really enjoyed as well and I think I was athletic enough to get out, quick enough, and get out and set up some good blocks for our running backs on the outside.

Q: When you came into tonight did you zero in on a spot that you thought you might go? Did you think the Giants were a team that might take you?

A: I knew there were several teams that were looking at a center. I had been hearing the second round was probably a good spot for me. I didn’t really know specifically what team it would be but I knew the second round was probably going to be when I was going to get the phone call.

Q: Do you think it has helped you and your versatility in the fact that you participated in other sports in high school like throwing shot and playing basketball?

A: I think just being involved as much as you can in every sport you can be really helps your athleticism. With me, I tried to be as involved as I could be, shot put, discus, basketball kind of stuff, so yeah, as involved and active as you can be I think can definitely translate over.

Q: Did you watch the draft tonight from home? Where are you tonight?

A: I’m out in Bushland, Texas, my hometown. I’m actually at my classmate Crockett Gillmore’s house. We’ve got our families together and we’re just having a good time right now.

Q: When do you expect to be here in New York?

A: I’ll fly out on Sunday.

Q: How much more of a challenge is it without a rookie minicamp, the veterans are already going kind of into phase two of their offseason program. Have you talked to the organization about how quickly they can get you up to speed?

A: Yeah, I just talked to coach Flaherty and he said it would be kind of more difficult than normal but I think they have an understanding of what we’re going through. We’re going to work through it. Like I said, I’m just so excited to be a Giant and have an opportunity to come in there and really contribute this year.

Q: Are there any centers that you look up to or pattern your game after maybe?

A: I like the Pouncey twins a lot. I think they have a lot of really good athletic traits. I like to kind of emulate them. I like Logan Mankins. Even though he’s not a center, I think he plays really kind of nasty in the interior and I try to get after people like he does.

Q: What do you know about Eli Manning and what are your expectations? You’ll probably be spending a lot of time working with him.

A: Just talking about how great the Giants organization is, they’ve got one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now. It’s kind of crazy, I was just watching the Mannings the other day and now I’m going to have a chance to be snapping to the guy. To be able to learn from a guy like that as a rookie is priceless and I’m really looking forward to being around him and learning from a pro like Eli Manning.

JAY BROMLEY’S REACTION:

Q: Congratulations.

A: Thank you.

Q: How surprised were you when your phone rang and you were told it was the Giants on the line?

A: I thought they were joking, to be honest. I was in the grocery store, I thought they were joking.

Q: Obviously you weren’t sitting at that moment expecting for the phone to ring. What was your night like? When did you think you might get a call?

A: Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to go today. I was just expecting, like everybody else, trying to see how many people in my position went in the second and third round and seeing how everything fell. I didn’t’ expect the call at all tonight.

Q: So how long did it take you to realize that it actually was the Giants on the line?

A: When I talked to Coach Coughlin and it was just surreal, it was like, ‘Man, this is really happening right now. This is why I worked so hard.’ It’s just amazing.

Q: I would guess this was the number one choice for you, is that correct?

A: Oh, the home team, my favorite team. It’s crazy, this is my favorite team – Big Blue. And then I get picked by them, that’s crazy. It’s amazing.

Q: What were you doing tonight? What were your plans? You’re in a grocery store at 10 o’clock at night.

A: I was at the grocery story with my girlfriend getting some juice and getting a movie from RedBox. I’m about to get the movie from RedBox and it’s like, ‘Oh, man.’

Q: Who called you and what did they say? What was your response to them at that point?

A: At first it was the Giants scout before he gave me over to Coach Coughlin. He was just like, ‘Is this Jay Bromley?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, this is Jay.’ He said, ‘I’m a scout for the New York Giants’ and I was like, ‘Yeah this is Jay.’ He was like, ‘I’m calling you because we’re about to pick you.’ I was like, ‘No, you’re lying.’ He said, ‘No, we’re not joking.’ I said, ‘Oh, this is crazy.’ He said, ‘Let me get you over to Coach Coughlin,’ and he was just like, ‘Just get ready to come in and get to work.’ I’m just like, ‘I’m ready.’

Q: You said you went to RedBox to get a movie, has the movie night been put on hold a little bit?

A: Oh man, the movie’s been completely put on hold. The movie’s an afterthought now, to be completely honest.

Q: What movie did you end up choosing?

A: I think we were going to watch Gravity.

Q: They talked about you putting on weight, adding more muscle, maybe even getting up to 315, 320. What did you play at last year? What do you feel most comfortable playing and what do you think about getting up to that weight? How hard would that be for you?

A: I played at 296 last year during the season then I played at 307 during the all-star game. As long as I make sure I get in good condition and make sure I put on more muscle than fat and I can still keep my quickness, add some flexibility, I don’t know, maybe 315 might be a good weight for me, maybe not. I’ll just have to wait and see.

Q: What do you view as your strengths as a player? Obviously the sack number pops out. What do you view as some of your top skills?

A: Getting to the quarterback. It’s really fun to me to rush the passer, to learn different moves and to try different moves to get to the quarterback. I feel like that’s an asset that I bring to the team, just getting in the backfield. If I’m not sacking the quarterback, just disrupting the pocket a little bit.

Q: You obviously said you weren’t expecting to get drafted today. Where did you expect to get drafted? What kind of stuff were you hearing even though you ended up being a third-round pick?

A: I’m one of those guys that think in the worst-case scenario, so I didn’t expect to be drafted. I heard four to six, but the way the draft works, players start going and it’s just a whole bunch of sliding scales that I didn’t understand, so I just thought of the worst-case scenario – going tomorrow at the earliest.

Q: What were your plans for tomorrow? Did you plan on that being your draft day or were you going to do your thing tomorrow also the same way?

A: I did plan on that being my draft day. I graduate tomorrow at 4 p.m. so I was just expecting everything, just to get up tomorrow and do the graduation and then the draft in my head as well, just waiting for it.

Q: Coach Coughlin said he heard a lot of screaming when he was talking to you as well. Who was that and what was their reaction?

A: I was with my girlfriend and my teammate and a couple other people I go to Syracuse with and I got the call and I was like, no. I hit them on the shoulder and was like, ‘Bro, this can’t be.’ I was like, ‘No, no.’ Coughlin started talking and I was like, ‘Man, this is real.’ Everybody started going crazy. It was just a dream come true.

Q: Have you spoken to Ryan Nassib or to Justin Pugh about the Giants yet?

A: I haven’t. I look forward to talking to these guys, get to go to a team I’m familiar with the boys I know. I can’t wait.

Q: Obviously you’re a Giants fan, you know about the legacy here on the defensive line. What does it mean to now be a part of that?

A: That’s the thing. The defensive line, that’s why I love the Giants. The defensive line back with Osi and Strahan and it’s like, ‘Man, I grew up watching that.’ When they beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl with the sacks they got and with the pressure, it’s just so exciting because I love to sack the quarterback and it’s like that’s what they do.

Q: You’re graduating tomorrow, have they given you any idea of when you’re going to be heading down here to the facility?

A: They told me that we start on Monday and I graduate tomorrow. I don’t know how soon I’ll be there; probably the latest will be Sunday. Then we get things going from there.

Article on WR Odell Beckham, Jr.: Rich athletic heritage made Odell Beckham Jr. a natural for Giants in first round by Conor Orr of The Star-Ledger

May 092014
 
Odell Beckham, New York Giants (May 8, 2014)

Odell Beckham – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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New York Giants Draft Odell Beckham in First Round: With the 12th pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. (LSU) on Thursday night.

BBI scouting report:

Odell Beckham was junior entry but a three-year starter at LSU. Beckham lacks classic size, but he is a well-built receiver with the speed, quickness, agility, and acceleration to separate and threaten defenses vertically. He has an explosive element to his game. Beckham has long arms and big hands, giving him a very good catch radius. Beckham runs very good routes, adjusts well to the football in the air, and has good hands catching the ball though he was guilty of an occasional drop.. He is very elusive and dangerous with the football in his hands after the catch. He is a tough, aggressive, physical, competitive receiver who does not shy away from contact. Smart and hard working. Beckham is also a dangerous kickoff returner.

Video of the Giants making the pick on The NFL Network are available at Giants.com. Here are some YouTube highlights of Beckum. Rounds 2-3 will be held on Friday evening, starting at 7:00PM ET. Rounds 4-7 will be held on Saturday starting at noon.

GENERAL MANAGER JERRY REESE’S REACTION (Video): Odell Beckham, wide receiver and return specialist from LSU. It was a really good pick for us. We obviously wanted to address the wide receiver position, as well as other positions. He was the highest guy on our board, number one, and he brings a lot to the table for us. He’s a dynamic receiver, dynamic punt returner and a dynamic kickoff returner. You are getting a guy that can score touchdowns in three different ways for you. There’s no way we would pass him up.

Q: Were you at all surprised at the way things panned out, I know you said Beckham was number one on your board, but were there other alternatives that could have helped you as well?

A: Yeah, there were a couple more guys up there that we talked about that we liked. Beckham had too much value and need for us at that spot. He is speed on the outside. There are guys he plays with in the SEC, that whatever side [Beckham] goes to, those guys back up. He is that big speed that you need on the outside that can go get that ball. He is almost pro-ready. We obviously think he is going to get better with pro coaching, but we think he is pro-ready now. He is a terrific route runner, and we love the pick.

Q: As you saw the way the round was going, were you really happy at 12 when you saw it was going the way you wanted?

A: I think it went well for us. They came off the board good for us. We were hoping a quarterback or two would go up there, and then when those secondary guys went, that pushed some guys down that we were talking about.

Q: Does the pick speak to the “punch” the offense needed after last year?

A: We are talking about the quarterback needing some help, and this guy is a weapon. He needs a weapon on the outside, and Victor [Cruz] is more of an inside receiver. Victor can’t play outside. Rueben Randle, [Jerrel] Jernigan, and we got Mario [Manningham] back, so we are trying to get the quarterback some weapons. You need weapons in this league. We think this guy is a weapon.

Q: Is [Beckham’s] size at 5-11 what you were looking for?

A: When you look at the Super Bowl, how tall were the receivers [the Seahawks] won with? Tall receivers don’t always correlate to Super Bowl wins. Would you love to have a 6-5 guy that can run routes, and do the things that [Beckham] can do? Sure, but I do not think you need to have that to win Super Bowls. Again I think the Seahawks showed that last year.

Q: Can you describe the emotion in the room when you realized you were going to get the guy that was number one on your board?

A: We just try to keep our composure in there. We saw that it was falling our way, but you never know. We have had several times where the guy that we want gets picked right in front of us. If somebody would have taken him, I think it was Tennessee who picked right in front of us, if they had taken him, we would have been happy with a couple of the other guys we had on our board there.

Q: Did you get any action on the phones for that pick?

A: We got a couple of phone calls, but nothing significant. It was just guys fishing around for cheap moves.

Q: When you pick this early what do you do for the rest of this round?

A: We will just look at it, and see if there is anyone on our board that we really like who starts to fall down. We could possibly trade back into the first round. We will monitor it and watch it and see what happens. If there is a guy up there who we feel can help take us to the next level, and we think we can move back up into the first round, then we would contemplate doing that.

Q: When was the first time you saw [Beckham]?

A: First time I saw him myself was on tape. Obviously we had scouts to see him all year long. We had a lot of eyes on him and I went to his pro day workout. I saw him at the Combine and he has been dynamic every time I have seen him.

Q: Did you talk to Rueben Randle much about [Beckham]?

A: No, I really did not talk to Rueben about him.

Q: But [Randle] knows him?

A: He played with him, so he knows him, but I talked to his coaches and people like that and the scouts obviously. I did a lot of homework on him. He comes from great genes. His mom was a track star and his dad played running back at LSU. He’s got good genes and he’s a good kid.

Q: Are there ever any concerns that two receivers can be too similar. [Beckham] said he models his game after Victor?

A: No, I do not worry about that. Victor is an inside receiver, [Beckham] is an outside receiver. [Beckham] has more speed than Victor on the outside. I don’t think they are similar, I think [Beckham] said he likes Victor because they are similar in size. He is a little bit taller than Victor maybe. His body type and the way he moves around on the field are what I think [Beckham] likes about Victor, but I think they are two different receivers.

Q: In former Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride’s offense, there was always an adjustment period with new receivers. With Ben [McAdoo] do you think [Beckham] can come in and contribute right away?

A: We hope so. Anytime you pick a guy at 12 you expect him to come in and be a contributor for you. He definitely can come in and be your first punt and kick returner right out of the gate. We think that this guy is a lump-in-your-throat kind of kick and punt returner. If he gets some blocks, he can go with it. That was very attractive because you are getting a two-for-one kind of guy. To answer your question, is he going to take some type of adjustment, all rookies take some adjustment to play up here, but we think he’s pretty close to get ready to go.

Q: You now have a pretty good group of receivers. Do you expect them to feed off each other?

A: I hope so. All the research and the word on [Beckham] is how hungry this guy is and he practices hard and works hard. All of the teams use the GPS like we use, and early in camp, they said his GPS registered from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. That is how hard he works. Because he does all of the special teams stuff as well, he gets a lot of mileage on his GPS. He has great stamina and is a hard worker and he’s a hungry guy. The comment I like most is when he comes in he feels like he is a number one wide receiver. He will work to try to prove that to people, so we like those things about him.

Q: You mentioned his return ability. How does he compare to the return guys you brought in during Free Agency?

A: It doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t matter. The more return guys you have in the building, the better. We haven’t had any in the building in some time. The more, the merrier. Whoever wins the job is fine with me, but we have some options there.

Q: How is his speed relative to the guys brought in during Free Agency?

A: [Trindon] Holliday is a fast guy. [Beckham] is a fast guy, but speed kills.

Q: Did you always think you were going to go offense first?

A: We try to stay with our board the best we can, and he was the highest player on our board then. It was an easy pick for us.

Q: Was it safe to say [Beckham] was a top-10 guy on your board?

A: That’s correct.

Q: Was it safe to say [Beckham] was a top-5 guy on your board.

A: Not safe to say that.

VICE PRESIDENT OF PLAYER EVALUATION MARC ROSS’ REACTION:

Q: As the whole round went on, the first 11 picks, it seemed like everyone was very happy with the way it transpired.

A: Us? Yeah, for sure. We always, when we meet leading up to the draft, have scenarios that we go over. This was one of the scenarios that we talked about a lot: if these two guys, three guys, four guys that we had there, if they were there, what we would do. It kind of fell the way we thought it would.

Q: Why did he jump off the screen for this football franchise?

A: Well, I mean, we think he’s a dynamic receiver and returner, by far the most versatile receiver in the draft. He can make explosive plays in a variety of ways – receiving, punt returns, kick returns. He’s polished, smart, great work ethic, so he just fit all the criteria that we look for.

Q: Are you sure he has the size for the outside?

A: Sure. He’s not the biggest guy in the draft but his size is fine. There are plenty of receivers that have been extremely successful with similar size. But he can play slot, he can play outside, move him around and he’s done that.

Q: As you look at fixing an offense that John Mara mentioned was broken a few months ago, was what you did in free agency and the particular pick tonight, what do you feel better about the offense right now compared to before all of this?

A: Before the offseason and the draft tonight? I think we’ve gotten better. We’ve solidified the line with some of the free agent signings, we definitely think we’ve gotten a playmaker for our offense tonight and helped out our return game, putting our offense in great field position with Odell being a returner and some of the return guys that we signed in the offseason. So overall, obviously, we’re happy with what we’ve done but there’s still a lot of work to be done and it’s got to play out on the field.

Q: Tom mentioned that Beckham’s interview at the combine was outstanding. You’re nodding. What do you remember about it?

A: When we do those interviews, certain ones stick out as soon as you come in the room, the way they carry themselves, the way they communicate, the way they talk about football. Those are the things we look for. He was outstanding. A humble guy, great upbringing, great pedigree and just talking film, talking football with him, he was one of the sharpest ones that we had.

Q: Usually receivers have a little bit of diva in them. Does this kid have that personality or do you think he’s a little different?

A: Not really. He’s a worker. I wouldn’t call him a diva; I would call him a worker. He loves to compete, he loves to train, he loves to practice, he can run all day. So he’s a worker.

Q: Do you think he’s like anybody? Any other receivers?

A: No. He was one of our ‘watch’ guys. Certain players, ‘Oh yeah,’ instantly but him, him, to us, to me, I think he kind of has a unique skill set. Nobody that immediately I thought of.

Q: Was it a tough call when you were on the clock with him and maybe one other guy?

A: No. We always talk about guys but he was the highest guy on our board, so it makes it easy, at a position that we thought that we could get better at so it made it easy.

HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN’S REACTION (Video): We’re excited, let’s put it that way. This particular individual was somebody that, quite frankly, we favored on the board all along. We had a great impression by him in Indianapolis, the scouts stood up for him. He is a guy that can run kicks back, run punts back, play the wide receiver position. He has great speed, he’s polished, he’s talented, he has big hands, he has played at the top of the level in college football. His head coach speaks very, very highly of him as a worker in addition, as a great example to the other receivers, so we felt like this is someone who would help us a great deal to put the ball in the end zone, be a guy that we can count on to help us score some points, be another weapon that we can utilize as a wide receiver but in addition we can certainly feature him in the kicking game as well. This was one of those deals where you speculate right away as to how they’re going to come off the board. There were a couple of things up there that looked like we had a chance to get the players that we wanted in position there and so when we had the opportunity to pick Beckham we were certainly excited about doing that.

Q: How do you think he compliments Victor Cruz as far as his size and his speed?

A: Speed, again, the ability to make the big play. He’s a crafty route runner; he has a lot of polish with regard to that. He has very good stamina. I think he’ll do a great job in the receiver room. I think he’ll be on the same page with the quarterback right away. He’s intelligent and he’s excited to be here.

Q: You must have been pretty pleased with each pick. If this guy is, you know, going to be there.

A: A lot of the picks were… you set them up that way. The first round looked a lot like that. There were a couple things that happened, the trade coming when it did with Cleveland going back. For the most part it went pretty much the way we thought it would. A couple of the things that happened up there made us feel like the players that we wanted to be in position when we picked would be there and they were, at least two of them were.

Q: When you look at this draft, was getting weapons for Eli a pretty big priority for you?

A: That was a priority. Obviously we did some work in the offensive line in the free agency period, but you know, you look at your roster and you think in terms of how can we put ourselves in position again to be a high-scoring team. The good thing, I would think, as an offensive player coming in here is our veterans have a three-week head start on the rookies, which is not much in learning a new system. I think for a young man of Odell’s skill and his level of intelligence, that he will pick this up relatively quickly.

Q: Can you just speak to already being excited about your offense heading into next year? It took enough criticism coming out of last season so is there a potential for a whole different level of…?

A: Well, obviously we’re excited to think that. I’m not much of a talker, I would rather see us be productive and then talk about it. We’re trying to get there and we’re making progress.

Q: Receivers in this offense, in the offense before, sometimes had trouble getting on the field right away, very technical, a lot of things they haven’t learned. Given the fact that you have a new offense and what you said about this player, do you think an impact right away is very possible?

A: I think you take that position right now with every guy that comes in the door. They better all contribute right away, whether it be on special teams, defense, offense, whatever it is they’re going to be… there’s no waiting around in this game today. We will expect right throughout the draft that there will be a strong contribution from each of the players that select and hopefully it will create the kind of competition that we need as well.

Q: Was Beckham the guy that you had targeted as you were mapping it down?

A: He was one of them, yeah.

WR ODELL BECKHAM’S REACTION (Giants.com Insider Video):

Q: What’s your reaction to being a New York Giant?

A: I’m still trying to get everything in check. It’s an overwhelming experience. I’m so happy to be a Giant.

Q: What do you think you can bring to this offense right away?

A: I definitely think that I can come in and, if I get the opportunity to play, I could bring a lot of things – a deep threat or whatever the team needs me to do. Hopefully I get to return some punts and kicks.

Q: What do you think it will be like playing with Victor Cruz?

A: It’s going to be great. That’s kind of one of the guys who I style my game after and who I look up to, so to be able to learn from him and the other receivers that they have is just going to be, it definitely will help me improve my game.

Q: What about playing with Rueben Randle?

A: My big brother. He kind of taught me the ropes when I came into LSU and now I’m back with him again. It’s pretty incredible.

Q: What do you think about catching balls from Eli Manning and just tell us a little bit about what you’ve known about him growing up in the same high school (Isidore Newman).

A: I remember walking through the school and seeing his jersey, along with Peyton and the Mannings as well. Every single day it was just kind of motivation to me. I threw with them a couple times, so I know exactly what he has in store and what he has to offer. I’m really looking forward to getting back together with him.

Q: I know it’s been a whirlwind. Have you heard from Rueben yet?

A: Actually I don’t even have my phone with me right now. I heard from him earlier. He told me good luck but he didn’t tell me that they were going to pick me.

Q: Were you hoping that it was going to be the Giants? Did you have in your mind where you might fall in the first round? In your heart of hearts, did you say, ‘Boy, it would be great to be a Giant?’

A: Of course it would be great to be a Giant. I had no idea that I was going to get taken by them. Honestly I hadn’t heard much from them so it was all kind of just a blur to me.

Q: Do you consider yourself a number one receiver? Is that, obviously I would imagine, your goal?

A: To be the number one receiver for the Giants? There are guys there who already have themselves established. I’m really looking forward to coming in and competing, competing for a spot with these guys. Wherever I may fall, I may fall but at the end of the day you always want to be that number one as a competitor, in everything you do.

Q: What do you think you bring in the return game?

A: I’m definitely looking forward to doing punt returns. It’s kind of one of the things I love doing most, just being able to get the ball back there and just use your natural ability. You have guys out there blocking for you, it’s something that I look forward to doing.

Q: Who do you get your athletic ability from more, your father or your mother?

A: Obviously I don’t know. I guess genetically it’s split 50/50. My mom’s got a pretty good track history, my dad played football as well. I won’t make either one of them mad and I’ll say it was a 50/50.

Q: Did you bring enough stuff to stay in New York now or do you have to go back and get your belongings?

A: I’m definitely going to have to go home and come back. I did not bring enough stuff.

Q: Could this have worked out any better for you in terms of the draft? A week ago you were projected 18, 19. You end up 12 overall and you end up with the Giants. Could it have worked out any better for you at all?

A: Absolutely not. It couldn’t have worked out any better. It’s a perfect situation.

May 082014
 

New York Giants 2014 NFL Draft Review

Draft Pick Scouting Reports
Rookie Free Agent Scouting Reports
Eric’s Take on the 2014 Draft

Round Pick in Round Overall Selection Player Selected Video
1 12 12 WR Odell Beckham, Jr., LSU (Video)
2 11 43 OC Weston Richburg, Colorado State (Video)
3 10 74 DT Jay Bromley, Syracuse (Video)
4 13 113 RB Andre Williams, Boston College (Video)
5 12 152 S Nat Berhe, San Diego State (Video)
5 34 174 LB Devon Kennard, USC (Video)
6 11 187 CB Bennett Jackson, Notre Dame (Video)

2014 Draft Pick Scouting Reports

1st Round – WR Odell Beckham, Jr., 5’11”, 198lbs, 4.38, LSU
Odell Beckham, New York Giants (May 8, 2014)

Odell Beckham – © USA TODAY Sports Images

SCOUTING REPORT: Beckham was junior entry but a three-year starter at LSU. Beckham lacks classic size, but he is a well-built receiver with the speed, quickness, agility, and acceleration to separate and threaten defenses vertically. He has an explosive element to his game. Beckham has long arms and big hands, giving him a very good catch radius. Beckham runs very good routes, adjusts well to the football in the air, and has good hands catching the ball though he is guilty of an occasional drop. He is very elusive and dangerous with the football in his hands after the catch. He is a tough, aggressive, physical, competitive receiver who does not shy away from contact. Smart and hard working. Beckham is also a dangerous kickoff returner.

MEDIA Q&A WITH GENERAL MANAGER JERRY REESE: (Video) (Giants.com Q&A)

Odell Beckham, wide receiver and return specialist from LSU. It was a really good pick for us. We obviously wanted to address the wide receiver position, as well as other positions. He was the highest guy on our board, number one, and he brings a lot to the table for us. He’s a dynamic receiver, dynamic punt returner and a dynamic kickoff returner. You are getting a guy that can score touchdowns in three different ways for you. There’s no way we would pass him up.

Q: Were you at all surprised at the way things panned out, I know you said Beckham was number one on your board, but were there other alternatives that could have helped you as well?

A: Yeah, there were a couple more guys up there that we talked about that we liked. Beckham had too much value and need for us at that spot. He is speed on the outside. There are guys he plays with in the SEC, that whatever side [Beckham] goes to, those guys back up. He is that big speed that you need on the outside that can go get that ball. He is almost pro-ready. We obviously think he is going to get better with pro coaching, but we think he is pro-ready now. He is a terrific route runner, and we love the pick.

Q: As you saw the way the round was going, were you really happy at 12 when you saw it was going the way you wanted?

A: I think it went well for us. They came off the board good for us. We were hoping a quarterback or two would go up there, and then when those secondary guys went, that pushed some guys down that we were talking about.

Q: Does the pick speak to the “punch” the offense needed after last year?

A: We are talking about the quarterback needing some help, and this guy is a weapon. He needs a weapon on the outside, and Victor [Cruz] is more of an inside receiver. Victor can’t play outside. Rueben Randle, [Jerrel] Jernigan, and we got Mario [Manningham] back, so we are trying to get the quarterback some weapons. You need weapons in this league. We think this guy is a weapon.

Q: Is [Beckham’s] size at 5-11 what you were looking for?

A: When you look at the Super Bowl, how tall were the receivers [the Seahawks] won with? Tall receivers don’t always correlate to Super Bowl wins. Would you love to have a 6-5 guy that can run routes, and do the things that [Beckham] can do? Sure, but I do not think you need to have that to win Super Bowls. Again I think the Seahawks showed that last year.

Q: Can you describe the emotion in the room when you realized you were going to get the guy that was number one on your board?

A: We just try to keep our composure in there. We saw that it was falling our way, but you never know. We have had several times where the guy that we want gets picked right in front of us. If somebody would have taken him, I think it was Tennessee who picked right in front of us, if they had taken him, we would have been happy with a couple of the other guys we had on our board there.

Q: Did you get any action on the phones for that pick?

A: We got a couple of phone calls, but nothing significant. It was just guys fishing around for cheap moves.

Q: When you pick this early what do you do for the rest of this round?

A: We will just look at it, and see if there is anyone on our board that we really like who starts to fall down. We could possibly trade back into the first round. We will monitor it and watch it and see what happens. If there is a guy up there who we feel can help take us to the next level, and we think we can move back up into the first round, then we would contemplate doing that.

Q: When was the first time you saw [Beckham]?

A: First time I saw him myself was on tape. Obviously we had scouts to see him all year long. We had a lot of eyes on him and I went to his pro day workout. I saw him at the Combine and he has been dynamic every time I have seen him.

Q: Did you talk to Rueben Randle much about [Beckham]?

A: No, I really did not talk to Rueben about him.

Q: But [Randle] knows him?

A: He played with him, so he knows him, but I talked to his coaches and people like that and the scouts obviously. I did a lot of homework on him. He comes from great genes. His mom was a track star and his dad played running back at LSU. He’s got good genes and he’s a good kid.

Q: Are there ever any concerns that two receivers can be too similar. [Beckham] said he models his game after Victor?

A: No, I do not worry about that. Victor is an inside receiver, [Beckham] is an outside receiver. [Beckham] has more speed than Victor on the outside. I don’t think they are similar, I think [Beckham] said he likes Victor because they are similar in size. He is a little bit taller than Victor maybe. His body type and the way he moves around on the field are what I think [Beckham] likes about Victor, but I think they are two different receivers.

Q: In former Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride’s offense, there was always an adjustment period with new receivers. With Ben [McAdoo] do you think [Beckham] can come in and contribute right away?

A: We hope so. Anytime you pick a guy at 12 you expect him to come in and be a contributor for you. He definitely can come in and be your first punt and kick returner right out of the gate. We think that this guy is a lump-in-your-throat kind of kick and punt returner. If he gets some blocks, he can go with it. That was very attractive because you are getting a two-for-one kind of guy. To answer your question, is he going to take some type of adjustment, all rookies take some adjustment to play up here, but we think he’s pretty close to get ready to go.

Q: You now have a pretty good group of receivers. Do you expect them to feed off each other?

A: I hope so. All the research and the word on [Beckham] is how hungry this guy is and he practices hard and works hard. All of the teams use the GPS like we use, and early in camp, they said his GPS registered from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. That is how hard he works. Because he does all of the special teams stuff as well, he gets a lot of mileage on his GPS. He has great stamina and is a hard worker and he’s a hungry guy. The comment I like most is when he comes in he feels like he is a number one wide receiver. He will work to try to prove that to people, so we like those things about him.

Q: You mentioned his return ability. How does he compare to the return guys you brought in during Free Agency?

A: It doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t matter. The more return guys you have in the building, the better. We haven’t had any in the building in some time. The more, the merrier. Whoever wins the job is fine with me, but we have some options there.

Q: How is his speed relative to the guys brought in during Free Agency?

A: [Trindon] Holliday is a fast guy. [Beckham] is a fast guy, but speed kills.

Q: Did you always think you were going to go offense first?

A: We try to stay with our board the best we can, and he was the highest player on our board then. It was an easy pick for us.

Q: Was it safe to say [Beckham] was a top-10 guy on your board?

A: That’s correct.

Q: Was it safe to say [Beckham] was a top-5 guy on your board.

A: Not safe to say that.

MEDIA Q&A WITH DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE SCOUTING MARC ROSS: (Giants.com Q&A)

Q: As the whole round went on, the first 11 picks, it seemed like everyone was very happy with the way it transpired.

A: Us? Yeah, for sure. We always, when we meet leading up to the draft, have scenarios that we go over. This was one of the scenarios that we talked about a lot: if these two guys, three guys, four guys that we had there, if they were there, what we would do. It kind of fell the way we thought it would.

Q: Why did he jump off the screen for this football franchise?

A: Well, I mean, we think he’s a dynamic receiver and returner, by far the most versatile receiver in the draft. He can make explosive plays in a variety of ways – receiving, punt returns, kick returns. He’s polished, smart, great work ethic, so he just fit all the criteria that we look for.

Q: Are you sure he has the size for the outside?

A: Sure. He’s not the biggest guy in the draft but his size is fine. There are plenty of receivers that have been extremely successful with similar size. But he can play slot, he can play outside, move him around and he’s done that.

Q: As you look at fixing an offense that John Mara mentioned was broken a few months ago, was what you did in free agency and the particular pick tonight, what do you feel better about the offense right now compared to before all of this?

A: Before the offseason and the draft tonight? I think we’ve gotten better. We’ve solidified the line with some of the free agent signings, we definitely think we’ve gotten a playmaker for our offense tonight and helped out our return game, putting our offense in great field position with Odell being a returner and some of the return guys that we signed in the offseason. So overall, obviously, we’re happy with what we’ve done but there’s still a lot of work to be done and it’s got to play out on the field.

Q: Tom mentioned that Beckham’s interview at the combine was outstanding. You’re nodding. What do you remember about it?

A: When we do those interviews, certain ones stick out as soon as you come in the room, the way they carry themselves, the way they communicate, the way they talk about football. Those are the things we look for. He was outstanding. A humble guy, great upbringing, great pedigree and just talking film, talking football with him, he was one of the sharpest ones that we had.

Q: Usually receivers have a little bit of diva in them. Does this kid have that personality or do you think he’s a little different?

A: Not really. He’s a worker. I wouldn’t call him a diva; I would call him a worker. He loves to compete, he loves to train, he loves to practice, he can run all day. So he’s a worker.

Q: Do you think he’s like anybody? Any other receivers?

A: No. He was one of our ‘watch’ guys. Certain players, ‘Oh yeah,’ instantly but him, him, to us, to me, I think he kind of has a unique skill set. Nobody that immediately I thought of.

Q: Was it a tough call when you were on the clock with him and maybe one other guy?

A: No. We always talk about guys but he was the highest guy on our board, so it makes it easy, at a position that we thought that we could get better at so it made it easy.

MEDIA Q&A WITH HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN: (Video) (Giants.com Q&A)

We’re excited, let’s put it that way. This particular individual was somebody that, quite frankly, we favored on the board all along. We had a great impression by him in Indianapolis, the scouts stood up for him. He is a guy that can run kicks back, run punts back, play the wide receiver position. He has great speed, he’s polished, he’s talented, he has big hands, he has played at the top of the level in college football. His head coach speaks very, very highly of him as a worker in addition, as a great example to the other receivers, so we felt like this is someone who would help us a great deal to put the ball in the end zone, be a guy that we can count on to help us score some points, be another weapon that we can utilize as a wide receiver but in addition we can certainly feature him in the kicking game as well. This was one of those deals where you speculate right away as to how they’re going to come off the board. There were a couple of things up there that looked like we had a chance to get the players that we wanted in position there and so when we had the opportunity to pick Beckham we were certainly excited about doing that.

Q: How do you think he compliments Victor Cruz as far as his size and his speed?

A: Speed, again, the ability to make the big play. He’s a crafty route runner; he has a lot of polish with regard to that. He has very good stamina. I think he’ll do a great job in the receiver room. I think he’ll be on the same page with the quarterback right away. He’s intelligent and he’s excited to be here.

Q: You must have been pretty pleased with each pick. If this guy is, you know, going to be there.

A: A lot of the picks were… you set them up that way. The first round looked a lot like that. There were a couple things that happened, the trade coming when it did with Cleveland going back. For the most part it went pretty much the way we thought it would. A couple of the things that happened up there made us feel like the players that we wanted to be in position when we picked would be there and they were, at least two of them were.

Q: When you look at this draft, was getting weapons for Eli a pretty big priority for you?

A: That was a priority. Obviously we did some work in the offensive line in the free agency period, but you know, you look at your roster and you think in terms of how can we put ourselves in position again to be a high-scoring team. The good thing, I would think, as an offensive player coming in here is our veterans have a three-week head start on the rookies, which is not much in learning a new system. I think for a young man of Odell’s skill and his level of intelligence, that he will pick this up relatively quickly.

Q: Can you just speak to already being excited about your offense heading into next year? It took enough criticism coming out of last season so is there a potential for a whole different level of…?

A: Well, obviously we’re excited to think that. I’m not much of a talker, I would rather see us be productive and then talk about it. We’re trying to get there and we’re making progress.

Q: Receivers in this offense, in the offense before, sometimes had trouble getting on the field right away, very technical, a lot of things they haven’t learned. Given the fact that you have a new offense and what you said about this player, do you think an impact right away is very possible?

A: I think you take that position right now with every guy that comes in the door. They better all contribute right away, whether it be on special teams, defense, offense, whatever it is they’re going to be… there’s no waiting around in this game today. We will expect right throughout the draft that there will be a strong contribution from each of the players that select and hopefully it will create the kind of competition that we need as well.

Q: Was Beckham the guy that you had targeted as you were mapping it down?

A: He was one of them, yeah.

MEDIA Q&A WITH ODELL BECKUM: (Giants.com Insider Video)

Q: What’s your reaction to being a New York Giant?

A: I’m still trying to get everything in check. It’s an overwhelming experience. I’m so happy to be a Giant.

Q: What do you think you can bring to this offense right away?

A: I definitely think that I can come in and, if I get the opportunity to play, I could bring a lot of things – a deep threat or whatever the team needs me to do. Hopefully I get to return some punts and kicks.

Q: What do you think it will be like playing with Victor Cruz?

A: It’s going to be great. That’s kind of one of the guys who I style my game after and who I look up to, so to be able to learn from him and the other receivers that they have is just going to be, it definitely will help me improve my game.

Q: What about playing with Rueben Randle?

A: My big brother. He kind of taught me the ropes when I came into LSU and now I’m back with him again. It’s pretty incredible.

Q: What do you think about catching balls from Eli Manning and just tell us a little bit about what you’ve known about him growing up in the same high school (Isidore Newman).

A: I remember walking through the school and seeing his jersey, along with Peyton and the Mannings as well. Every single day it was just kind of motivation to me. I threw with them a couple times, so I know exactly what he has in store and what he has to offer. I’m really looking forward to getting back together with him.

Q: I know it’s been a whirlwind. Have you heard from Rueben yet?

A: Actually I don’t even have my phone with me right now. I heard from him earlier. He told me good luck but he didn’t tell me that they were going to pick me.

Q: Were you hoping that it was going to be the Giants? Did you have in your mind where you might fall in the first round? In your heart of hearts, did you say, ‘Boy, it would be great to be a Giant?’

A: Of course it would be great to be a Giant. I had no idea that I was going to get taken by them. Honestly I hadn’t heard much from them so it was all kind of just a blur to me.

Q: Do you consider yourself a number one receiver? Is that, obviously I would imagine, your goal?

A: To be the number one receiver for the Giants? There are guys there who already have themselves established. I’m really looking forward to coming in and competing, competing for a spot with these guys. Wherever I may fall, I may fall but at the end of the day you always want to be that number one as a competitor, in everything you do.

Q: What do you think you bring in the return game?

A: I’m definitely looking forward to doing punt returns. It’s kind of one of the things I love doing most, just being able to get the ball back there and just use your natural ability. You have guys out there blocking for you, it’s something that I look forward to doing.

Q: Who do you get your athletic ability from more, your father or your mother?

A: Obviously I don’t know. I guess genetically it’s split 50/50. My mom’s got a pretty good track history, my dad played football as well. I won’t make either one of them mad and I’ll say it was a 50/50.

Q: Did you bring enough stuff to stay in New York now or do you have to go back and get your belongings?

A: I’m definitely going to have to go home and come back. I did not bring enough stuff.

Q: Could this have worked out any better for you in terms of the draft? A week ago you were projected 18, 19. You end up 12 overall and you end up with the Giants. Could it have worked out any better for you at all?

A: Absolutely not. It couldn’t have worked out any better. It’s a perfect situation.

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2nd Round – OC Weston Richburg, 6’3”, 298lbs, 5.08, Colorado State
Weston Richburg, Colorado State Rams (November 2, 2013)

Weston Richburg – © USA TODAY Sports Images

SCOUTING REPORT: Richburg was a 4-year starter at Colorado State. Richburg combines decent size with very good overall athleticism for a center. Good pass protector who has the size and strength to anchor against big tackles and the feet and balance to keep up with quick rushers. Richburg lacks ideal power as a run blocker, but he plays with very good leverage and tenacity. Mobile and agile, Richburg, can block at the second level and pull on outside runs. Smart, tough, aggressive, competitive, and a team leader. Versatile, Richburg can also play guard. Richburg played well at the Senior Bowl practices against DT Aaron Donald.

MEDIA Q&A WITH GENERAL MANAGER JERRY REESE: (Video)

Richburg, center, Colorado State. A versatile player, a really good athlete. He can play guard or center. High test score. Centers are very important, a very integral part of our new offensive scheme, so obviously we brought J.D. in as a free agent but we tried to create some depth there as well and some competition. This guy is a really good, athletic center. He’s one of those guys, one of those bonus guys. Not a lot of centers can pull, this guy can snap the ball and pull and get out on the perimeter. He was terrific. He was an ideal pick for us, a clean pick. A lot of things we liked about him. I’ll take any questions.

Q: You say an integral part of the new offensive scheme, can you talk a little bit about how that’s different from…?

A: Well, you know, I don’t know how different, I just know that the new coordinator likes the center to be very involved with some of the protection scheme things and this guy is really smart. He was outstanding when we interviewed him at the combine so he fits the mold of what we want, besides being a very good football player.

Q: You mean in terms of making protection calls?

A: Yes.

Q: He had to do that for a while at Colorado State, right?

A: Yeah, I think he’s like a 50-game starter. He’s played a lot of football games out there. What we’re looking for.

Q: How much do you like the size? 6-3, 300 for a center is a little bit bigger than normal.

A: We like big guys. We like big and fast and smart and tough, we like all that. The thing about him, he’s got long arms. His arms are almost 34-inch arms, most centers’ arms are not that long so that’s a bonus in itself.

Q: What does this say about Walton? How has he recovered from whatever injuries he’s had? I know he hasn’t played.

A: He missed last season but he’s been out here and he looked like he was 100 percent out there. He’s doing great for us. We expect him to be the guy who Richburg is going to battle for that center position. Obviously you need depth at every position and that’s the position that we think Richburg will provide for us, some depth at center which is his natural position but we think he could play guard as well. Again, last year we had a couple injuries early on the offensive line and it was pretty devastating, we had to bring some guys in that struggled some at those positions so we’re trying to make sure we have enough depth at every position. This guy will help provide that for us.

Q: Were you intent on getting an offensive lineman in the first two rounds?

A: We were just intent on getting good players. We know what we feel like our needs are and positions that we need to create some depth on our roster but right now we’re focused on getting good football players and he fits the mold of being a good football player for us.

MEDIA Q&A WITH DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE SCOUTING MARC ROSS: (Video)

Q: When you look back at the last three rounds how do you view the picks compared to what you were expecting coming into the draft? A: It went pretty well. First round, for sure, went how we liked; second round, for sure; and even this last pick we had a good idea [Bromley] was going to be there. There were not any shockers like in years past where guys were rated real high and falling. This year we targeted and guys fell right where we thought they would.

Q: Coming into today were [Richburg] and [Bromley] two guys you were zeroed in on?

A: Not zeroed in, but there were a lot of discussions about these being two quality players we would like to have, and we think they will fall right for us.

Q: John Mara said a couple months ago in regards to the draft that he wanted to take fewer risks. Are [Richburg] and [Bromley] more of a sure thing?

A: Yes, these guys are high character, team captains, hard workers, smart, competitive guys with no issues whatsoever. These are the things we look for all the time. It does not always happen. Certain things you take a little more calculated risks on at certain times. This just happened to fall right for us where we felt these guys were at the very highest in regards to character.

Q: What do you like specifically about [Richburg] and [Bromley]?

A: It’s not just one quality. Richburg is a throwback. He’s a football player. He is smart, competitive, a good athlete and he’s going to give you everything he’s got every play. Jay Bromley has been an underdog his whole life, so he is going to come in here and you are going to have to kill him to get him off the field. There is nothing to deter that guy with what he has been through. That shows with how he plays. It’s great when the best asset for a player is determination and desire, and that is Jay Bromley.

Q: Jerry Reese mentioned how good of a fit [Richburg] is with what Ben McAdoo is going to do on offense. How much do you ask [McAdoo] what he is looking for in a center moving forward?

A: Yes when we have draft meetings we talk about everything. The scouts and their reports, coaches talk about their reports of the players and then we talk about how everybody fits and how guys can be used and the value to the team. One thing Ben [McAdoo] talked about was how important the center was. It was not like we elevated Richburg because of that. We already had a high grade on him because of that, so that just added to his value.

Q: Were certain skills stressed in needing to play center in this offense?

A: Yes, I think with this offense the center is more of a communicator, pointing things out. He is the quarterback of the offensive line, and he helps the quarterback out by identifying certain things about the line front and the MIKE.

Q: As a talent evaluator, what skill sets are you looking for in order to successfully play center in this offense?

A: You can just tell a guy by watching them, especially with an offensive lineman in regards to their IQ, how he plays, his savvy and his instincts. With centers you look for how they are pointing guys out or some centers just put their head down and snap the ball. Those are some things Richburg clearly does on tape, and being around him and his interview at the combine was tremendous. The guy scored a 31 on the Wonderlic. This guy is a smart guy. Those are things that were very intriguing.

Q: It is fair to say he was your highest-rated center?

A: Yes

MEDIA Q&A WITH HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN: (Video)

Good Evening. Second pick was a very good athletic young center. He was a captain and leader while being a four-year starter at Colorado State. All of the scouts raved about this guy. When the coaches got a chance to study him, he can pull, he can block the zone schemes and he makes all the calls. The center position here for us is one of responsibility in terms of dictating to the rest of the offensive line exactly how the scheme is going to go. This guy will fit right in in terms of that. Interesting story about him: He broke his right hand in 2012 and finished the year snapping the ball with his left hand, so you know he can do that as well. We feel like we have a good solid young center who is very smart. He did a good job despite his long arms on the bench press, so he is strong. He is a good worker, and as I said, he has earned his stripes. He is the leader of his offensive line and offensive team. He was voted captain. We are pleased to have Weston [Richburg] on board.

Q: At the extent to who makes the call [for the O-line] Jerry [Reese] just said that could change with the new offensive coordinator?

A: No, the center is very much involved, but in this scheme there will be more responsibility on the center.

Q: How much in regards to responsibility differs for the center? Jerry [Reese] mentioned pulling possibly. He seems more athletic than some of the centers you have had in the past.

A: There may be a possibility of [the center pulling]. He can [pull] if asked to. Whether that happens or not, we will see. He does and has done that in college.

Q: Is [pulling] something that JD Walton cannot do?

A: No. Not necessarily. It is one of the attributes that is very noticeable when you do grade [Richburg], so it is worth mentioning.

Q: [Pulling] was not a trait that you thought was necessary when you think of playing center?

A: Well, it gives you more versatility. Even more, there would be no restrictions in terms of what you would ask [the center] to do. If you were going to pull or there was an opportunity based on the front you’re playing against, where the guard is not in the position to pull, then the center would or could pull. It has been done and you can count on [Richburg] to do that. He would be able to get out in front and make a block etc.

Q: The offense line in the past years has had some versatility. Richburg has had some experience playing guard. How much does that play into drafting him?

A: You always look for versatility if you have it, but this guy is a center. He has been a center, and he is a young center in the fold here. We are first and foremost going to talk about him as a center.

Q: Was he the top player on your board coming into today?

A: I am not going to go into where he was [on our board]. He was among those at the top.

Q: How about his size? He seems to be bigger than most centers at 6-3 300 pounds.

A: Pro Bowl centers are 304-305 [pounds]. He is right in there.

MEDIA Q&A WITH WESTON RICHBURG: (Giants.com Insider Video)

Q: Is this about where you expected to go and were you surprised with the Giants or did you think maybe that was a good chance?

A: I wanted to be the first center selected and it turns out I was. I’m just so excited to be selected by such a great organization.

Q: What was in like when you met with them?

A: I just met with them at the combine, we had a formal meeting at the combine, I got to speak with Coach Coughlin a bit and we talked a lot of football and film. We reviewed a lot my film and kind of just went over X and O details with those guys.

Q: What was your impression from that point?

A: You could tell how professional these guys are and how well-run the organization is. Just after seeing that, I’m so excited to be a part of it.

Q: Why was it important for you to be the first center selected?

A: I’ve always been a guy from a smaller school. Even though Colorado State is a Division 1 school, it’s in the Mountain West so we don’t get a lot of respect sometimes. When it comes to going against other big school guys, it’s always been my dream to be the best center in the country. Today I kind of got that recognition by being the first center selected.

Q: Tom Coughlin seemed to love the fact that you broke your regular snapping hand and finished the season with the other. How tough of an adjustment was that to switch hands?

A: That’s something I take a lot of pride in. You don’t see a lot of guys doing that. It was tough, it was a tough kind of change but I took it with open arms. Looking back at it, it was something that I’m really prideful about.

Q: Did you actually have a club on the broken hand while you were snapping with the other?

A: I did, yeah. A big old, goofy looking cast club type of deal on my hand.

Q: I think you started every game at Colorado State. Have you ever missed a game?

A: In high school I only played offensive line one year, my senior year. I had an ACL injury that kept me out my sophomore and junior seasons and before that I played quarterback my freshman year of high school. I’ve kind of been all over the place but when I got to college I started every game on the offensive line.

Q: Do you think you can play right away in the NFL?

A: I do, I think I can come in and contribute. It’s going to take a lot of work but I think that’s something that’s carried me this far is my work ethic. I enjoy working and now it’s my job, that’s even the cool part about it. It’s my job to lift weights, to watch film, to get better playing football. I want to come in and try to contribute to this year and really help this organization be as successful as it can be.

Q: How much did you pull at Colorado State and how much do you think your athleticism allows you to do that kind of stuff?

A: We pull quite a bit. Since I was able to do that, our coaches felt more comfortable using me in that type of way. It’s something I really enjoyed as well and I think I was athletic enough to get out, quick enough, and get out and set up some good blocks for our running backs on the outside.

Q: When you came into tonight did you zero in on a spot that you thought you might go? Did you think the Giants were a team that might take you?

A: I knew there were several teams that were looking at a center. I had been hearing the second round was probably a good spot for me. I didn’t really know specifically what team it would be but I knew the second round was probably going to be when I was going to get the phone call.

Q: Do you think it has helped you and your versatility in the fact that you participated in other sports in high school like throwing shot and playing basketball?

A: I think just being involved as much as you can in every sport you can be really helps your athleticism. With me, I tried to be as involved as I could be, shot put, discus, basketball kind of stuff, so yeah, as involved and active as you can be I think can definitely translate over.

Q: Did you watch the draft tonight from home? Where are you tonight?

A: I’m out in Bushland, Texas, my hometown. I’m actually at my classmate Crockett Gillmore’s house. We’ve got our families together and we’re just having a good time right now.

Q: When do you expect to be here in New York?

A: I’ll fly out on Sunday.

Q: How much more of a challenge is it without a rookie minicamp, the veterans are already going kind of into phase two of their offseason program. Have you talked to the organization about how quickly they can get you up to speed?

A: Yeah, I just talked to coach Flaherty and he said it would be kind of more difficult than normal but I think they have an understanding of what we’re going through. We’re going to work through it. Like I said, I’m just so excited to be a Giant and have an opportunity to come in there and really contribute this year.

Q: Are there any centers that you look up to or pattern your game after maybe?

A: I like the Pouncey twins a lot. I think they have a lot of really good athletic traits. I like to kind of emulate them. I like Logan Mankins. Even though he’s not a center, I think he plays really kind of nasty in the interior and I try to get after people like he does.

Q: What do you know about Eli Manning and what are your expectations? You’ll probably be spending a lot of time working with him.

A: Just talking about how great the Giants organization is, they’ve got one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now. It’s kind of crazy, I was just watching the Mannings the other day and now I’m going to have a chance to be snapping to the guy. To be able to learn from a guy like that as a rookie is priceless and I’m really looking forward to being around him and learning from a pro like Eli Manning.

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3rd Round – DT Jay Bromley, 6’3”, 306lbs, 5.06, Syracuse
Jay Bromley, Syracuse Orange (October 12, 2013)

Jay Bromley – © USA TODAY Sports Images

SCOUTING REPORT: Bromley was a 3-year starter at Syracuse. He combines decent size and strength with good athletic ability. Bromley is more of a 3-technique disruptor than 1-technique run stuffer. He has good initial quickness and will penetrate into the backfield against both the run and the pass. Bromley hustles and pursues well. When Bromley plays with good leverage, he can be very difficult to block. But he plays too high at times. Bromley is a very hard worker both on and off the field. Team leader. Giants want him to add weight.

MEDIA Q&A WITH GENERAL MANAGER JERRY REESE: (Video)

Bromley, defensive tackle, Syracuse. Size, speed, another team captain. We like team captains. We think this kid has a lot of upside, 10 sacks from the inside position. Lots of things to like about the kid, long arms, all the things that you like for your defensive tackle to have. I’ll take any questions.

Q: Does he compare to any of the recent guys…?

A: I’m not sure, I can’t recall anybody off the top of my head to compare him to.

Q: How much could he do some of the things that Linval Joseph used to do for you guys?

A: Well, this guy, he’s big, he’s got some two-gap ability, he can stand in there and hold the point of attack. He’s got speed, the guy ran 4.9 and some change at the combine so he can get up the field and finish on the quarterback. Like I said, he had 10 sacks. He can hold the point, he can run, he has some range to run lateral and make plays down the line of scrimmage.

Q: Could he line up at defensive end at this level?

A: I don’t think he’s a defensive end. Just body type of sort of reminds me of Canty, a shorter Chris Canty how he looks in his uniform.

Q: When you came into the day was he a guy that you kind of targeted or was it just how the board…?

A: Well it was just how the board unfolded for us. We had him at a value spot and obviously we could use some depth on our defensive line as well. It’s a combination of stuff like we try to get all the time.

Q: Even as a second-round pick?

A: We had him at a good spot on the board to take him right now.

Q: Given the fact that you’ve talked about the importance of the first three picks, you say that a lot, how comfortable, how gratified are you that you’ve got these three guys?

A: We feel good about the… obviously we feel good about the receiver, we have the center who we think will be a starting center at some point. It gave us some depth and will battle right now for that center spot and have some versatility, play guard for us. We’ve got a defensive lineman that can definitely start and jump in our rotation and help us out.

Q: It seemed that the common threads were that football acumen was key; they’re all nearly pro-ready. Are these things that were clearly important on your characteristic chart?

A: They’re all, as you go down, as you get into the later rounds, there’s something wrong with all of them. If they were all clean and perfect, you’d pick them all in the first row. All of those guys you can pick in the first row. None of these guys are perfect but we think they’re all really good football players that are going to help our football team. They’re all clean. Like I said, they’re all captains. They’ve got a lot of things that we like with our first three picks. Those are the kinds of things we look for when guys are going to come in and be good players and good contributors to our football team.

Q: Have you devolved a comfort level at all with Syracuse?

A: I don’t know anything about Syracuse except the football players. It has nothing to do with comfort level. They’re all just good football players. It’s just a coincidence that we’ve had a couple players from Syracuse. You could say that about LSU, we’ve got several players from LSU.

Q: Obviously you do a lot of planning coming into this event, how did this unfold compared to what you were expecting?

A: I think things broke our way pretty good from where we were sitting on the board. It didn’t make sense for us to try to move up or down, we had good players that we like available on the board so we were set where we were and made good picks we think on the players that we picked.

Q: At the end of today you look at it and say, ‘We’ve got a receiver, we’ve got a center and we’ve got a defensive tackle.’ Do you think there could have been any scenario where at the end of this day you would have looked at it and said, ‘We’ve got this, this and this. Humf, I never would have thought of that?’

A: Not really. You never know in the draft. Those are positions that we think can really help us, all three of those positions, but we could have used three positions, three other players at different positions as well. We’re happy to get the three players that we have at those positions but it could have gone a different way and we would have been just as happy.

Q: Was it a goal to go for a defensive lineman somehow?

A: If you don’t have big people, it’s hard to win in this league. If you don’t get big guys, it’s hard to win. Most of the time you’re going to lose so you’ve got to have big people up front, you’ve got to have guys in your rotation on your defensive line, you’ve got to have some depth in your offensive line. That’s where it all starts. You’ve got to have some playmakers. We got a combination of all three of those things I think with our first three picks.

Q: Do you feel Bromley is a playmaker?

A: He had 10 sacks. When you play at a high level of competition, he had 10 sacks, he can run, he has long arms, plays hard. I think our coaching staff is going to really like this kid.

Q: Does what you’ve done so far change anything for how you look at moving forward at this point? Maybe you wouldn’t grab a center but maybe in regards to the other positions are you still… getting more bodies on the defensive line, getting more bodies at wide receiver?

A: We’re just trying to get good players as we move forward. The next best player on our board, in the fourth row, in the fourth round – we’ll try to pick him. It really doesn’t matter that much to me right now what position it is, we’re just trying to get good players to create competition and depth on our team. You may get a starter somewhere in the fourth row. It happens all the time.

Q: Do you seem Bromley as a guy who can come in and play right away?

A: We hope so. He’s a big kid, he’s played at a high level of competition and he’s a strong kid. He had good reps at the combine, big, clean, hardworking, tough football player. We expect him to come in and be part of the rotation.

Q: Was that big to you? Tom mentioned it yesterday that you get guys that can play right away or is that just the way…?

A: Well we try to, we try our best. Most kids are developmental no matter how you cut it. Most college kids that come up and play at this level, they’re developmental in a lot of ways. But the guys that we get that can come in and be contributors for us, we look for that. We hope we can get that because, in this day and age, there aren’t many guys you can sit around and red shirt and wait on for a long time. It happens and everybody… you have to develop players. With all of the young players coming out, the juniors coming out, the draft is younger and younger every year with all of the juniors coming out.

Q: Is that why, I’m not saying targeting but you said you like team captains, seniors…?

A: We like captains. We like captains because we think they’re character guys, they have leadership ability. It’s not easy to be picked captain for your football team and these guys have been captains and that’s attractive to us.

Q: But in terms of accelerating them…?

A: Yeah, we think they’re mature if a guy’s a captain because if you’re a captain on your team, there’s some kind of leadership role that you have to take as a captain. Again, that’s attractive to us.

MEDIA Q&A WITH DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE SCOUTING MARC ROSS: (Video)

Q: When you look back at the last three rounds how do you view the picks compared to what you were expecting coming into the draft? A: It went pretty well. First round, for sure, went how we liked; second round, for sure; and even this last pick we had a good idea [Bromley] was going to be there. There were not any shockers like in years past where guys were rated real high and falling. This year we targeted and guys fell right where we thought they would.

Q: Coming into today were [Richburg] and [Bromley] two guys you were zeroed in on?

A: Not zeroed in, but there were a lot of discussions about these being two quality players we would like to have, and we think they will fall right for us.

Q: John Mara said a couple months ago in regards to the draft that he wanted to take fewer risks. Are [Richburg] and [Bromley] more of a sure thing?

A: Yes, these guys are high character, team captains, hard workers, smart, competitive guys with no issues whatsoever. These are the things we look for all the time. It does not always happen. Certain things you take a little more calculated risks on at certain times. This just happened to fall right for us where we felt these guys were at the very highest in regards to character.

Q: What do you like specifically about [Richburg] and [Bromley]?

A: It’s not just one quality. Richburg is a throwback. He’s a football player. He is smart, competitive, a good athlete and he’s going to give you everything he’s got every play. Jay Bromley has been an underdog his whole life, so he is going to come in here and you are going to have to kill him to get him off the field. There is nothing to deter that guy with what he has been through. That shows with how he plays. It’s great when the best asset for a player is determination and desire, and that is Jay Bromley.

Q: With Bromley, how much could you tell by talking to him how little he has been handed to him in his football career?

A: That is what our scouts do in the fall when they go to the schools and talk to all the people they talk to at the universities. That is their job, to get this information. Throughout this whole process, we do more digging and research. We interview the player. [The scouts] start it off and they establish a foundation and we work from there.

Q: Could you personally tell by talking with [Bromley] that nothing has been handed to him football-wise?

A: Yeah, you could tell with his personality. You get a good feel for how they are. You can tell he is a hungry kid.

Q: Can you develop a comfort level with certain [college] programs?

A: For sure. I think you build a trust level with certain schools as opposed to others where you know the information you are getting based off of how the players have performed once they leave school. When you go in there the next year, you get certain coaches that you trust more than others. It’s not like we targeted Syracuse guys. I know that is probably your follow-up question. It just happens to fall that way. [Justin] Pugh is a guy we really liked as well as [Ryan] Nassib at the time and now Jay [Bromley].

Q: [Jerry] mentioned LSU as well…?

A: Our scouts do a really good job and they have great contacts at most schools. It is not as if LSU and Syracuse are the only exceptions.

Q: Does Bromley remind you of any former Giants defensive lineman?

A: No.

Q: What do you view [Bromley’s] top skill as? Obviously the 10 sacks this past year jump out at you.

A: As I said earlier, his desire and determination on the field. That grit that he has is his number one quality. He is still young and developing some skills such as his pad level and hand use and other things of that nature. He is still a young guy. Really his motor is just tremendous. I think that is his best asset. He is a big guy that worked out really well, and he produced. The motor and determination are his best attributes.

Q: Do you see [Bromley] as a rotational guy along the defensive line or more of a passing down situation type of player?

A: He can do a little bit of both. He is a big body; he will throw them in there. I’m not going to say this guy is going to come in and start right away, but hopefully he develops into that. It is a big man’s game. As many of those big guys that you have, the more successful you are, so hopefully [Bromley] can get in there and bang around and make some plays for us.

Q: Do you see more room for him to grow in his frame?

A: Yes, he can get bigger. He is 307 [pounds] now, but eating right up here and getting great meals and lifting every day, football will become his full-time job. He is going to develop and thicken up.

Q: How much would you like him to weigh?

A: 315-320 pounds. He will probably put that on very easily.

MEDIA Q&A WITH HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN: (Video)

It’s interesting, Jerry (Reese) comes down and I come down, we’re talking about the same thing, probably using the same references because when you talk about the players that you’re getting ready to draft, what happens is you maybe set aside five or six names and you try to start it early enough where you go to the area scouts and you go to anyone else that’s been asked to go in there and grade the player and then you go to Chris Mara and you go to the defensive coach or the offensive coach, regardless of which side of the ball it’s on, and eventually it comes back to my grade on the individual and Jerry gives his grade on the individual, so there’s a lot of discussion about every player and it’s important that you start out early enough so that you can hear from everybody. That’s usually what we do in this round because it’s five-minute rounds, you’re out there seven or eight picks when you start talking about these guys, so you do hear the comments from the scouts, from the coaches, from Marc Ross, from Jerry, from Chris Mara. You hear all of the comments so that’s why when we come into the room following one another, a lot of what you hear is probably a ditto.

Nevertheless this young man, Jay Bromley, of course, went to a great school, played defensive tackle, had 10 sacks, which is really interesting. You stop and think about it, a kid playing basically a three technique who has 10 sacks, runs very well, he’s quick, he plays hard. He plays hard, he runs well for a defensive lineman, he’s a captain of his football team, he’s well-respected, he’s a quiet guy, he’s some, although you wouldn’t tell by the answer on the phone that I just went through because mom was there and mom was yelling and screaming. And when they heard it was the Giants, being from Jamaica, Queens, they were very, very excited. It’s fun to share in the excitement of someone who is truly, truly… it meshes geographically because this guy is very close to his mom, because he played at Syracuse, because he is a man that’s worked very hard for what he’s got and will be asked to work even harder because he’s around the 310 mark. You’d like him maybe to be a little bit bigger than that and to get back in the weight room and work.

One thing he does do is work so we have no question about this kid’s character, his work ethic, his focus and how serious he is about the job that he’s about to undertake. Those things being said, they speak very highly of what we’ve tried to do throughout this draft up to this point. We’re excited about having this kid. It was great to hear him on the other end of the line and the excitement, which is genuine excitement, with which he answered the phone.

Q: You haven’t talked about the significance of drafting three captains so far. In your experience in football, what does that tell you about a guy when he’s a captain of his college team?

A: It tells me that he is an individual that not only is a good football player but he’s someone that’s well respected and trusted on the part of his teammates. Many times it’s, I remember when I played it was pretty much a selection by the coach. That’s probably not the case most of the time now. The players do have an opportunity to evaluate. When you have an individual, first of all, who is courageous, who is strong of character, strong of belief, an individual believes in the program who’s willing to sacrifice and willing to pay the price when in fact he’s being evaluated by those around him while it’s taking place. Usually it speaks for a guy that gives his all, puts his heart into what he does, is not afraid to be an individual who leads by example that may be helpful to younger players in terms of how they direct themselves. He’s not afraid to do that because he’s putting his best foot forward.

It’s not always perfect, it’s not always the best, but he tries as hard as he possibly can and, by virtue of that, leads by example. Leading by example is the one sure way in which to indicate to people how it’s done. It isn’t about talking; it isn’t about all that stuff. It’s about playing hard, being consistent, having virtues and values that you believe in and are not willing to sacrifice them for popularity. I believe that’s the kind of individuals that we would like to have working for the New York Giants in our program, guys that we can trust, guys that are football players and dedicate their minds and work ethic to becoming the very best that they can be.

Q: How much more of an emphasis was placed on this this year?

A: It’s always an emphasis but I think it’s probably been talked about more this year in the room than maybe last year or two years ago or whatever.

Q: Why do you think that is?

A: Why is it? Because we would like to feel like the people that come here are absolute football players, devoted to it. Let’s face it, where we are, there are areas that could be distractions. We need to have people that can operate in this environment and stay focused and do the job they were brought here for and not get off track.

Q: Is that something that has been a problem?

A: Not necessarily, you’re not going to get any names; you’re not going to get any major discussion. It’s what you want; it’s the desire that you want perhaps when you start at the top of the board. If, in fact, it’s being talked about more now, it’s obviously been talked about by us in the room.

Q: Could part of that be because some of the team players — Tuck, Diehl and other guys — are gone, guys that you used to rely on for that kind of leadership in the locker room?

A: That’s a good point. The fact that some of these players that have been looked upon as outstanding leaders have gone on and we have others here who will take that role, I’m sure. But it’s always good to have a self-starter, it’s always good to have somebody that is completely devoted to their job.

Q: Does that maturity also help when you need to get these guys in as quickly as possible and get going in your program without a rookie minicamp, without being able to bring them along as a group of rookies?

A: There are reasons for why there isn’t a rookie minicamp. They will be here. It’s never been done before. In the past you’ve had to work it so that when they came for the minicamp they stayed. Well we’re into the program, we’re on the field four days a week, so to shut this thing down so we can have a rookie minicamp or do something, a one-day camp on the weekend, we could have them on the field Tuesday. It is integrating them right into the program but it’s not a reason for us not to have a rookie minicamp and certainly they’ll be right with our veteran players right from the get-go. That really isn’t a motive behind what we’re talking about. You like to have mature people, no matter what their age is. We’ve all seen it where a rookie comes in and he gets it and we’ve all seen it where they come in and they don’t get it. If I had, if we had our preference, we’d take the ones that get it.

Q: How much of a priority was it to get a defensive lineman in this draft?

A: Well it was very important. We’ve had some people move on, so we have an offensive line and a defensive line and what we’re trying to do is play New York Giant football, get back to the physical aspect of how we play, the camaraderie, the believing in each other, the ability to be the stronger unit on the field.

Q: You said Bromley is at 310. And you want him to put more weight on?

A: I’d like him to be stronger, bigger as he grows a little bit older and spends a lot of time in our weight room. Sure, absolutely – bigger, stronger, faster.

Q: And you’ve envisioned him as mostly a three-technique kind of guy?

A: He’s a defensive tackle. He’ll be asked to do more than there here. That’s what he did play, yeah, he played defensive tackle. He will be a defensive tackle here.

Q: Does he give up some stoutness against the run, with the sacks?

A: No, I don’t think so. That would not be a concern.

MEDIA Q&A WITH JAY BROMLEY:

Q: Congratulations.

A: Thank you.

Q: How surprised were you when your phone rang and you were told it was the Giants on the line?

A: I thought they were joking, to be honest. I was in the grocery store, I thought they were joking.

Q: Obviously you weren’t sitting at that moment expecting for the phone to ring. What was your night like? When did you think you might get a call?

A: Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to go today. I was just expecting, like everybody else, trying to see how many people in my position went in the second and third round and seeing how everything fell. I didn’t’ expect the call at all tonight.

Q: So how long did it take you to realize that it actually was the Giants on the line?

A: When I talked to Coach Coughlin and it was just surreal, it was like, ‘Man, this is really happening right now. This is why I worked so hard.’ It’s just amazing.

Q: I would guess this was the number one choice for you, is that correct?

A: Oh, the home team, my favorite team. It’s crazy, this is my favorite team – Big Blue. And then I get picked by them, that’s crazy. It’s amazing.

Q: What were you doing tonight? What were your plans? You’re in a grocery store at 10 o’clock at night.

A: I was at the grocery story with my girlfriend getting some juice and getting a movie from RedBox. I’m about to get the movie from RedBox and it’s like, ‘Oh, man.’

Q: Who called you and what did they say? What was your response to them at that point?

A: At first it was the Giants scout before he gave me over to Coach Coughlin. He was just like, ‘Is this Jay Bromley?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, this is Jay.’ He said, ‘I’m a scout for the New York Giants’ and I was like, ‘Yeah this is Jay.’ He was like, ‘I’m calling you because we’re about to pick you.’ I was like, ‘No, you’re lying.’ He said, ‘No, we’re not joking.’ I said, ‘Oh, this is crazy.’ He said, ‘Let me get you over to Coach Coughlin,’ and he was just like, ‘Just get ready to come in and get to work.’ I’m just like, ‘I’m ready.’

Q: You said you went to RedBox to get a movie, has the movie night been put on hold a little bit?

A: Oh man, the movie’s been completely put on hold. The movie’s an afterthought now, to be completely honest.

Q: What movie did you end up choosing?

A: I think we were going to watch Gravity.

Q: They talked about you putting on weight, adding more muscle, maybe even getting up to 315, 320. What did you play at last year? What do you feel most comfortable playing and what do you think about getting up to that weight? How hard would that be for you?

A: I played at 296 last year during the season then I played at 307 during the all-star game. As long as I make sure I get in good condition and make sure I put on more muscle than fat and I can still keep my quickness, add some flexibility, I don’t know, maybe 315 might be a good weight for me, maybe not. I’ll just have to wait and see.

Q: What do you view as your strengths as a player? Obviously the sack number pops out. What do you view as some of your top skills?

A: Getting to the quarterback. It’s really fun to me to rush the passer, to learn different moves and to try different moves to get to the quarterback. I feel like that’s an asset that I bring to the team, just getting in the backfield. If I’m not sacking the quarterback, just disrupting the pocket a little bit.

Q: You obviously said you weren’t expecting to get drafted today. Where did you expect to get drafted? What kind of stuff were you hearing even though you ended up being a third-round pick?

A: I’m one of those guys that think in the worst-case scenario, so I didn’t expect to be drafted. I heard four to six, but the way the draft works, players start going and it’s just a whole bunch of sliding scales that I didn’t understand, so I just thought of the worst-case scenario – going tomorrow at the earliest.

Q: What were your plans for tomorrow? Did you plan on that being your draft day or were you going to do your thing tomorrow also the same way?

A: I did plan on that being my draft day. I graduate tomorrow at 4 p.m. so I was just expecting everything, just to get up tomorrow and do the graduation and then the draft in my head as well, just waiting for it.

Q: Coach Coughlin said he heard a lot of screaming when he was talking to you as well. Who was that and what was their reaction?

A: I was with my girlfriend and my teammate and a couple other people I go to Syracuse with and I got the call and I was like, no. I hit them on the shoulder and was like, ‘Bro, this can’t be.’ I was like, ‘No, no.’ Coughlin started talking and I was like, ‘Man, this is real.’ Everybody started going crazy. It was just a dream come true.

Q: Have you spoken to Ryan Nassib or to Justin Pugh about the Giants yet?

A: I haven’t. I look forward to talking to these guys, get to go to a team I’m familiar with the boys I know. I can’t wait.

Q: Obviously you’re a Giants fan, you know about the legacy here on the defensive line. What does it mean to now be a part of that?

A: That’s the thing. The defensive line, that’s why I love the Giants. The defensive line back with Osi and Strahan and it’s like, ‘Man, I grew up watching that.’ When they beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl with the sacks they got and with the pressure, it’s just so exciting because I love to sack the quarterback and it’s like that’s what they do.

Q: You’re graduating tomorrow, have they given you any idea of when you’re going to be heading down here to the facility?

A: They told me that we start on Monday and I graduate tomorrow. I don’t know how soon I’ll be there; probably the latest will be Sunday. Then we get things going from there.

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4th Round – RB Andre Williams, 5’11”, 230lbs, 4.56, Boston College
Andre Williams, Boston College Eagles (November 23, 2013)

Andre Williams – © USA TODAY Sports Images

SCOUTING REPORT: Williams led the country in rushing in 2013 with 2,177 yards and 18 touchdowns, but he did not have one pass reception. Williams is a big, powerful, instinctive, north-south, downhill runner with decent speed. He is not terribly quick or elusive but he runs with good balance and body control. Williams breaks tackles and gains yards after contact. Williams has a tough, physical running style. He likes to punish opponents and is a good short-yardage back. Williams obviously needs to become more of a factor in the passing game but he reportedly caught the ball well at his Pro Day. Smart and competitive.

MEDIA Q&A WITH GENERAL MANAGER JERRY REESE: (Video)

Andre Williams, running back, Boston College – well-known, big back, a lot of production, power runner, can bang inside and has speed to take it for big runs if he breaks into the secondary. A very good value for us, gives us some more depth at our running back position, creates a lot of competition. We’re still hoping that David Wilson comes back and is able to go, but again, we said out of the gate that we weren’t’ going to count on that until the doctors say that he can practice full-contact and he hasn’t been released to do that. We think he’s going to be there but we couldn’t pass up the value of a running back like this, of this caliber, at this point in the draft.

Q: Were you impressed with the way that Williams handled that workload at Boston College this year? That was a lot of carries but it seems like he came out…?

A: Yeah, he’s got a lot of carries under his belt and the thing about it, he comes through the line of scrimmage and 22 eyes are looking at him and he still rushes for 2,000 yards. We’re very impressed with that and, again, this is the kind of guy that if you want to pound the rock, this is the kind of guy you can pound the rock with. If you get up in a game and you’re trying to run the clock out in that four-minute drill at the end, this is the kind of guy that you can get the ball to over and over and over and he’ll get first downs for you.

Q: Is his blocking encouraging, too?

A: He’s not asked to block. He carries the ball most of the time but the few times you get to see him block, we think he can do that. Obviously he will have to learn technique and pass pro, those kinds of things, but he’s smart and tough so we think he could be a blocker.

Q: He hasn’t caught the ball much in his career, he said it wasn’t something he did much in high school or college. Is that something that you think he can do and just hasn’t had the opportunity or is it kind of raw there?

A: We think, we hope, he can develop and be able to catch. I don’t think we’re going to use him in that role. I’m not the coordinator, they’ll use him however they want to use him, but they really like his skill set. I think mostly he’ll be carrying the football instead of catching the football. All backs need to be able to catch the ball at some point in your offense. You’re right, he hasn’t caught a lot of balls but hopefully he’ll be able to do the few options they have for him as a receiver out of the backfield.

Q: I was going to ask pretty much the same kind of question about his pass catching ability?

A: If it’s a weak point, that’s what it is. They haven’t used him a lot as a receiver out of the backfield.

Q: You’re not going to put a running back on the field unless he can protect the quarterback.

A: Yeah, he has the size, he’s tough, he’s smart so we don’t think he’ll have any problems adjusting and picking up the blitzes and things like that. We expect him to be a guy who can come in and perform those duties.

Q: Any of the four today that dropped into your lap that you were a little surprised?

A: We’re a little bit surprised by the BC running back because he had so much production coming out. He’s a big back, we were a little bit surprised that he was there. He was kind of sticking out. Last night when we looked at the board before we left he was kind of sticking out there.

MEDIA Q&A WITH DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE SCOUTING MARC ROSS: (Video)

Andre Williams, I am sure you have seen or heard that this guy is a big, strong, downhill violent runner. He is going to break tackles and pound out yards. He is going to be physical.

Q: Were you surprised [Andre] Williams was there where he was in the 4th round?

A: A little bit. We were kind of worried he would get taken right before us in the fourth, especially when a couple backs got taken. And then seeing some teams up there that might have needed a back. With his skill set, we think it transfers well up here, and we thought somebody might take him there.

Q: Did you have a 2nd round grade on him?

A: We had a good grade on him. A real good grade. Second or third-ish kind of grade.

Q: In other years would [Andre Williams] be valued higher?

A: It is hard to say. Each year, there have been no first round backs the past two years. Why? I don’t know. Is it just that there aren’t any more great backs or they are getting devalued or is it both? Who knows? We will see what happens in two years, what the trend is and maybe they come back in value if teams start running the ball. You just never know.

Q: Do you think Andre Williams can play right away?

A: He can run the ball so we can just turn around and hand him the ball. He can do that. He has done that pretty well. Of course all these college guys have to learn to pass block. It is rare nowadays where a guy is ready-made to pass block. Throughout camp and pre-season… he is willing, he is a big body and the times he does [pass block] he likes to do it. He should transition to that fairly easily.

MEDIA Q&A WITH HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN: (Video)

We had Andre Williams in a good spot and we were hoping that we would have a chance to draft him and it did work out. There are so many, they seem to go on runs. There was a run on running backs and he made it through that so he got to us. You’ve already recognized that five of these guys are captains, which is a good thing, weaving through the character, the leadership, the responsibility, the accountability weaving through this group is a good thing.

Q: In other years, I would think a Heisman Trophy finalist and the leading rusher in the country would not have been a fourth-round pick. The way that running backs are, does he look like a fourth-round pick to you?

A: No, not at all. Quite frankly, we had him in at least the second. Some guys had first-round grades on him. You kind of start to accept what is the common verbiage out there, we didn’t have a running back go in the first round. It looked like they were all going to bunch up there in the second round and there were good players, don’t get me wrong. But we had this young man graded high and we were fortunate to be able to get him.

Q: You said at the combine that you had to maintain your commitment to the run. How important is bringing in a guy like Andre to do that?

A: Very, very important. Along with what we currently have here, this is a big, powerful guy, basically a first and second down runner, can run the zone scheme. When you stop and think about what Boston College was able to accomplish this year, I don’t know how much tape you guys have seen, but they would come out sometimes in two or three tight ends, which would bring the entire defense down and actually have the offensive formation contained almost hash mark to hash mark in college football. And yet this kid still rushed for (2,100) plus yards. He’s able to break tackles, he’s fast enough that when he gets in the open he can go all the way. He’s demonstrated that. He runs outside, he runs inside, he’s run the counter game, the gap scheme stuff, the power and he breaks arm tackles, he runs through people, he’s strong, he’s not big, strong legs that allow him to drive through people and fall forward, which is another nice thing. Yes, that does give us a chance. I think that also makes our offensive linemen realize that… you wouldn’t take a guy like that unless you were committed to the run. We’ve got to get going up front again and be the dominating force up front, which can move the defense.

Q: Are you concerned at all that the kid had 355 carries?

A: It’s only one year. That gets talked about. But that was only the one year, I think he had 170 something maybe the year before. That gets discussed, there’s no doubt he’s taken a lot of hits but he’s dished out a lot of hits, too.

Q: With young running backs, you usually nurture them a little bit before you throw them in. The way I hear you talking about Williams, are you expecting him to come in and contribute right away?

A: I said last night or two nights ago that I expect everybody to contribute right away. This is not one of those deals. We need people to come in and play, that’s why we’ve done a good job of selecting them. If there are five captains here, then there is some maturity here. If there’s maturity here, hopefully they can make the adjustment. Sure, it’s new. Yeah, it’s different. Yes, it is a life-long dream. Yes, I have to get over that part of it. I’ve got to realize that it’s hard work, get back to it, but if that’s the case then we’ll have some guys that will be a little bit ahead of the curve.

MEDIA Q&A WITH ANDRE WILLIAMS:

Q: Thoughts on joining the Giants?

A: Honestly, I’m just elated right now. Honestly, the Giants are just the team from the beginning that I really resonated the most with. I had a great interview at the combine with coach Coughlin and everybody, the whole staff there. We really just had a good vibe flowing in the room. I just had a feeling from the moment that this would be the team that would end up picking me up. It’s right in an area that I’m really familiar with in the northeast, so I’m just glad that it worked out this way.

Q: Were you surprised that you didn’t go yesterday? A lot of people were saying that you were possibly a second or third round pick. What was it like waiting yesterday to today?

A: It’s not necessarily when I got picked up, it’s where I got picked up. Like I said, from the start I had a feeling it was going to be the Giants and it really ended up turning out that way. I’m really just glad that it turned out that way. Patience is a really valuable thing. It worked out the best possible way it could, no matter what round it ended up being. Whether it was after the fourth round had I came to the Giants, I would have been just as happy. The round doesn’t really bother me at all.

Q: What do you think it says about the value of running backs in the draft that you led the nation in rushing and were a Heisman finalist and there were 110 guys picked before you?

A: I think the running back position is such a versatile position in the league. The trend might be for them to go later on in the draft but I think they’re just as valuable to an offense. There’s no other position that’s called upon to protect the quarterback, convert downs in hard situations and control the clock. I think the running back is just as valuable as it was back in the day even though the trend is for running backs to go later on in the rounds.

Q:  I noticed you didn’t have any receptions last year, I guess, because of the increase in carries. Did you also do a lot of pass protection for the quarterback?

A: I did do a lot of pass protection last year and in years past. I’ve been through about five different offensive coordinators, different offenses I was called upon to do different things. This year I was just called upon to run the ball and we had a lot of success with that. I think I am solid in pass protection.

Q: You only caught 10 passes in your career, how much was it that you weren’t given the opportunity and how much did teams, when they worked you out, asked you about that and tested you on that?

A: Catching the ball has not been my strong point in my career. I wasn’t called upon to do it a lot in high school or in college just because I was such a great runner but it is something that I’ve continued to work on throughout the years and especially in the last offseason a lot. It’s something that I’m continuing to get better at.

Q: When you met with the Giants and had their interviews, did they give you any indication how they might use you if they picked you or what they expected of you?

A: I don’t think the interview really went that in depth.

Q: Do you compare yourself to any running backs? Did you have a running back that you looked up to growing up?

A: I don’t compare myself to any running backs but growing up I did really watch Adrian Peterson a lot. I drew a lot of inspiration from him in high school and in college. Marshawn Lynch as well.

Q: What do you think you bring to the team?

A: I think I’m going to bring consistency to a team, competitiveness on every down. When I get the ball I’m going to have the potential for a big play every time just because of my size and speed. I’m just going to be a great team player.

Q: You carried the ball 355 times last year; I guess that shows a lot about your durability. Did that take anything out of you? Or do you feel like you’ll be ready to perform here at this level with the same type of durability?

A: I did take a lot of carries this year but the last three years that I played before that I didn’t take nearly as many carries. I think it was good for me to take that many carries, to be so close to the professional level at that time, it was good to get that many carries and show that I could be durable, I could take a lot of carries. My body is built for it. I’m 230 pounds. It doesn’t really faze me to take that many carries. It was a lot of fun doing it this year.

Q: The thing that keeps rookie running backs off the field a lot is pass protection. That seems to be one of your strengths. Do you think you can come in and contribute right away?

A: Absolutely. I’m just going to come in this offseason and compete and work as hard as I can and push everyone around me and have everyone push me as well. If that translates for me getting on the field early, then I’m welcome to that idea.

Q: Have you already worked on plans of getting down here, when you’re going to be down? Do you expect to be able to jump right into the program?

A: I’m really excited. I’m really excited to jump into the program. It’s funny because I’m at my house right now, everybody is looking at this moment as the biggest moment in my career, but really I’m more focused on what’s coming after because I know that the work starts here. I’m just really excited to get up there and meet everybody and get into the program and have some stability in my life over the next four years and however long my career with the Giants will last, just ingrain myself in the program.

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5th Round – S Nat Berhe, 5’10”, 195lbs, 4.56, San Diego State
Nat Berhe, San Diego State Aztecs (December 20, 2012)

Nat Berhe – © USA TODAY Sports Images

SCOUTING REPORT: Berhe was a 4-year starter at San Diego State where he played a hybrid safety/linebacker position. He projects to safety or slot corner in the pros. Berhe lacks ideal size and speed, but he is an instinctive, tough, aggressive, productive defender who plays hard all of the time. Berhe is a fluid athlete. He flies around the field and plays faster than he times. Berhe hits hard and makes a ton of tackles. He does not make many plays on the football in the air. A team leader, Berhe is a very competitive, smart, and confident player who loves the game. He should do well on special teams.

MEDIA Q&A WITH GENERAL MANAGER JERRY REESE: (Video)

Berhe is a safety from San Diego State. This guy is really productive, a tackling machine, a little bit undersized but you just can’t deny how this guy is a football player. We use the term ‘football player;’ this guy is one of those guys, a football player. He’s all over the place; he’ll play on all of your special teams. You expect guys like Andre Williams to play on special teams as well. Very productive, a really good football player.

Q: In past years we’ve seen you guys taking kind of some height, weight, speed guys like Cooper Taylor and Jacquian Williams. It seemed like this year a guy like Berhe is a little bit undersized.

A: He’s the only guy that’s not a height, weight, speed guy. He’s the only one.

Q: Like Andre Williams, he’s a height, weight, speed guy?

A: Absolutely.

Q: Where do you see Berhe kind of fitting in and playing? Free safety, strong safety, in the nickel, corner?

A: Wherever Perry Fewell wants to use him. Obviously, again, he’s one of those kids that’s a football player. He gets his uniform by playing on special teams first and I think he can back up and spot play at either one of the safety spots. How they used him at San Diego State, they used him close to the line of scrimmage.

Q: It seemed like he had a lot to do with calling the defense there at San Diego State?

A: Yeah, he’s smart, he’s a good leader. He’s kind of the patrol back there.

MEDIA Q&A WITH DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE SCOUTING MARC ROSS: (Video)

[Nat Berhe] is a football player. This guy is a team captain. He plays a hybrid role as a safety, corner and linebacker role where he is all over the place. Different defenses call it something different, but this guy knows multiple positions and again it is a guy that plays hard and has a high motor. He is very instinctive and physical for a small guy, but that is his trait. He is very physical.

Q: How does the Aztec position that Nat Berhe plays, how does that transition to how you would use him here?

A: Well, you can compare it to the third safety role, that Deon Grant role as we’ve called it. That would be the most natural fit. This is what [Berhe] did and this is what that role was. Whatever Perry [Fewell] wants to do, if he wants to play him high, if he wants to play him at wherever, it is up to them. We like that he is just a player.

Q: Is the [Aztec] position becoming more of an actual position that players are specializing in?

A: Yes, I think so. You are seeing more hybrid positions at all positions. With the nature of these offenses, the spread offenses, you are seeing defensive ends who are smaller and are linebacker size, and linebackers who are smaller, more DB size, and safeties and corners that are interchangeable because of the nature of being spread out. It is basketball-on-grass kind of deal that is going on now.

MEDIA Q&A WITH HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN: (Video)

The safety is an all-around football player that we think can come in and right away be a backup and help us on special teams. He is a throw-your-body-around kind of guy, really sharp, loves football, the whole deal. He was a guy that stood out on the board and would be used in that capacity.

MEDIA Q&A WITH NAT BERHE:

Q: What are your immediate thoughts on coming to the Giants? Did you have much interaction with them throughout the process?

A: Not really. I got a phone call from them a week ago. They asked for my phone number. They wanted to make sure it was the right phone number to reach me on draft day. I knew they needed safeties, but that was about it.

Q: What would you say your greatest quality is to come in here and have a chance to contribute?

A: My instincts. I have great eyes. You watch my film, and I am able to dissect plays and get to the ball. I led the team in tackles two years in a row. Getting to the ball and being very disruptive on the defensive side of the ball are what I do really well.

Q: Are you more of a strong safety? A free safety? Can you play both?

A: I can play both. At San Diego State, I played the Aztec position. The Aztec position plays linebacker and blitzes off the edge. I played a little bit of free safety and kind of did it all. I am very comfortable playing either role.

Q: What’s the Aztec position? Give us a little background on that and how it is different from a natural safety or a natural linebacker?

A: The Aztec position used to be called the Lobo, and was played by Brian Urlacher at New Mexico. His coaching staff came over to San Diego State and we implemented it there, and called it the Aztec. It basically is a hybrid linebacker/safety. It can be used in different ways, such as blitzing off the edge or being brought down in the box as an extra linebacker. He can play deep pass or safety or line up in the slot and play guys man-to-man. The position makes a lot of the adjustments on defense as well. He has to be a smart guy.

Q: What have teams told you about where you will play, how you kind of transition to the pro level position wise? Do they view you as a free safety or a strong safety?

A: I’ve heard multiple things. I’ve heard strong safety. I’ve heard nickel. I’ve heard free safety. I have heard it all, honestly.

Q: Your bio said you had a lot of experience on special teams. Was that by design? Was that something that you wanted to do?

A: I think that was by design. At my school I played a lot of special teams in my freshman and sophomore years. My junior and senior years not so much. I think that is just how the coaches wanted it to be done. I played almost every snap both years. It was kind of a thing that just happened.

Q: What were your expectations here in the draft? What were you being told about where you thought you would be going?

A: You hear multiple things from different teams. I heard from the Steelers that if I was available in the third round they would get me in the third or the fourth. I heard fourth of fifth. It was all in the same area. I mostly heard fourth or fifth.

Q: I saw some of your tweets right after you got picked; it seemed like you had a bit of a chip on your shoulder. Do you play like that?

A: Absolutely, if you look at my film, I try to be the biggest and baddest dude out there every time. It is just the way I play. It was the way I was taught to play. I just play with a lot of emotion and anger and I try to take people’s heads off, it’s what I do. I think that is how the safety position is supposed to be played.

Q: Obviously you’re not the biggest guy in the world, do you compensate for your lack of size with aggression and intensity?

A: When you talk about my size, what are you exactly talking about? If you look at some of the guys out there, like Earl Thomas, he’s 5-10. Devin McCourtney is 5-11. If you look at some of the safeties that are starting in the NFL, they are 5-10 or 5-11. I have actually put on weight. I now weigh 200-201 [pounds].

Q: Is that weight where you’d like to play at or do you want to put on even more weight than that?

A: During the season I played at 202 [pounds]. I mean it just varies on what the coaching staff wants me to do.

Q: Were you a team captain at San Diego State?

A: Yes, sir.

Q: What does that mean do you think? What does it show teams when you’re a team captain?

A: It shows them that you are a leader. You are a guy willing to stay after and get extra reps in, whether it is in the film room or the weight room. To be a great leader, what I have found out is that you have to be willing to serve. I did stuff like setting up team barbeques and paying with my own money. You have to be willing to get the guys together and willing to give your time.

Q: Do you already have your travel plans? When you’re planning on heading here?

A: Yes, I am going to make sure I have everything correct. [The Giants] said they are going to fly me out tomorrow. I will get there and then Monday I will start working out with the team. I will double-check that and make sure.

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5th Round – LB Devon Kennard, 6’3”, 249lbs, 4.69, USC
Devon Kennard, USC (September 21, 2013)

Devon Kennard – © USA TODAY Sports Images

SCOUTING REPORT: Kennard is is DE/LB ‘tweener who played 4-3 defensive end, strongside linebacker, and middle linebacker, as well as 3-4 outside linebacker at USC. He has good size and strength for a linebacker, but lacks ideal overall athleticism for the position. Kennard has long arms, good strength, and plays with leverage. He tackles well and is not bad in coverage. He has been injury prone with significant injuries to his knee (ACL), thumb, hip, and chest in his career, all requiring surgery. Team captain and highest GPA on team at USC.

MEDIA Q&A WITH GENERAL MANAGER JERRY REESE: (Video)

Kennard, the linebacker from USC, we feel like he’s a versatile player. He’s a nine-sack guy, led the team in sacks. He played middle linebacker at one point for them and then they moved him outside with the coaching change so we think he can play all three positions for us. He can be a rusher, a situational pass rusher for us and obviously play on all of the special teams. A hard-nosed football player. A bunch of these guys, again, are captains as well. Captains, clean guys.

MEDIA Q&A WITH DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE SCOUTING MARC ROSS: (Video)

[Devon] Kennard has great blood lines. He is another guy that is physical and tough. He has played outside backer in the 3-4. He’s played middle backer in a 4-3 under a couple different defensive coordinators. We had him in here on a visit. This guy is one of the sharpest guys that we have had in terms of football knowledge. Another captain. Face of the program. Leader of the team.

Q: With Devon [Kennard] how much does his experience at defensive end kind of help him move back to outside linebacker and was that a factor in selecting him?

A: Sure, you always like versatile players, and just the fact that he was able to do that and transition to those positions easily each year shows you his football sense and IQ and that was one of the most intriguing things when we had him here was his ability to communicate about all positions up on the front. It was very impressive. Hopefully going forward when we get him here, he is a guy that in the middle of a game, middle of a week, whatever, we can say go here, go here, go there and he will be able to do it very easily.

Q: Is that what you see [Devon] Kennard as, a hybrid type of guy?

A: He can rush the passer from the edge and he has been in the middle so we are going to throw him in there and see if he can play middle backer, outside backer, SAM and put his hand down sometimes, too. It is up to Perry [Fewell] how he wants to use him, but he has done all three and we feel like he definitely right away can be thrown in at middle [linebacker] and then go from there.

MEDIA Q&A WITH HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN: (Video)

Kennard, we had a guy that when he came and visited with us he made a great impression. He’s played multiple positions. He’s a tough, hard-nosed football player. He was great on the board, he did an excellent job of that. He really convinced the coaches that he was a really sharp football player, a multiple position guy, a guy that would come in here and play the linebacker position for us, which is what he’ll do. So we’re excited about that.

MEDIA Q&A WITH DEVON KENNARD:

Q: Did you have any high expectations coming into the draft and where you might fall? What is your reaction about coming to the Giants?

A: I didn’t really come into the draft with any high expectations, I just wanted an opportunity; the earlier, the better, of course. I just wanted to go to a good fit and a great opportunity. That’s what the Giants have given me. I couldn’t be happier. I had a great visit when I visited them and I really connected with the coaching staff. I’m very excited to go contribute and help win.

Q: What was the motivation behind your move from defensive end to outside linebacker? Do you prefer playing in either spot? Do you think you’re a better fit in either spot?

A: I definitely feel like I have the ability to do both, but I feel very comfortable at the outside linebacker spot. Being able to drop into coverage and blitz at times and do different things like that is something that I feel very comfortable with and it provides me more versatility. I think I’m a smart player, so I feel like I could bring something on that aspect to the Giants organization.

Q: What kind of defensive front have you played in your college career, a 3-4 or 4-3?

A: I played in both, but for the majority of my career it was a 4-3, and I played a lot of different positions. I came in as a defensive end and then I played SAM linebacker in a 4-3 and then defensive end in a 4-3, middle linebacker in a 4-3 and then this past season I played outside linebacker in a 3-4. I feel very well-versed doing a lot of different things.

Q: What kind of feedback did you get back from teams that run a 4-3 a a position for you?

A: Pretty much every team, including the Giants, saw me as a SAM, a SAM in a 3-4 or a 4-3 team. That’s what I definitely feel most comfortable with, that’s what I feel like my athleticism and versatility allow me to do. I think it’s a very good fit for me.

Q: When did you come in for a visit and who did you meet with? What was that like?

A: It was a couple weeks ago. I came in, got to meet the whole coaching staff, the head coach, the GM, everybody, the linebackers coach and it was a great experience. We had some great conversations and I got to show them my football knowledge. I feel like, with all of the different things I’ve done in college, I really have a good understanding of football and defenses and understanding concepts. I was able to kind of really express that message in some of the meetings.

Q: Where else did you visit, and when you left here, did you feel it was a strong possibility?

A: I definitely felt like the conversations were great. Everyone kind of keeps what they do in the draft close to their vests so it was hard to tell but I knew the conversations went great and I felt like I had a great relationship with the linebackers coach and the coordinator and the head coach. I think I left them with a good impression, too. When my name came across I definitely wasn’t surprised it was them, but I was very grateful.

Q: You had some injuries throughout your career. Did you sense teams were taking an extra look at you because of that and did you need to prove anything to them health-wise?

A: I’ve had a few injuries, like you said, but they were all unfortunate deals. If you play this game long enough, you’re going to get a few injuries. I think it’s more important to look at how I responded to all of those injuries. I’ve had a couple of injuries and I’ve only missed one college season and it was because I tore my pec right before the season. All of the other injuries, I came back and played from right away. If you go and talk to anyone at USC, they’ll tell you about my work ethic and the kind of person and the kind of character and intensity I bring every day. I think those are the things you really have to look at.

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6th Round – CB Bennett Jackson, 6’0”, 195lbs, 4.48, Notre Dame
Bennett Jackson, Notre Dame Fighting Irish (October 26, 2013)

Bennett Jackson – © USA TODAY Sports Images

SCOUTING REPORT: Jackson converted to cornerback from wide receiver at Notre Dame and could project to safety. He has good size and decent speed for a corner, but may lack ideal quickness for the position. His overall instincts have been questioned, but Jackson seems to make a lot of plays. He is a good hitter and tackler. Team captain at Notre Dame and a good special teams player.

MEDIA Q&A WITH GENERAL MANAGER JERRY REESE: (Video)

Jackson, cornerback from Notre Dame. Formerly a wide receiver, played a couple years at corner. We think he has some upside, has some intangibles that we like – height, weight, speed. I think we could hit on a guy like this. Again, he’s our kind of guy, he’s a captain, a leader, going to play on all of your special teams while he’s developing into a corner.

MEDIA Q&A WITH DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE SCOUTING MARC ROSS: (Video)

Bennett Jackson: Another captain, size, speed corner who is still kind of developing into his position. He is a former wide receiver. We think he has a lot of upside, one of these guys late in the draft. These big corners that have been taken that can run and you work with, you hit on. making their way on teams for a couple years and then you got a player.

MEDIA Q&A WITH HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN: (Video)

Bennett Jackson is also a captain who is a guy who had played the wide receiver position, he’s a defensive corner and will help us on special teams. He’s long, he’s very fast, he’s played at the highest level of competition so we’re very pleased with that.

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Rookie Free Agent Scouting Reports

TE Xavier Grimble, 6’4”, 257lbs, 4.75, USC (Video)
Grimble has good size and size potential. While Grimble is not overly quick, he is agile and has deceptive speed. As a receiver, he is a solid short-to-intermediate threat with good hands and run-after-the-catch ability. He is more of a position blocker who can struggle to get movement, but he does work at it.

OT Adam Gress, 6’7”, 300lbs, 5.43, Penn State
The Giants signed Gress in August 2014. Gress tried out with the Steelers in May after the 2014 NFL Draft but was not signed. Gress has good size but lacks athleticism.

DE Kerry Wynn, 6’5”, 266lbs, 4.87, Richmond
Wynn has a nice combination of size, strength, and overall athletic ability. He needs to play with better leverage to make it at the next level as he is too easily blocked. Team captain. In 2013, Wynn started all 10 games in which he played and finished with 56 tackles, 5.5 tackles for losses, and 2.5 sacks.

DE Emmanuel Dieke, 6’6”, 261lbs, 4.81, Georgia Tech
Dieke has a nice size combination of size and overall athleticism.

DE Jordan Stanton, 6’4”, 262lbs, 4.94, James Madison (Video)
Stanton earned All-Colonial Athletic Association accolades for recording 56 tackles, 11.5 for loss, 8 sacks in 2013.

Kelcy Quarles, South Carolina Gamecocks (January 1, 2014)

Kelcy Quarles – © USA TODAY Sports Images

DT Kelcy Quarles, 6’4”, 297lbs, 5.03, South Carolina (Video)
Quarles was a junior entry who was a 2+ year starter at South Carolina. He lacks ideal size but he has long arms and fine initial quickness and some power to his game. Quarles plays hard and hustles. He makes noise as an interior pass rusher. When he plays with leverage, Quarles flashes against the run. However, at times he far too easily blocked and needs to improve in that area in order to make it. Named first-team All-Southeastern Conference.

DT Eathyn Manumaleuna, 6’2”, 296lbs, 5.16, BYU (Video)
Manumaleuna was an extremely versatile 4-year starter at BYU as he played nose tackle and defensive end in the 3-4 and defensive tackle in the 4-3. Manumaleuna lacks ideal size but he is strong, quick, and athletic. He is stout at the point-of-attack and sheds blockers well. Manumaleuna is more of a run stuffer than pass rusher. Competitive.

LB Dan Fox, 6’3”, 233lbs, 4.70, Notre Dame
Fox has decent size, but he lacks ideal overall athleticism for the position. Fox is a smart, tough player who directed Notre Dame’s defense. However, he did not make many impact plays.

LB Justin Anderson, 6’2”, 235lbs, 4.70, Louisiana-Lafayette
Anderson lacks ideal size, but he is deceptively athletic. Anderson was a very instinctive, productive tackler in college from the middle linebacker position. In 2013, he led his team with 131 tackles.  Named first-team All-Sun Belt.

S Thomas Gordon, 5’10”, 213lbs, 4.50, Michigan
Gordon lacks ideal height, but he is well-built and a decent athlete. He is a good run defender who hits and tackles well. He started 38 games at Michigan.

S C.J. Barnett, 6’0”, 204lbs, 4.59, Ohio State (Video)
Barnett lacks ideal size and athleticism. He is an aggressive, instinctive player. Barnett is a team leader who is very competitive and smart. He started 37 games at Ohio State.

S Kyle Sebetic, 5’11”, 194lbs, 4.53, Dayton (Video)
The Giants signed Kyle Sebetic as an undrafted rookie free agent in June 2014. He tried out with the Giants and Chicago Bears in May after the draft but was not signed. Sebetic played cornerback at the University of Dayton, where he started 11 games his senior season and accrued 63 tackles and one interception. Sebetic may project to safety at the pro level. He is a bit of cornerback/safety ‘tweener as he lacks ideal size for safety and ideal speed for cornerback. He is a good hitter and tackler. Smart.

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Eric’s Take on the 2014 Draft

The New York Giants are not reloading; they are rebuilding. And while this rebuilding project does not reach down to the foundational level (head coach and quarterback), the offensive coaching staff was almost completely revamped (three new coaches, two re-assigned); core players have retired or been allowed to leave via free agency; an unprecedented 16 players were added in veteran free agency; and an additional 18 players have been added since the draft started.

Despite all of these roster additions, the New York Giants were not able to address every need in the 2014 NFL Draft. Team leadership was surprisingly candid about this immediately after the draft.

“In personnel, sometimes you can’t get everything,” said General Manager Jerry Reese. “You can’t just waive a magic wand.”

“You get seven picks, and you can’t take everything you need,” said Marc Ross. “You can’t have first round picks at every pick that you want and things that you think you need.”

How does a team that has added 34 players in the past three months still have significant holes? Because for a variety of reasons, too many picks in the last six NFL Drafts have not worked out and are no longer with the team. Hence the need for a major rebuilding project.

So before we look at what the Giants accomplished, let’s look at what they did not accomplish.

Ideally, the Giants would have liked to have added premium draft picks at the offensive tackle, tight end, defensive end, and linebacker positions. But as Reese and Ross said, you can’t do everything you want in one draft when you have so many needs.

Tight end has gotten more attention from fans, but the Giants have a glaring question mark at tackle. Will Beatty is coming off of a bad season and a significant injury that will hamper his preparation for the 2014 season. If he isn’t ready or struggles again, the passing and running games will suffer. Charles Brown, a former 2nd round pick of the Saints who was brought in for depth and insurance, struggled in New Orleans with inconsistent pass protection and penalties. The Giants could shift Justin Pugh to left tackle, but then who plays right tackle? Geoff Schwartz? Even he admits he is a better guard. James Brewer? He hasn’t taken the bull by the horns since drafted in 2011. Brandon Mosley or Stephen Goodin? Still relative unknowns.

Head Coach Tom Coughlin was surprisingly honest about his desire to add a tight end in the draft. “It has to work out for you and all of a sudden, bang, a couple guys were gone in that 2nd round and you say, ‘Wait a minute, how deep is that position and then who?’ Two of them (who we liked) are (drafted by other teams),” said Coughlin. “Yeah it’s a concern.”

So the Giants will have to hope that one of the following step up: journeymen Daniel Fells or Kellen Davis, or the talented but so far disappointing Adrien Robinson or Larry Donnell. I still would not write off the possibility of signing free agent Jermichael Finley if he can pass a physical.

On paper, the strength of the Giants defense seems to have shifted from the defensive line to the secondary. If true, I can’t recall at time when that was ever the case. Now the Giants must pray that Jason Pierre-Paul regains his 2011 form after two bad seasons. They must also pray that Damontre Moore develops into a quality pass rusher. Mathias Kiwanuka and Robert Ayers are not bad players, but they don’t scare anyone. Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, and Justin Tuck are just memories now. In 2014, the Giants may struggle to rush the passer.

Jerry Reese learned a valuable lesson in 2013: a good linebacker can dramatically improve the entire defense. Jon Beason proved to be an impact addition, not just because of his play, but perhaps more importantly due to his leadership. But Beason has had some significant injuries and the Giants still lack big-time playmakers at the outside positions. In a perfect world, the Giants would have added a top linebacking prospect. Jameel McClain may help, but he was just a guy in Baltimore. The Giants can get by with what they have (Spencer Paysinger, Jacquian Williams), but there is little depth and no special players.

OK, so let’s look at what the Giants did accomplish in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Adding an impact wide receiver was critical and the Giants appear to have done just that with the selection of Odell Beckham, Jr. in the 1st round. Last season, teams simply took Victor Cruz out of the game and dared the other receivers and tight ends to hurt them. They couldn’t. If Beckham develops into the player as hoped, the Giants will have the outside threat they have lacked since Week 2 of the 2012 NFL season when Hakeem Nicks became a shadow of himself. Beckham has it all except height. Since Eli Manning tends to throw the ball high, additional height would help but Beckham is very quick and fast, runs great routes, can make circus catches, and perhaps most significantly in the new Giants offense, is a tremendous run-after-the-catch receiver. Eli Manning has worked with Beckham in passing camps and fully endorses the selection. Unusually, there already seems to be chemistry there. Most encouraging is that there are reports that at least a half-dozen teams were trying to trade up to snag Beckham. He was picked right where the rest of the NFL seems to have expected him to go. Now if Rueben Randle could just develop, the Giants will be in very good shape at wide receiver.

In round two, most fans thought the Giants would draft an offensive tackle or tight end. But many were also thinking guard or center and the Giants arguably picked the best center in the draft with the selection of Weston Richburg. Richburg lacks ideal size, but most NFL centers are in the same size range (6’3”, 300lbs). He has everything else – strength, agility, quickness, smarts, work ethic, leadership qualities. Temperament wise, he has been compared favorably to Richie Seubert. J.D. Walton may start, but Richburg has the look of a 10-year starter. The Giants may even consider moving Richburg or Walton temporarily to guard if necessary. Richburg was expected to be drafted in this area of the draft and the only criticism that can be leveled here is that he was a “luxury” pick given the needs at tight end and tackle.

Fans debated before the draft how big a need was the defensive tackle position, especially given the free agent departure of Linval Joseph. Some said it was a big need. Others said they were relatively comfortable with the players behind Cullen Jenkins and Joseph’s replacement, Johnathan Hankins. But with the selection of Jay Bromley in the 3rd round, the Giants made it clear they wanted to add another quality prospect to compete with Mike Patterson and Markus Kuhn, as well as groom behind the 33-year old Jenkins. Bromley is the most controversial selection by the Giants. Most “draft experts,” and even Bromley’s agent, expected him to be drafted in rounds 4-6. Fans such as myself who have watched YouTube clips of him (always a dubious exercise) have come away with mixed evaluations. Some see a prospect who struggles at the point-of-attack while others have seen a guy who can penetrate and disrupt. Regardless, how Bromley develops or doesn’t develop will be a big factor in how this draft is evaluated years from now. To be brutally frank, the Giants have really struggled with their 3rd round selections (Jayron Hosley, Jerrel Jernigan, Ramses Barden, Travis Beckum, Gerris Wilkinson) not to mention bad luck with others (Chad Jones and Jay Alford). What we do know about Bromley is he is a guy who is easy to root for (see this outstanding New York Daily News article), he’s a New Yorker who grew up a Giants fan, and he does have good quickness and tenacity for the position. In addition, Bromley was a team captain at Syracuse. The Giants feel he can get bigger and stronger without affecting quickness. Jerry Reese went so far as to compare him to a shorter version of Chris Canty. In my personal view, ultimately, for Bromley to work out, he has to play far more stout at the point-of-attack then I saw on the limited YouTube video that I watched.

There was an intriguing post from BigBlueInteractive.com contributor Ross. Through the grapevine, he heard the following from a former employee of the Philadelphia Eagles:

Each year, teams think they found a few guys that are off the radar and can get them later in the draft for various reasons: injury, small schools, overshadowed etc. This year, one of those guys was Bromley. He said there was a buzz about him in recent weeks and thought he would get drafted earlier that the so called draft experts projected. He’s a “sleeper” and thought many teams wanted him. He said that he is the type of guy that no one talks about as so many teams are interested and they hope he slips. He said no one will work harder than him and Giants got a really good player. Said he was a sure 3rd round pick in his mind and also used the Chris Canty comparison as player type. Thought the Steelers or Bears would grab him in the 3rd which means that he didn’t think it was a reach at all.

As disappointed as many fans were with the “reach” of Bromley, they were equally excited about the Giants drafting RB Andre Williams, the nation’s leading rusher and Heisman Trophy candidate, in the 4th round. Name recognition goes a long way in making the average fan happy around draft time. That said, Williams looks like a very good value selection. A little oddly, running back was not perceived as big need by most Giants fans. This probably had to do more with talent issues at other positions than the true state of affairs, especially given David Wilson’s unsure status. In addition, while I’m a fan of Rashad Jennings, it’s still unknown if he can be the “bell cow” at running back. Williams is a throwback. He’s a big, powerful, bruising running back who seems more out-of-style in today’s pass-happy game. The biggest knock on Williams is his hands. He did not have a single reception in 2013 at Boston College. He also needs to hold onto the ball better (10 fumbles in three seasons). The Jennings-Williams duo gives the Giants backfield an entirely different feel. This is a sledgehammer combination that can wear down a defense if – and this is big “if” – the Giants can block for them up front.

Nat Berhe, the first of the Giants two 5th rounders, is an undersized heat-seeking missile who loves the physical side of the game. He is a big hitter and aggressive tackler. He also is another smart guy and former team captain. At worst, he should excel on special teams. At best, he could become the new in-the-box safety/linebacker in Perry Fewell’s three-safety package. “Well, you can compare it to the third safety role, that Deon Grant role as we’ve called it,” said Marc Ross. “That would be the most natural fit. This is what (Berhe) did and this is what that role was (in college).” The biggest knock on Berhe, other than his size, is that does not make many plays on the football in the air (five interceptions in three seasons).

The second 5th rounder, Devon Kennard, is one of those DE/LB ‘tweeners who the Giants have liked to draft in recent years, but who may not be a good fit for a 4-3 defense. Kennard is big, physical, smart, a team leader, and flashes as a pass rusher. But what we don’t know is if he has the quickness, agility, and speed to play linebacker at the pro level against pass-happy NFL offenses. I envision him as the equivalent to Mathias Kiwanuka (when he played at weakside linebacker), but the Giants have talked about him possibly being a candidate at middle linebacker. I question if he has the overall athleticism for that move. Some had projected Kennard to be drafted much earlier than the 5th round so this at least appears to be a good value selection.

The Giants final pick – CB Bennett Jackson in the 6th round – is also a good value pick. He was projected by some to go higher than this as well. Jackson is a former wide receiver who was converted to corner for the last two years of school at Notre Dame. Another team captain, he was limited his senior season by a shoulder injury. He is size-speed project with good intangibles but he faces stiff competition and numbers at the corner position on this roster. His best immediate prospect may be the Practice Squad unless he kicks ass on special teams in the preseason.

As for the 10 rookie free agents signed after the draft, the three most intriguing are TE Xavier Grimble, DT Kelcy Quarles, and DT Eathyn Manumaleuna. Safeties C.J. Barnett and Thomas Gordon also started a ton of games in the Big 10. Even had the Giants not had a huge need at tight end, Grimble would be an interesting signing. He has a nice combination of size, overall athleticism, and hands. His productivity at USC was hampered by injures and Lane Kiffin’s offense. He could surprise. Quarles was expected by some to be drafted as high as the 2nd-3rd round, but some have questioned his maturity and character. Manumaleuna may lack ideal size and athleticism, but he’s a disruptive football player who can play the run. The Giants also loaded up on defensive ends (Kerry Wynn, Emmanuel Dieke, and Jordan Stanton) and linebackers (Dan Fox and Justin Anderson), hoping one may be a diamond in the rough. Interestingly, 9-out-of-10 of the rookie free agent signings were on the defensive side of the football. None were on the offensive line.

Overall, this appears to be a respectable group. The Giants look like they have future starters in Beckham, Richburg, and Williams. Much depends on Bromley. Did the Giants reach again in the 3rd round or find a gem? The Giants will have to wait until 2015 to address their other needs at offensive tackle (unless Beatty rebounds), tight end (unless someone surprises), defensive end (unless Damontre Moore turns into a stud), and linebacker. The rebuilding project continues.

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Jan 102014
 
Michael Strahan, New York Giants (September 5, 2012)

Michael Strahan – © USA TODAY Sports Images

The Latest on the Giants Search for a New Offensive Coordinator: Here is a rundown of known interviews the New York Giants are conducting with new offensive coordinator candidates:

  • Mike Sullivan (ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator): Met with the Giants on Wednesday.
  • Dowell Loggains (ex-Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator): Met with the Giants on Thursday.
  • Karl Dorrell (ex-Houston Texans quarterbacks coach): Meeting with Giants on Friday.
  • Ben McAdoo (Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach): Will meet with Giants on Saturday.

On Thursday, Giants President/CEO John Mara said there also may be additional candidates.

Marc Ross Will Interview With Dolphins on Sunday: As we reported on Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins have requested and received permission from the New York Giants to interview Giants Vice President of Player Evaluation Marc Ross. Both teams are considering Ross for their general manager vacancies.

NFL.com is reporting that Ross will interview with the Dolphins on Sunday.

Michael Strahan Makes Final 15 for Potential Hall of Fame Induction, George Young Does Not: Former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan (1993-2007) made the cut from 25 to 15 modern-era Pro Football Hall of Fame 2014 candidates on Thursday night. Those actually being entered into the Hall of Fame in 2014 will be announced on February 1st, the day before Super Bowl XLVIII, with the list first being reduced to 10 then 5.

Strahan made the cut to 10 last year, but did not make the final cut to five.

Strahan played 15 seasons for the Giants and was voted to seven Pro Bowls and named All Pro six times (four times first-team, two times second-team). He was also named the 2001 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He accrued 141.5 sacks as a Giant.

Former New York Giants General Manager George Young (1979-1997) did not make the cut. See the Hall of Fame Giants section of BBI for a complete list of Giants in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Articles on the New York Giants Offensive Coordinator Candidates:

Article on the 2013 New York Giants and Injuries: Giants were the most injured team in the NFL, study shows by Paul Schwartz of The New York Post

Article on RB Andre Brown: Giants free agents: Can Andre Brown carry the load at running back? by Conor Orr of The Star-Ledger

Article on DE Justin Tuck: Will the Giants keep Justin Tuck? Jerry Reese weighs his options by Conor Orr of The Star-Ledger

Article on S Stevie Brown: Giants free agents: Can Stevie Brown return to form? by Dave Hutchinson of The Star-Ledger