Five out of the seven players drafted by the New York Giants in the 2014 NFL Draft were previously teams captains. Clearly, they were looking for proven players that could provide leadership for the future. Here’s who they selected:
1st Round, 12th Overall – WR Odell Beckham Jr. (LSU)
2nd Round, 43rd Overall – C Weston Richburg (Colorado State)
3rd Round, 74th Overall – DT Jay Bromley (Syracuse)
4th Round, 113th Overall – RB Andre Williams (Boston College)
5th Round, 152nd Overall – S Nat Berhe (San Diego State)
5th Round, 174th Overall (Compensatory) – OLB Devon Kennard (USC)
6th Round, 187th Overall – CB Bennett Jackson (Notre Dame)
Giants 2014 Draft Grade: 7.5/10
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2014 Giants Draft
The Best Player: Usually the most talented player in any draft class is the first-round pick. This is true in this case as well, as wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has large expectations. He’ll be joining a solid group, consisting of Victor Cruz, Rueben Randle, Mario Manningham, and Jerrel Jernigan. Eli Manning now has plenty of targets, and Beckham should see plenty of single coverage, which will provide him with many opportunities to have a successful rookie season.
The Best Value Pick: Grabbing running back Andre Williams in the 4th round was definitely the best value pick. Williams carried Boston College last season, rushing for 2,177 yards and 18 touchdowns. Few people would have complained if Williams was drafted a round or two higher, so he was definitely one of the best players available at pick 113. Williams solidifies a group of running backs that can bring back Coach Coughlin’s ground-and-pound offense.
The Head-Scratcher: Drafting defensive tackle Jay Bromley in the third round and safety Nat Berhe in the fifth round are both head-scratchers, but I’m going to give the edge here to Berhe. Even if the Giants lose Will Hill to another failed drug test, they will still have Antrel Rolle, Stevie Brown, Quintin Demps, and 2013 fifth-round pick Cooper Taylor at the position. Even without the depth, Berhe was a reach who some predicted would go undrafted.
The Surprise Pick: When the Giants selected defensive tackle Jay Bromley in the third round, most people were extremely surprised. Even if the Giants wanted to go with a defensive tackle, Bromley probably wasn’t even the best available. Defensive tackle Will Sutton was drafted a few picks later. Bromley was projected to be a fifth or sixth round pick, so clearly this was a pretty big reach. Ironically enough, the Giants actually signed South Carolina defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles as an undrafted free agent, and Quarles was rated higher than Bromley by many analysts. A defensive tackle wasn’t even a huge need in the third round, considering they already had Cullen Jenkins, Johnathan Hankins, Mike Patterson, and Markus Kuhn at the position.
The Steal: Running back Andre Williams was basically the only player the Giants drafted that wasn’t at least slightly a reach. By default, Williams becomes the “steal” of the draft, although his projection wasn’t that far off from the actual selection.
Most Likely to Make an Impact in 2014: Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and center Weston Richburg will both likely be immediate starters, so they will both make an impact. I’m going to talk about Richburg here for now though. Although Richburg might have been a slight reach, he was the best center in the draft and the Giants needed a starter at the position badly. Richburg is extremely durable and intelligent, displaying physical and mental toughness at Colorado State. He should anchor the Giants offensive line for years to come.
Most Likely to Be Cut: Although not very likely, cornerback Bennett Jackson is the most likely player to be cut because of the tremendous depth the Giants have at his position. With Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Prince Amukamara, Walter Thurmond, Trumaine McBride, and Jayron Hosley, Jackson has a long road ahead of him if he wants to gain some playing time. That being said, his physical attributes intrigue the Giants, so they will probably keep him around and try to develop him.
Most Likely to Turn Heads in Camp: Although he probably won’t get much playing time during his rookie season, outside linebacker Devon Kennard could turn out to be a solid role player for the Giants. His well-developed pass rushing abilities should show the Giants immediately that he can help their franchise in the future, if not now.
Bottom Line: I gave the Giants a 7.5 because I felt their draft was inconsistent. Each pick was either a great pick or a horrible pick. They started off well with Odell Beckham Jr. and Weston Richburg, who will be two immediate starters, but they faltered with a big reach on Jay Bromley. They came back with another good pick with Andre Williams, but they faltered again with a big reach on Nat Berhe. Once again, I liked the Devon Kennard pick, but they finished the draft with Bennett Jackson, who is probably a quality special teams player at best. Also, they never bothered to address the glaring hole at tight end.
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