We have to give the New York Giants front office the benefit of the doubt. Their overwhelming need was to beef up their defense, especially the middle of that defense. They needed to upgrade their run defense, and they chose to do that on their defensive line.
With the 15th overall pick they took DE Jason Pierre-Paul from the University of South Florida. Sure he is a little raw, but his is an excellent pass rusher and given their overall track record in the draft we can them a little leeway here for not taking Derrick Morgan or even Sean Weatehrspoon who seemed to be a perfect fit for this defense.
In the second round they took the massive DT Linval Joseph. Joseph was a stand out at East Carolina, and should be the perfect stopper to shore up a leaky run defense.
The other major need on this team was in the defensive secondary and with their third round pick they addressed that by taking FS Chad Jones. Jones has great size, and shows the promise to be a ball hawk with a ton of range.
In the fourth round the Giants selected LB Phillip Dillard. The Nebraska star will step into the middle of the defense to once again plug up holes n the Giants run defense. The best thing about him is he plays downhill; he should compete for a starting spot in his rookie year.
In the fifth round they picked up OG Mitch Petrus, and they continue to add youngsters to their O line. Petrus is very strong, and a great interior blocker. The team hopes this pick helps them rediscover their power running game.
In the sixth they continued their work on the D line by taking DE Adrian Tracy. He figures to be a situational pass rusher as he works on his skills to be a three down player.
The Giants final pick was Punter Matt Dodge. Their kicking game needed an infusion of youth and Doge certainly brings that. Dodge can also handle kickoffs if need be.
In the end the Giants made few moves, they did not move up and down with trades. They calmly selected the players that they felt could best help this team with the selections they had earned.
Now here is a complete look at the 2010 Giants draft class:
Round One (15)- DE Jason Pierre- Paul USF
Round Two (46)- DT Linval Joseph East Carolina
Round Three (76)- FS Chad Jones LSU
Round Four (115)- LB Phillip Dillard Nebraska
Round Five (147)- OG Mitch Petrus Arkansas
Round Six (184)- DE Adrian Tracy William & Mary
Round Seven (221)- Punter Matt Dodge East Carolina
Related Links:
• New York Giants news and notes
• 2010 NFL Draft Initial Team Grades
• The Business of the NFL
• MTR Football.com
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