This Week In Mock Drafts
I haven’t done much writing about the upcoming April 2012 NFL Draft lately because a lot of the draft mockers out there either stopped mocking the upcoming draft or were saying the same thing over and over again like the Giants will draft a running back or linebacker.
Today is a new day and part of a new year and with the playoffs in full swing and the 2012 NFL Draft order almost complete we have a new mock draft to talk about, as Steve Wyche of NFL.com took the time out of his busy schedule to give us his thoughts about the draft as of January 17, 2012. Of course, as always, fair warning with mock drafts is always in order, as anything can happen between now and the draft in April…
So, according to Mr. Wyche, whom will the Giants be picking and at what spot will they be picking from? The second answer to that question is 29th overall, which means Wyche believes the Giants will lose to the 49ers in Sunday’s NFC Championship game.
What about the player going to the Giants with the number 29 overall pick in the draft? That would be Arizona State inside linebacker Vontaze Burfict.
Wyche has this to say about the Sun Devil’s linebacker:
"“A big-time talent who could beef up the second level of the defense.”"
The very first ‘This Week In Mock Drafts’ article I wrote for GMEN HQ also had Burfict going to the Giants. All the way on May 4th, Chad Reuter of CBSSports.com, in his first 2012 mock draft of the year, had the Giants taking Burfict with the 19th overall selection. Click on this link to get more information about Burfict.
After finishing his junior season as the number two leading tackler on his team, Burfict decided that it was time to up the competition level and declared for the draft. His season total stats were 69 tackles, 5 sacks, 1 interception and 1 fumble recovery. There were high expectations for Burfict coming into the season because in his sophomore year he led Sun Devils in tackling with 90 tackles and also made the All-Pac-10 second-team. The year before that he was named the Defensive Freshman of the Year in the Pac-10. Those were lofty standards and you can see why Arizona State’s head coach Dennis Erickson called Burfict’s last college football playing season “average.”
Do the Giants want a player who had an average year in college? Of course one average year out of three in the NCAA doesn’t automatically mean that player will be a bust in the NFL but it does give you something to think about. We all know the Giants can use some help in the linebacking department but if injured players such as Jon Goff come back strong next season and add to the current Giants’ stable of linebackers then maybe a first round selection on linebacker doesn’t have to be made this year.
The Giants might also be better off looking at other areas such as offensive line or cornerback. I’m sure once the season is over and the draft chatter begins we’ll start to hear more about the Giants’ draft plans and when that happens look to GMEN HQ to keep you up-to-date.