This Week In Mock Drafts
Last week’s edition of ‘This Week In Mock Drafts’ saw a mock draft Giants pick that I wholeheartedly agreed with but have a feeling will never happen because the player in question, Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, is just too talented of a player to stick around to the end of the draft and would fill a linebacking hole for many teams who pick before the Giants do.
And the mock draft featured in this week’s TWIMD, the latest one posted by Scott Wright at Draft Countdown, one of my go-to and should be yours too, NFL draft related websites, brought me back to reality. In his newest mock draft posted on his website on March 30th, Wright has Kuechly be taking in the top half of the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks, who pick 12th overall.
That’s the area of the draft I feel Kuechly will probably get drafted and there’s no way the Giants will trade up to pick a linebacker, which means my dream of seeing Kuechly and Mark Herzlich teaming up once again in the NFL to stop opposing offenses won’t become a reality. Oh well, this isn’t the first time the Giants probably won’t draft a college prospect I really want and it won’t be the last!
Of course just because a mock draft says the Giants won’t be picking the guy I want doesn’t mean it might not happen. A mock draft is just a mock draft and, after all, anything can happen! Alright now that my crush on Kuechly has reached its unhealthy pinnacle lets move onto to a player the Giants might be targeting and could potentially get with the 32nd overall pick in the upcoming draft according to Wright at DraftCountdown.com: OT Jonathan Martin from Stanford.
You’ve probably gotten used to reading about players from Stanford the Giants might take in this feature but usually it’s tight end Coby Fleener or other offensive lineman such as Bobby Massie or Mike Adams. Martin’s name is new to TWIMD and one that could very well be uttered by Commissioner Roger Goodell at the podium in connection to the Giants’ first round draft pick.
Giants fans know that the team’s O-Line could use a re-haul and youth infusion and it might be time for the Giants to once again invest a first round pick to improve their O-Line, something that hasn’t happened since the drafting of Luke Pettigout in the 1999 NFL Draft. Last year’s starting RT Kareem McKenzie won’t be returning to the team, which means his spot will probably be filled by former 2nd round pick Will Beatty who’ll be returning from a season ending eye injury. Beatty had his fair share of ups and downs throughout the season last year and he by no means has a lock on a starting job.
That means any rookie OT that might be drafted by the Giants, especially one early in the draft, could potentially see a lot of playing time early on and Martin may be that man, even if Wright isn’t completed sold on him. Just read what he had to say about Martin in his write up about from his most recent mock draft:
"“Jonathan Martin is a bit overrated and doesn’t necessarily stand out as either a pass protector or run blocker but the base physical tools are there and with top blockers at such a premium these days someone may roll the dice much earlier than this.”"
Overrated, not a pass rusher or run blocker that stands out? Then what is he? A guy in pads that stands up once the football is hiked? Wright doesn’t really provide as ringing endorsement for the man that was in charge of protecting the presumptive #1 pick in the 2012 draft Andrew Luck but that has never stopped a team from drafting someone early when they shouldn’t have, just because they had him atop their draft board. It’s just that the Giants never operate that way.
Our FanSided buddies NFL Mocks have some pros in regards to Martin’s play from their profile on him such as Martin having “good upper body strength”, and that he’s a “very smart kid.” That’s not really enough information to base drafting a first round pick off of and Martin’s performance at Stanford’s Pro Day didn’t help matters either, as he didn’t do more than 20 bench press reps; making other draft pundits think out loud that Martin would be better suited to right tackle and not left tackle or even guard.
I hope the Giants stay away from Martin but I’m no Jerry Reese. What do you say GMEN HQ readers? Is Martin’s reputation as Luck’s blindside protector going to cause a team to draft him high in the draft? Will the Giants be a team that considers him at the top of the offensive tackle position for the draft and take him? If you don’t think Martin should be a Giant who are some other OT prospects you’d like the Giants to draft? Let us know in the comments section!