Our Analysts Hand Out New York Giants 2016 Draft Grades

The New York Giants 2016 draft grades are in. After more than a day to reflect, it looks like the immediate reaction to Big Blue’s selections have been average to good, but not great. Let’s take an in-depth look at what the experts said along with our analysts.

Mel Kiper said the Giants had a “fantastic draft“, giving the G-Men a grade of B+.

Rob Rang of CBS Sports was less kind, giving Big Blue a C grade:

“The Giants’ selection of Ohio State’s Eli Apple was one of the big surprises of the first round, but some scouts believe he will ultimately prove the best corner of this draft. Given the big investments made along the defensive line in free agency, the decision to boost that side of that the ball even further made sense in the second round when the club nabbed future plug-and-play slot receiver Sterling Shepard, whose quickness, speed and toughness remind scouts of Seahawks second year wideout and return extraordinaire Tyler Lockett, a Pro Bowler as a rookie.

Safety Darian Thompson has the hands and range to be a classic center fielder in the NFL, boasting an NCAA best 19 interceptions over his career, but he was prone to missed tackles at Boise State, the opposite of fourth-round run-stuffing linebacker B.J. Goodson. Running back Paul Perkins starred at UCLA but questions about whether his production was inflated by the Bruins’ spread attack pushed him down the board. He is a slasher with the agility, speed and hands to help New York’s offense, however. ”

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Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post agreed with CBS Sports, giving the Giants draft a C grade:

“Doesn’t appear to be anywhere near the home-run draft GM Jerry Reese needed. Caught flat-footed by the Bears moving up to steal Leonard Floyd, and scouts are divided about top pick Eli Apple. Sterling Shepard is a gem, though.”

Jordan Raanan of NJ.com awarded a draft grade of B- and colleague James Kratch handed out a B.

Pro Football Focus Giants draft grade: B

“Day 1: Apple… is one of the best press corners in the draft. Schematically, it’s a curious pick, as New York played pure man coverage only 30.4 percent of the time last year, 21st in the league, so unless the Giants are going to increase that number, Apple’s weaknesses playing in off coverage and in space may get exposed. We had two corners ranked higher on our board than Apple in William Jackson III and Mackensie Alexander.

“Day 2: One of the best route-runners in the class, Shepard posted the top overall grade among the nation’s wide receivers a year ago. He’s a shifty slot receiver, but he has shown the downfield ball skills (caught 64.7 percent of his deep attempts) to win on the outside as well. Thompson is good value in the third, as he can complement last year’s second-round safety, Landon Collins. He ranked fifth in college safety grades in the class.

“Day 3: Perkins was one of the best picks on Day 3 as he led all running backs with an elusive rating of 114.7. Adams was our second-rated tight end in the class as he’s the top inline blocker with good speed and route running to stretch the seam. The Giants did a nice job with their late picks.”

Next: SHOULD GIANTS HAVE GONE APPLE PICKING?