The running backs are going to look a whole lot different in 2013 after Ahmad Bradshaw, who led the team in rushing carries and yards each of the last three years, was cut this offseason. While the veteran running back is only 27-years old and remains unsigned, it’s unlikely that the Giants would bring him back with the level of depth they already have at the position. Let’s take a look at that depth:

The Returnees

Andre Brown: Brown figures to enter training camp with the inside-track to get the majority of the team’s carries. While Bradshaw suffered through injuries most of last year, Brown emerged to average 5.3 yards per carry. He doesn’t have the same pass-catching or pass-protection ability as Bradshaw (at least not yet), but he might already be a better rusher.

David Wilson:  After fumbling away his first career carry and ending up in Tom Coughlin’s doghouse for most of the season, Wilson showed some home run ability towards the end of the year. He had a couple big runs from the backfield, but his most electric plays came on the kick return. Wilson probably opens the year as the third-down back, but he’ll need to improve his catching skills.

Taking away those two plays, Wilson still had a very efficient game both running and returning. Over the rest of the game, Wilson had 12 carries for 44 yards and a mediocre-to-decent 3.7-yard average. Aside from that carry, he’s averaging 3.9-yards per carry on the year. As for special teams, Wilson had returns of 58, 52 and 20 yards besides the big 97-yarder, which continues what has been an extremely impressive season for him returning kicks. For much of the season, his teammates treated a touchdown return for Wilson as an inevitability, and Sunday we saw why.

What makes Wilson such a great weapon is his aggressiveness and his breakaway speed. Despite his struggles through the first half of the season, he is going to be an important piece of the puzzle going forward with Brown unlikely to play another game this year. Wilson doesn’t always need to be as spectacular as he was on Sunday, but if he can keep up with his averages he’ll justify the first-round pick the Giants spent on him back in April. And if he breaks a few long touchdowns along the way, even better.
A few other things I noted from Sunday’s game:

- Hey Ravens and Bengals, WHAT THE HELL?!? Through 3+ quarters, it looked like both teams were going to give the Giants a little breathing room in the division by beating the Redskins and Cowboys, but both teams eventually lost on last-second field goal tries. Although knowing the Giants, the added cushion probably would have led to a loss to the Saints, so I guess it’s ok.

- Wilson was the most dazzling, but Antrel Rolle may have had the better game. After publicly calling out his teammates prior to the game, Rolle forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, tipped an eventual interception and made a huge tackle on a big 3rd-and-short. Woof.

- Ahmad Bradshaw hurt his knee in the first half and spent most of the game on the sideline. Despite Wilson’s big game, losing Bradshaw for any amount of time would be devastating. Not a lot of teams can withstand injuries to their top two running backs. Get well soon Ahmad.

- Eli Manning had two “bad eli” interceptions, one of which was returned for a long touchdown. The Giants opened the game with 4 drives starting in Saints territory, which resulted in 7 points for the Giants and 7 points for the Saints. That’s not good. But the offense picked it up in the second half with two touchdowns each in the 3rd and 4th quarters. That’s not bad.

Next week bring’s the Giants’ third and final “revenge game” of the season, as we go to Atlanta to play the team that was the first stepping-stone to the 2011 super bowl. Perhaps the Falcons have learned from the 49ers’ and Packers’ mistakes, because I haven’t heard nearly as much chatter from them. Or maybe it has something to do with them losing to the 4-9 Panthers this week. In any event, it should be another good one, and an important one as the Giants look to maintain their division lead. See you in Atlanta.

Manning showed why he’s so dangerous with the football late in a half as he drove the Giants downfield on a 9-play drive that was capped off by a beautiful 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Domenik Hixon.

The Saints opened up the scoring with a 73-yard touchdown run by cornerback Elbert Mack after he intercepted Giants quarterback Eli Manning’s pass intended for wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan. However, the Giants responded right back with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from David Wilson. Wilson already had come close to breaking one earlier in the quarter to open the game with a 58-yard kick return, however the Giants were unable to get any points from the drive. Wilson is electric whenever he touches the ball and he’s given the Giants excellent field position with his kick returns. The Saints are going to realize that perhaps it’s not a wise move to kick the ball in his direction.

Saftey Antrel Rolle backed up his talk during the week and came up big in the first half for the Giants defense with a fumble recovery on the first drive of the game for the Saints and a forced fumble on their second drive. The Giants would take advantage of that with a quick drive that was capped off by a 6-yard touchdown pass from Manning to tight end Martellus Bennett which put the Giants in front with a 14-7 lead.

Quarterback Drew Brees managed to get the Saints offense as he took them downfield on a nice 14-play drive in which they were able to get a 32-yard field goal by Garrett Hartley to trim the Giants lead to 14-10. The Saints would then get another chance as Brees drove them downfield to set up a 25-yard field goal from Hartley to pull within 14-13.

The Giants were unable to fully captilize on the great field position they were getting from Wilson’s kick returns. Wilson had three big returns and scored on one of them, however the Giants failed to get points on the other two drives including a missed 32-yard field goal from Lawrence Tynes who’s normally automatic.

Ahmad Bradshaw was in and out of the game with what was listed as a knee injury. The run game was non existent in the first half for the Giants. Wide receiver Victor Cruz also left the game briefly to have his shoulder looked at, however retunred to the game and has looked effective alongside Hakeem Nicks and Bennett in the passing game.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Giants look to get more from their run game in the second half. They tried to do that last week against the Redskins and instead they came off as being too conservative.

This is an important game for the Giants in the division standings. Dallas and Washington have both won their games, so the Giants must get a win today to stay a step ahead of them for first place in the NFC east.

This is a huge opportunity for rookie running back, David Wilson. He will now be sharing the load with Ahmad Bradshaw. If Wilson could step up now, he could be a huge part of a Giants playoff run to repeating as Super Bowl Champs.

Wilson has been virtually invisible since he fumbled the second carry of his career in the opener against Dallas. Since that mistake, he has only been given 4 carries and managed 4 yards, including one carry for -2 yards on Thursday night. To make matters worse for Wilson, Ahmad Bradshaw’s injury should have given him a chance at redemption. Instead, there’s a brewing controversy over the starting running back position… and Wilson’s not in the conversation.

Although it’s hard to look at Brown’s success as anything but a positive for the Giants, Wilson’s disappearing role on offense recalls the question of why the Giants felt the need to burn a first-round draft pick on a running back back in April. As Bill Barnwell over at Grantland wrote before Thursday’s game, the Giants have a checkered history when it comes to investing heavily in their backfield. And with the two most important running backs of the last two Super Bowl teams being Brandon Jacobs (4th-rounder) and Ahmad Bradshaw (7th-rounder), the Giants probably should have known better before paying such a premium for a position that can be filled more cheaply without much loss of production.

The one area where Wilson has made somewhat of an impact is on special teams. Wilson has averaged a respectable 25.1 yards per attempt as the Giants’ primary kickoff return man – good for 9th in the league among players with at least five attempts. However, the usefulness of returners has diminished significantly over the past two seasons with the kickoffs now coming from the 35-yard line. Despite Wilson’s spark in the return game, the Giants rank 15th in the NFL in average starting field position – almost exactly middle of the pack.

It’s unclear where all of this this leaves Wilson for this season and beyond. It appears he won’t be getting major carries for the Giants any time soon, as even Da’Rel Scott (6 carries, 9 yards) saw more time than Wilson did in the closing moments of Thursday’s blowout win. On the other hand, it seems unlikely that the Giants would give up so quickly on a player they valued highly enough to pick in the first round just five months ago. If Wilson wants to be a part of this offense going forward, he’s going to have to follow Brown’s lead and make the most of what few opportunities come his way.

August 24, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants tight end Martellus Bennett (85) and wide receiver Ramses Barden (13) and center David Bass (64) celebrate Barden

Well, there was not quite as many questions entering this season as compared to last year, but there were still some areas of concern. With training camp drawing to a close and the season only being a week away let’s look at what we got out of  the preseason and who is poised to help this team.

On the offensive side of the ball the Giants had questions and TE, WR and RB. So what did we learn? The biggest concern was at TE,and the aquisition of Martellus Bennett turned out to be huge. The big TE had a monster preseason and showed great hands and physical toughness that has made me long forget about Kevin Boss and Jake Ballard. He looks like exactly what the Giants needed and should make his presence felt immediately against his former team in week one.

At WR the two players that impressed me this year were Ramses Barden and rookie Rueban Randle. I had hoped Barden would finally step his game up this year And live up to some of last years hopes that he could be a bigger part of the offense. Randle looked impressive in his route running especially for a rookie. The Giants have missed that receiver who could go up and get the jump ball since Burress left and height of both Barden at 6’6″ and Randle at 6’3″will help in the green zone this year. And both will see significant playing time this year and could move up past Jernigan and Hixon respectively.

With Brandon Jacobs gone this year it was time for Ware or Scott to finally step up and take control of the number two RB spot. Well, both backs had unimpressive training camps and that opened the door for rookie David Wilson who seized the opportunity and is clearly a head above the other two backs to be behind Bradshaw. Wilson showed a lot of burst and vision against the bears as well as a few nice catch and runs in the preseason and will help the run game improve this year.

Once again the defense has suffered some injuries that is a cause for concern. With T2 and Prince starting the season injured once again it could be a little make shift in the defensive back field again early on this year. But a few new players have shined bright in the preseason, namely Keith Rivers at OLB and Jayron Hosley at nickle back and will add depth to what could be the number one defense in the NFL. The DL will be a beast again especially with Osi starting the season on the field and the contract out of the way.

This could once again be a very special year for the NY Football Giants and have to be on everyone’s board when it comes to post season picks.

The offense continues to come together for the Giants. This week the spotlight was on the highly talked about rookie running back David Wilson. Wilson took reps with the first team this week and with Ahmad Bradshaw inactive because of a hand injury, he was expected to touch the football often tonight and he didn’t disappoint. Wilson looked elusive and explosive against the Bears first team defense. He broke tackles and showed a great change of pace. Wilson finished with 5 carries for 49 yards and 2 receptions for 26 yards. It was exactly what Tom Coughlin wanted to see from him tonight.

Right at the top of the list of concerns for the Giants has to be their secondary. It’s been an issue throughout the preseason and now it’s reaching red flag status. Cornerback Prince Amukamara went down after tackling wide receiver Brandon Marshall in the second quarter and had to be carted off the field. Amukamara went to the locker room for x-rays which came back negative, however Coughlin did announce that he suffered a high ankle sprain. The Giants are dangerously thin at secondary with Terrell Thomas already out and they were counting on Amukamara to step up. This injury could very well cause him to miss the regular season opener against Dallas.

Eli Manning played well tonight and shook off a slow start to get the Giants offense cranked up in the second quarter. He finished the night going 17 for 21, 148 yards and a touchdown. Manning caught fire with a 10-play drive that saw him go 7/7 for 59 yards, topped off with an 11 yard td pass to Ramses Barden. Barden made the most of his opportunities tonight. The 6’6 wide receiver made an array of dazzling catches, using his height to cause matchup problems in the Chicago secondary. Barden needed a big game, it seemed as if he could very well be on the bubble heading into this week and he may have brought himself some more time to start showing consistently that he can get it done.

Manning also continues to build chemistry with tight end Martellus Bennett. Bennett’s blocking will be key for the Giants, however the former Dallas Cowboy is shaping up to be another big target for Manning in the passing game.

The Giants first team defense put a hurting on the Bears first team offense in the 1st half. Quarterback Jay Cutler struggled to get any consistency with the passing game and running back Matt Forte couldn’t get going against the defensive line of the Giants. Forte was held to 4 rushing yards on 8 carries in the first half.

Special Teams came up big tonight for the Giants with a blocked punt by Da’ Rel Scott and recovery by Greg Jones. Mark Herzlich also forced a Bears fumble on a kickoff return.

The Giants have a short week to prepare for their preseason finale against the New England Patriots. Starters are most likely going to have the night off. It could be the last chance for players who are on the bubble as teams will soon begin trimming down their rosters for the regular season.

“It’s been a high priority,” Coughlin said. “It hasn’t been accomplished very well, but we certainly have tried it. We rushed it 32 times the other night for 1.8 yards per rush (in a victory over the Jets).  Obviously, it hasn’t been very successful, but we will continue to try to develop the run in all capacities. Whatever the personnel combination is on the field, we’ll continue to try to rush it.”

The difference tonight might be rookie David Wilson.  Wilson got some first team snaps this week, and we will see him with the starting O-line tonight.  He will be given his chance to step into the 2nd spot behind Bradhsaw, let’s see what he can do.  Wilson has had a great attitude this off-season.  At first he was being a bit over confident when he stated he was ready to go at this level, but after his coach Jerald Ingram stated “We’ll let David know when he’s ready” he seems to have taken a huge step forward in maturity.  Last week he admitted to being nervous playing with the starters in practice, and when questioned by a reporter after the Jets game, he said I think I did all my assignments, but we need to watch the film to make sure.  Sounds like someone who learned it’s the details that matter at this level.

Tonight is still just s dress rehearsal and with starters like Hakeem Nicks, JPP, Michael Boley, and Will Beatty out, it is still about building depth and seeing who can step in and contribute.

Aug 18, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants running back David Wilson (34) runs past New York Jets player Garrett McIntyre during the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aristide Economopoulos/THE STAR-LEDGER via US PRESSWIRE

The Giants running game has had its issues the last few years and has been near the bottom of the league. The Giants are looking to change this and we will get to see if the newest addition will get a good look as of now. With the hand injury to running back Amhad Bradshaw first round draft pick David Wilson has been getting reps with the first team offense. This could be exactly what this offense needs, a jolt of youth and electricity to get the running attack going. Tom Coughlin said that Wilson will not start this weeks game but will get plenty of reps with the first team offense in practice.

With a new guy in the backfield this could get the line going and hold their blocks a bit longer to allow Wilson with his burst and quickness to get to the second and third levels. That could also help Ware or Scott get going as well. With Eli and this teams passing attack in a passing league the running game is not as important for an offense as it was in years past and this will not be a balanced offense, But with a solid running attack that could run out a clock in the fourth quarter of games would be appreciated by the defense. And make the end of games a little less stressful for the fans.

The Giants running attack will have a different look to it this season as Brandon Jacobs has moved on to the San Francisco 49ers. Ahmad Bradshaw now has the spotlight as the Giants will use the preseason to determine who else fills out the backfield. D.J. Ware received the first chance at backing up Bradshaw and he looked impressive when called on to carry the ball. Rookie and first round pick David Wilson had a team high 43 rushing yards on 7 carries and looked explosive at times. The battle for the backup running back spot is going to be fun to watch.

Eli Manning completed four of eight passes for 60 yards.

What stood out to me in the passing game for the Giants was solid play from their new tight end Martellus Bennett.

Bennett has the size, the speed, and the potential to be an impact player in this offense. The flipside to that is he also had that potential in Dallas. A change of scenery might be just what Bennett needs to maximize his potential. He’s off to a good start so far, catching 3 passes for 27 yards including a 12-yard touchdown catch from backup quarterback David Carr.

The first-team defense looked shaky in the beginning as the Jaguars seemed to move the ball with ease on them in their opening drive.

One key position to watch for will be at cornerback.

Prince Amukamara is getting a chance to step up because of the injury to Terrell Thomas. Amukamara was burned on the Jaguars opening drive when he gave up 3-yard touchdown pass to Cecil Shorts. However, he showed that he could shake that off and redeemed himself later in the 1st quarter when he stripped Shorts on an end-around which led to a Giants recovery.

Head coach Tom Coughlin wasn’t pleased with how his punt return game looked out there and who can blame him? Misplays by rookie Jayron Hosley and receiver Jerrel Jernigan led to Jacksonville points that definitely contributed to the ultimate outcome of the game. If there is one thing that will bring Coughlin to angry levels, it’s turnovers and mental mistakes.

The Giants were in control of this game and mistakes and lack of execution at critical times cost them. However, training camp and the preseason is for fixing those problems before they come up again in September when the games do count and the Giants begin defense of their Super Bowl championship.

Aug 10, 2012; Jacksonville FL, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) looks for a receiver during the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

So the first preseason game of the 2012 NY Giants campaign is over and it wasn’t the prettiest ending to a game. I know it’s preseason and the games don’t count, but you have to think Coughlin is probably not thrilled to give up such a big lead, even if it was the back ups who gave it up. But let’s look at the bright spots.

The new TE Martellus Bennett looked very good. He made some tough catches Including a 12 yd TD over the middle and showed he may be able to be the piece the offense was looking for. Although he needs to keep it up and still has more to prove.

There were some good moments from the WR’s as the coaches look to solidify the third wideout spot. Rueban Randle showed he is talented with two catches for 27 yds including a TD and could be the answer, but he is a rookie and will most likely have some growing pains. I thought Ramses Barden showed a lot of promise and a few big blocks down field.

The biggest bright spot was in the running game. The spot to back up Bradshaw is being tightly contested. Rookie RB David Wilson looked very good and lead the team in rushing on 7 rushes for 43 yds and had a nice catch and run in the final possession. Both DJ Ware and Andre Brown ran the ball hard and had a combined 12 rushes for 55 yds. I look forward to watching this battle throughout the rest of camp and should make all three better.

The starting Defense looked dominating as it should. They had a few sacks and some forced fumbles. The secondary looked extremely good and I even saw a few CB blitzes, one for a sack by Hosley, thats something the D had been lacking in recent years. Mark Herzlich looked very good and he will add depth at ILB and could help in pass coverage over the middle.

Special teams was a big problem with both Hosley and Jerrigan muffing a punt. Considering how important ball security is I believe this area will get a lot of attention and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some new faces back there fielding punts.

After the first look it appears that the areas of preseason concern may have been addressed, but it is still to early to tell. And there is still a lot of work to do for the Giants to make it back to the promised land.

Aug 2, 2010; Albany, NY, USA; New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell holds up a play card for his players during training camp in Albany. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray/THE STAR-LEDGER via US PRESSWIRE

As OTA’s get started and training camp right around the corner, what are the keys to watch for this season? For the Giants to get a playoff birth and make another run at the title they will need to fill the holes of outgoing players and upgrade at a few other areas.

1. Who will be the Victor Cruz of 2012? When Steve Smith departing last offseason there was a huge question mark at the WR position. Thankfully out of virtually no where Cruz emerged and had a monster season finishing behind only Calvin Johnson in recieving yards in the NFC.  With Mario Manningham gone to the left coast and now a question mark on Hakeem Nicks season the WR position has yet again become a problem area. So, who will step up? As of now we have Cruz, Domenik Hixon coming off injury, and rookie Rueban Randle as the likely top 3. After that it’s  Ramses Bardan and Jerrel Jernigan both of which have yet to show any promise. Hopefully Nicks can return to form by week 4 or 5.

2. The linebacker position seems to be the opposite of last year at this time. With Chase Blackburn being re-signed and emerging as a force in the middle and the signing of Keith Rivers from Cincinnati really will solidify the LB corp with Boley and Kiwi flipping between LB and End. And the experience that Williams, Jones and Herzlich gained last year filling in now makes this a strength and no longer the weak link of the defense.

3. The running game had an extremely lack luster year in 2011. Being non existent for most of the year only emerging in the latter part of the regular season and the playoffs, mainly due to the respect for Eli and fear of the big play, needs to be better. With Jacobs joining Manningham in SF and DJ Ware and Da’rel Scott showing very little last season it was clear that Bradshaw would need help. The Giants turned to the Draft and picked David Wilson. With Bradshaw always fighting injuries from his running style and Wilson being a rookie it would appear the G-Men will probably go to a 3 headed running attack with Bradshaw, Ware and Wilson. But this area will be a question with only 1 back That is battle tested.

4. The Offensive Line had an up and down year in 2011, giving good protection in the passing game and poor run blocking. The one constant on the line has been and will be Chris Snee at right guard. With Kareem McKenzie not being re-signed mean that Will Beatty and James Brewer fighting for right tackle, off season signing Sean Locklear with provide depth. The left side appears it will be David Diehl at LT and Kevin Boothe and Mitch Petreus battling for RG. Petreus would add needed toughness and help for the running game. David Baas had a rough start, but seemed to settle in at the center position nicely.

These questions should be answered by the end of training camp and will be key areas that will need to be solid for the Giants to make another run to the playoffs and possible championship.

Feb 26, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies running back David Wilson does running drills during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

A true evaluation of a draft class takes three or four seasons, but I think the Giants may have themselves a very good group of ballplayers. I’m not sure I want to go as far as saying this group will rival the class of 2007, but I think this draft may be a very, very good one. Let’s talk about why….

Apr 26, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Giant fans react to the pick of David Wilson during the 2012 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall Mandatory Credit: William Perlman/The Star-Ledger via US PRESSWIRE

So, how about we get down to it and open the results envelope, shall we? So, the mock draft prognosticator that picked the New York Giants to take running back, David Wilson, from Virginia Tech, with the 32^nd overall pick in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft was…

Nobody!

Yup, you read that correctly. Not a single mock draft prognosticator that was featured in the many TWIMD I wrote up for GMEN HQ had Wilson going to the Giants. If you were to count them all up there was a total of 22 mock drafts that I covered, and if you include my mock draft, then that number would be 23.

You may not think this but not having a single mock drafter out there mocking Wilson to the Giants is a good thing, as it proves just how useless mock drafts can be. Anything can happen in the world of the NFL and a mock draft for the 2012 NFL Draft from May 2011 is pretty much worthless the moment it’s written. How about we go back to that very first mock draft I covered on May 30, 2011 to see what the crystal ball said the Giants should do but never did?

Before I do that though let me first give Ryan Van Bibber of SBNation.com some credit, as one of his mocks was the only one I could find that had the Giants taking Wilson at 32; some good guesswork there.

Now back to Chad Reuter,  who put together a mock for CBSSports.com in May of last year, where he had the Giants selecting 19^th overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. One strike against him already. Then he mocked a linebacker to the Giants: Vontaze Burfict. Strike two. What’s strike three? That  Burfict, due to off the field issues and a poor combine, went completely undrafted.

That was possibly the worst pick Reuter could have made for the Giants last year and goes to show you why mock drafts don’t mean anything in the world of pro football.  They are only useful when it comes to wasting time reading them or having a little fun trying to play keyboard GM.

We can give Reuter some credit though, since that was his first mock draft, and instead let’s use his most recent seven round mock draft that he put together for NFL.com. In that mock draft he had the Giants selecting TE Coby Fleener, who was a popular choice amongst many mock draft writers, but that didn’t pan out either. Although, Fleener was taken two picks later by the Colts, so that wasn’t such a bad mock guess.

Out of all the mocks I wrote about in TWIMD only one had mocked a running back to the Giants and that was done so by Darius J. Pendergrass from RealHypeSports.com. That running back wasn’t Wilson though. Neither was it a running back that entered the draft this year. It was Arkansas running back Knile Davis, who returned to Arkansas for another season after missing out on his 2011 campaign due to a pre-season season ending injury sustained during a summer practice.

Now Davis might become a Heisman candidate if his season plays out the way most predict it will. That would have been a pretty sweet pick for the Giants, but we would need a time machine of some sorts to make it happen and I don’t think Bill and Ted really care about the NFL enough to alter such course of events.

Some other names thrown around by various mock draft prognosticators when it came to guessing the Giants’ 2012 first round draft plans included Bobby Massie (taken in the 4^th round by the Cardinals), Harrison Smith (29^th overall in the first round to the Vikings), Nick Perry (Packers 1^st round pick, #28 overall), Jonathan Martin (Dolphins 2^nd round pick), Luke Kuechly (Panthers 1^st round pick, #9 overall), Mike Adams (Steelers 2^nd round pick), Kelechi Osemele (Ravens 2^nd round pick), Zach Brown (Titans 2^nd round pick), and Courtney Upshaw (Ravens 2^nd round pick).

A hodgepodge of draft prospects that range from actually being drafted in the top 10 picks of the draft all the way to 4^th round of the draft. Right there shows you everything you need to know about mock drafts and how valuable they are.

Really, the only two mock drafts that are actually worth reading are Mike Silver’s Ultimate Mock Draft, where anybody is free game to be drafted, and that includes current NFL players and Greg Cosell’s mock draft that is based solely on watching game tape; both obviously for different reasons.

Yet, even though we know that people still write mock drafts and we will still continue to read them at a furious pace because mock drafts let us get in on the fun of what it would be like to be an NFL GM who’s in charge of molding the future of their franchise. That’s also the reason why I’ll keep covering mock drafts for GMEN HQ throughout the upcoming season and hopefully someone will already have their 2013 NFL mock draft out so I can get right back into the groove of things and mocking in the free world.

Apr 26, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Giants fans react to the Giants selection of Virginia Tech running back David Wilson (not pictured) as the 32nd pick in the 2012 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-US PRESSWIRE

The NFC East has been a tough division lately, with 3 teams in the playoff hunt year after year. , and one team with 2 Lombardi Trophies in 5 years. So, how did they all do in this years draft? I would say very good. With each team addressing needs and getting players that will address those needs immediately.

The Washington Redskins may have made the biggest splash by drafting QB Robert Griffin III. He will make the Skins a better team immediately with the offensive threat he poses. They followed that up with selecting QB Kirk Cousins. Some think a strange pick, but will keep pressure on both QB’s and competition always brings out the best. Two offensive guards in Josh LeRibeus who could become a starter and Adam Gettis who will provide depth. They selected RB Alfred Morris, a quick back able to find creases in the zone run scheme, that will give RG3 another option. LB Keenan Robinson will look to be a nickle backer. The two DB’s Richard Crawford and Jordon Bernstine will provide depth in the secondary and help against their passing oriented division foes. Grade A-.

The Dallas Cowboys went to work on providing help to a defense that was vulnerable to the pass, prone to giving up leads, and was one of the contributing factors leading to their late season collapse. They traded up to pick CB Morris Claiborne, arguably the best DB in this years draft. They continued the defensive trend with OLB/Pass Rusher Kyle Wilber and SS Matt Johnson. Both of whom should help against big plays. They took TE James Hanna late to help an aging Jason Witten and WR , a big physical receiver, Danny Coale that will probably make the team on special teams but could help Romo and the passing attack.  Grade B.

The Eagles also were defensive minded early on. DT Fletcher Cox will be able to take up the middle in the wide nine. ILB Mychal Kemdricks and DE Vinny Curry were both players the Eagles couldn’t pass on. Both are athletic players that seem to never quit on a play. Reid got to pick a QB, Nick Foles is a heavy footed QB that Reid probably wants to use  to show everyone he can make a good passer out of anyone. CB Brandon Boykin is a little small for CB at 5’9″ but can also play slot receiver. Maybe an Edelmann type player. The two linemen, OT Dennis Kelly and OG Brandon Washington look to be backups but work their way into starters in the future. RB Bryce Brown should fit nicely into Philly’s offense. Grade B.

The Super Bowl Champion NY Giants addressed needs. RB David Wilson and WR Rueben Randle will replace two departures to free agency and will fill in nicely. Jayron Hosley can help with depth and covering the slot receiver. He could also split return duty with Wilson on special teams. TE Adrien Robinson will provide help in what could be the thinnest position the GMen have. If he can step up his game, this pass catching TE could see a lot of snaps. OT’s Brandon Moseley and Matt McCants both have good size and physical attributes but figure to be developmental players and may earn a spot as a back up. Markus Kuhn is undersized for a DT., but has talent and could make it as a backup in one of the many ever changing defensive line rotations. Grade B-.

2012 should once again be a very competitive race for the NFC East Division Champs. But I think Big Blue will rise to that challenge and capture yet another Division title.

Apr 26, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Giant fans react to the pick of David Wilson during the 2012 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall Mandatory Credit: William Perlman/The Star-Ledger via US PRESSWIRE

After all the mock drafts and all the speculation the picks have all been made. So how did Big Blue do? With the departures of Brandon Jacobs, Mario Manningham, Aaron Ross, Dave Tollefson and with Ballard and Beckum not being able to start the season due to injury there were holes that needed to be filled. Due to successes Reese has had in recent drafts he has earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to selecting players.

Overall I would rate the Giants draft as a B. They were able to fill the holes they had with players that have very good potential. David Wilson and Rueban Randle were very solid picks with huge upsides. Jayron Hosley is an extremely athletic corner that can make up for his lack of size with raw ability. Adrien Robinson is a big fast TE that will help the running game, although he tends to take plays off. Brandon Moseley OT has a huge upside, he is a physical player with a lot of experience. Since he played in the spread offense there may be a learning curve. The last two picks of OT Matt McCants and DT Markus Kuhn were very good picks for the late rounds. Both have all the tools to play at this level, but need some time to excel and hone there playing skills and have the ability to become the diamonds in the rough all teams look for in 6th and 7th rounds. There should be some nice surprises when all is said and done.

The Question becomes what to do if the Giants pick comes after those players are no longer available, but there is a player there that may not address a critical need but is high on the boards? If there is such a thing. Do you take a DE like Andre Branch? He could help considering the uncertainty of  Osi’s situation. Maybe Harrison Smith or Janoris Jenkins is still available, can you ever have too many DB’s? WR’s A.J. Jenkins, Chris Givens or a player I really love Mohamed Sanu could all very well be available.  Do you stick to get what we need? I personally feel you go with best available player. Like I said. You can never have too much talent. Whatever they decide it should be an exciting rounds 2 and 3. I look forward to seeing where they go.

Now I was totally blindsided by Jerry Jones moving up to the 6th pick to get LSU CB Morris Claiborne for his new and improved Cowboys secondary. In my defense this is Jerry Jones, the most unpredictable Owner/General Manager in the NFL. Claiborne is a 6″ tall cover corner. The only knock on him is that he is a reluctant tackler enabling WR like Victor Cruz and Desean Jackson to potentially get a lot of yards after catch (YAC).

I had the Giants picking Boise State RB Doug Martin but in this trade happy Draft (so far 9 trades in the First Round), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded into the 31st spot and grabbed Martin. This left the Giants with the next best RB on their board which was Virginia Tech RB David Wilson. The difference between Martin and Wilson is quite simply this, Martin is a consistent back where as Wilson is an explosive back that can break a big play at any given time in a game.

All in all I am now officially against Mock Drafts because with the new Rookie pay scale, trades are free flowing and teams in the upper half of the draft are no longer concern if “we can afford to pay this player”.