Thankfully for the Giants, it doesn’t start for another six months. However, pressed up against the cap, the Giants options are limited. There isn’t a tight end left in free agency who has a combination of run blocking and pass catching skills like Bennett. So, they will have to look for a tight end who like Bennett last year, is undervalued. That could be Oakland tight end Brandon Myers.

Before last season, Myers had a total of 28 catches in three seasons for the Raiders. In 2012, Myers exploded, catching 79 passes for 806 yards. He had at least 50 yards receiving in nine games last year, including a game against the Browns where he caught 15 passes for 130 yards. Myers also had very reliable hands as he caught those 79 passes on only 105 targets, good for a 75.2 catch percentage. For comparison sakes, Bennett caught 55 passes on 90 targets (61.1 catch percentage). Myers would give the Giants something they haven’t had in a while, a real receiving threat at tight end.

Myers is also only 27, which means he may still have nowhere to go but up. Of course, there are factors that may get in the way of a Myers to Giants pairing.

The most obvious is the ridiculous market for tight ends this offseason. Jared Cook received 35.1 million from the St. Louis Rams, Anthony Fasano got $16 million from the Kansas City Chiefs, and Delanie Walker got 17.1 million from the Tennessee Titans. Myers could conceivably get the kind of money Fasano and Walker got, if not more, which would put him out of the Giants price range.

The more important factor is Myers run blocking. Typically, the Giants ignore vertical threat TEs in favor of tight ends who can block. To say Myers is a bad blocker would be kind. According to PFF, Myers was the worst run blocking tight end in football, coming in at a -21.4 grade in that area. That may be too poor to swallow for the Giants.

At this point, it’s slim pickings in free agency. Players like Kellen Davis and Matt Spaeth are good blockers but offer absolutely nothing in the passing game. Fred Davis is still out there but he seems likely to return to the Washington Redskins and is coming off an Achilles tear.

Of course, the Giants could just wait until the draft to add a tight end. However, this would be a fundamental misuse of resources as the Giants have glaring holes at defensive end, linebacker, and cornerback. Plus, the Giants have typically had good tight ends come out of nowhere, such as Kevin Boss and Jake Ballard.

What the Giants do here remains to be seen. However, if the Giants are willing to take on a less than adequate run blocker and possibly use more two tight end sets in 2013, Myers would be a great pickup.

Apr 22, 2009; New York, NY, USA; ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. during the 2010 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

In the early stages of the rise of mock drafts Kiper was the man many people viewed as an NFL Draft guru. Whatever he had to say was heard by his disciples as gospel and he’s still a very popular man to this day in the world of NFL mock drafts and the actual draft itself after landing an on-air personality gig for ESPN during its televised draft coverage.

Even though I’ve switched my allegiances from Kiper over to NFL Network’s Mike Mayock I know there are still many Kiper fans out there so I thought I’d take a look at his most recent mock draft to see who he has the Giants taking with their 32^nd overall draft pick in the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft for this week’s version of ‘This Week In Mock Drafts.’

Kiper’s mock drafts are a part of the ESPN Insider brand so if you don’t have access to their site then you can’t read his article, so don’t click on this link if you’re not an insider. Don’t worry Giants fans we got you covered later in this article for his analysis on the Giants’ pick.

In his most recent mock draft, version 3.0, that was published before the big trade that saw the Redskins mortgage their future for the present and let it be known that RG3 will be a Redskin, Kiper has taken the route many mock draft prognosticators have taken and mocked a tight end to the Giants.

The tight end that Kiper has going to the Giants, as of right now, is the same one that was featured in a previous installment of ‘This Week In Mock Drafts.’ And that would be Stanford’s tight end, Coby Fleener.

This is what Kiper has to say right now about Fleener going to the Giants:

“The Super Bowl was great for the party, but the Giants took a hit on the personnel side, where they lost a pair of tight ends to injury. Fleener has overtaken Dwayne Allen of Clemson as the top tight end on my board, and the Giants need one. He has great hands, will run a lot better than people think and knows how to work in a pro-style system, lined up on the line of scrimmage. He’s a great red zone target. The Giants also need offensive line help, or could target a linebacker here, but Fleener makes a lot of sense.”

The scouting report from our fellow FanSided brethren over at NFLMocks.com on the 6’6, 247-pound tight end, project Fleener as a late first round to 2^nd round draft pick and compare him to Kevin Boss, Marcedes Lewis and Tony Scheffeler.

FanSided also went on to say about Fleener that he’s a, “big play threat at all times…can line up in the slot and run pretty good routes…good at finding holes in zone coverage…impressive body control and ability to catch the ball in his soft hands…”

Those were the nice things they had to say but they also had some concerns about Fleener that revolve around his age (he’ll be 24 during his rookie campaign), his lean build that might not lead to him holding up in the blocking game, questions about whether he’ll be able to handle not being the go-to receiver in an offense and that’s he’s not very dynamic once the snap goes off.

Every rookie is going to come into the professional football ranks with holes in his game so Fleener should be able to work on his game as he progresses. If the Giants do take Fleener he’ll have to work on his game much sooner, especially if they don’t sign a veteran free agent tight end, because he would shoot up to the top of the tight end depth chart in New York because of injuries to Ballard and Beckum.

It’ll be interesting to see whether or not the Giants do take a rookie tight end in the first round since they would potentially be in the running to start as a rookie and make a big impact in a pass heavy offense.

On the upside, Tight End James Hanna for Oklahoma made a great impression at the NFL Combine  yesterday, thus making the position of Tight End that much deeper.  His 40 time was the fastest of the group at 4.49, a tremendous time for a Tight End.  His Three Cone Drill time was second among the group at 6.76, and his vertical jump was also second in the group at 36 inches.  He finished third in the Broad Jump at 10’2″.  Hanna showed good hands in all the other on-field drill and is listed at 6’4″ and 243 lbs.  He is a converted Wide Receiver who has the size, strength and athleticism to make the move inside.

The position of Tight End has become more valuable in the new NFL, and a pick at #32 would not be a reach, but as GM Jerry Reese said Saturday on the NFL Network, it’s about sticking to your plan.  In 2008, after winning the Super Bowl,  having the last pick in each round the Giants were able to get Kenny Phillips, Terrell Thomas, and Mario Manningham.  Pretty good for such a poor s;ot on the draft.  Best Available Athlete will still be the mantra for the Giants come late April.

Along with White the Giants signed Defensive End Craig Marshall, a former teammate of Jason Pierre Paul at USF, and Ryan Purvis a Tight End.  With Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum injured in Super Bowl 46, look for the Giants to stock up at the Tight End position as they look for a long term solution.  Purvis played for Tampa Bay in 2010 and had 5 receptions for 38 yards, three of them for first downs.  Purvis comes from Boston College, a school with which the Giants and Coach Coughlin have very close ties.

After Week 1, there is no guaranteed contract for veterans, and Donald Lee fits this mold. This is also the reason why the Giants have yet to sign a linebacker, and plan to after Week 1.

Donald Lee is a 9 year veteran who has spent the bulk of his career in Green Bay. His most successful year came in 2007 when he had 575 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Clearly Lee’s best years are behind him, but he would be an excellent addition to the Giants in a veteran capacity. He could mentor Ballard/Pascoe/Beckum, and establish a rapport with Eli for the year. Eli always tends to use tight ends as a security blanket, and Lee certainly would be up for the challenge.

Until then the Giants will have to test out the Ballard/Pascoe/Beckum trio against the Redskins and further evaluate from there.

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Last week I was able to catch up with Giants and former Fresno State tight end, Bear Pascoe. We chatted about his nickname, life without football,  and his expectations for the upcoming season.

Pascoe is entering his 3rd season with the New York Giants and is currently in a battle for the starting tight end position. He is competing against Jake Ballard, Daniel Coats, and Travis Beckum.

Pascoe, a former 6th round pick by the 49ers in 2009, is ready to prove he has what it takes to be a starter in the NFL.  

Question: Little known fact, but your real name is actually McKenna. How did you earn the nickname of Bear?

Bear:  There are lots of stories I could share with you, but the truth is when I was born I was very large and I was always the biggest person in class. It was just a nickname my parents gave to me when I was a little kid because I was bigger than everybody else and I was just a “bear” of a kid.

Question:  If you weren’t a football player, what would you be doing? 

Bear:  I have a degree in Agricultural Education and with that I could teach or run a farming outfit. I grew up on a big cattle ranch, so there is a very good chance I would be cowboying, training horses, and trying to make it in the rodeo world. 

Cowboy Bear- Yee Haw!

Question: What are your expectations for this upcoming season?

Bear:  This season I am focused on earning a starting position and doing everything I can to help this team win games. The more games we win, the farther we go.  

Question:  How was your relationship with now Oakland Raider, Kevin Boss?

Bear:  I had a really good relationship with Kevin Boss and still do. He is a great guy and one of my good friends. I wish him all the best out in Oakland and I know he will do great. 

Question:  Do you see a bowl game for your alma mater Fresno State this year?

Bear: Oh yeah every year! I know they have a young team, but Coach Hill will get them in shape for sure. Anybody, Anywhere, Anytime.

Pascoe during his Fresno State years

Question: What is the greatest moment in your life to this date? 

Bear:  That is kind of tough because God has blessed me. I would say winning my first truck in team roping when I was 15, the day I was drafted, playing in my first game for the Giants, and my first catch in a game are all great moments. I know there are some experiences I am forgetting, but in every area of my life I have had an experience that has changed my life in some way. 

*A special thanks to Bear Pascoe and Kim Staninger for allowing me to take their time for this interview. *

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