Thoughts on NY Giants First Round Pick

What a surprising night. Thanks so much to GMC for putting us front and center at the 2011 NFL Draft.

Well, OL Nate Solder and Mike Pouncey are NOT Giants. CB Prince Amukamara is…. Enough said? Hardly.

Sean Kerr and I patiently waited in the midst of afterglow when Prince came up to the podium. He was thrilled, bewildered, surprised, and elated all at once. Other members of the NY media were next to me commenting on how gracious and with such great and intense energy he handled his first NFL interview. I’d have to agree.

Look at his face! The man is shocked…

One of the first things he mentioned was how “fired up” the Giants were to have him coming to the organization. Prince even suggested that Coach Tom Coughlin told a few jokes on the phone call letting him know NY was making the selection…. The very notion of which took everyone aback and required a bit of extra prodding as to which jokes TC told. Prince clarified that because he was laughing and smiling… He considered the conversation laden with jokes. I think he was simply trying to say how happy both parties involved were about the selection, and that’s that.

Incredibly – the Giants showed their commitment to BPA by selecting Prince over Anthony Castonzo, who fell to the Colts and will likely start next season keeping Eli Manning’s brother off his back. The question of course is –
Did anyone see this pick coming?

Actually I didn’t. I did not think Prince saw it coming. And after hearing him talk about the process I don’t think the Giants thought he’d be around at 19. To me, this is a total case of BPA. The Giants didn’t work him out, have had zero contact (rules say you can call to say hi) and he never visited NY. Frankly, he looked shocked to be in that Giants hat.

As for what Prince can bring to the table, he’ll immediately provide depth for Corey Webster and Terrell Thomas and round out the secondary. He indicated he can play slot or outside, is excited to start contributing immediately, and noted that his senior year there weren’t a lot of passes thrown his way. Considering how thin the Giants have been at CB and how reliant they were with the 3 safety look, this is a great pick for them. Perry Fewell’s intensity this camp is going to have atleast one fresh set of talents to make an impression on.