This Week In Mock Drafts
The look of the 2011-2012 New York Giants football team is starting to take shape. The CBA has officially been ratified, free agents have been brought in, players have been cut, and undrafted and drafted players, even Prince Amukamara, have been signed. This team is starting to come together. Now it’s time for training camp and practices and fights for roster spots. Once all that’s settled down September 11 will be here soon enough and we can get our football fix.
Knowing what players the Giants have on the roster right now makes predicting the 2012 NFL Draft that much easier for mock draft prognosticators. The draft is still a ways away but having the free agency period underway makes mocking the draft easier as certain teams start to fill needs. Up until now the main positions mock prognosticators have been targeting for the Giants have been linebacker and offensive linemen.
Now that the Giants have started bringing in free agents and locking up drafted and undrafted players the linebacker need has taken a backseat to the needs on the offensive line and this week’s mock draft featured in ‘This Week In Mock Drafts’ at GMEN HQ agrees.
Darius J. Pendergrass over at Real Sports Hype, who has been highlighted once before on the pages of this website, sees the Giants taking an offensive linemen in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft in his newest mock draft he posted on August 4th.
Bobby Massie, the 6’6, 325-pound, Junior offensive tackle out of Mississippi, is the player Pendergrass has going to the Giants at 23rd overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. The last mock draft from Pendergrass that was featured in ‘This Week In Mock Drafts’ saw the Giants selecting a running back and picking 20th overall. This time we have an OT and picking three spots lower than before.
What’s changed since Pendergrass’ previous mock draft? Quite a bit along the O-Line, actually. This upcoming season’s offensive line for the GMEN will look quite different. The whole left side of the line has been completely overhauled. LG Rich Seubert and OC Shaun O’Hara were both released and LT David Diehl has been moved to LG. Add the fact that RT Kareem McKenzie is getting older and won’t be around forever and it makes sense to look at the future of the Giants’ O-Line.
The Giants like to bring in free agents that fit in with the team and who will play “the Giant Way” and like to draft the best player available, regardless of need. They also don’t like overspending when they don’t have to. Which is evidenced by the low-key signing of David Baas to replace O’Hara and giving former 2nd round draft choice Will Beatty the chance to be the team’s new LT. Bringing in a player such as Massie in the first round would be a smart move by GM Jerry Reese but Reese won’t be forced into drafting a player based on needs alone.
Pick any first round graded offensive lineman and the Giants will be linked to him at next year’s draft. Just like they were in the 2011 NFL Draft when names such as Nate Solder, Anthony Castonzo, and Mike Pouncey were being discussed as possible players the Giants were going to draft.
We’ve seen names of college offensive line prospects such as Mike Adams, Nate Potter, and Kelechi Osmele already being bandied about by mock drafts I’ve looked at in the past. We can now add another name, thanks to Pendergrass, in Massie. The Ole Miss offensive tackle has been named to the SEC Pre-Season ALL SEC Third Team for the upcoming NCAA college football season and last season he started every Rebels games at right tackle. Massie was one of the driving forces that turned the Ole Miss offensive line into a unit that nobody wanted to mess with as they allowed the least amount of sacks in the SEC and also helped the rushing attack rank third in the SEC.
Massie would be a nice addition to the Giants’ O-Line second unit and could one day turn into a cog on the O-Line if drafted. He has no problem blocking for anybody as Ole Miss had four different running backs run for 100 yards in a game last season.