New York Giants: The Draft History of Jerry Reese

Aug 9, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles safety Kenny Phillips (21) along the sidelines during the third quarter against the New England Patriots at Lincoln Financial Field. The Patriots defeated the Eagles 31-22. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

2008 Draft Class

The 2008 Draft Class produced 2 starters in the secondary, a receiver who made an un-forgettable catch in Super Bowl 46 and a starting middle linebacker.

Kenny Phillips’ career has been on hold since 2012 due to a string of knee problems. During his time as a Giant however Phillips was an excellent safety who could play center field and take off someones head (anyone remember the hit on Jimmy Graham in 2011??). Phillips started 41 games in 5 season with New York, but 2 of those years were cut vastly short by injury. During that time he intercepted 8 passes and deflected another 26. Two of those deflections came late in Super Bowl 46. The first of which was a ball over the middle intended for Aaron Hernandez and the second was the last ditch hail Mary attempt by New England . Since his departure the Giants have struggled to find anyone near his caliber of talent to replace him.

Terrell Thomas is another guy who had to battle the injury bug over his career. He lost 2 consecutive seasons to ACL tears in 2011 and 2012. Thomas was an outstanding tackler and on his way to becoming a top flight cornerback after the 2010 season. It would be easy to look at his stats of 12 picks over 41 starts and think different. However his tackle numbers of 85 in 2009 and 101 in 2010 put him in a different class of cornerback.

Mario Manningham was one of several heroes of Super Bowl 46. He was an excellent third receiver and came up with his biggest play on the biggest stage. 4 seasons totaling 160 catches and 2,315 yards with 18 touchdowns is solid production from any third round pick, #3 receiver.

Jonathan Goff is easily forgotten since he missed a Super Bowl season with injury in 2011. He was an average player. He manned the middle of the Giants defense racking up 78 tackles for a 2010 defense that led the league in turnovers and 1st downs allowed.

Take Aways from this draft: A premiere safety, a 3rd receiver who came up huge when it mattered most, and a hard nosed corner who loved to tackle.  A good backup and average middle linebacker. Very good draft.

Next: 2009 Draft Class