New York Giants: Jerry Reese’s 5 best, worst draft picks

Big Blue currently holds the No. 3 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft entering Week 11.

New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese attended Saturday’s game between UCLA and USC to get a first-hand look at quarterbacks Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold.

Big Blue has been heavily scouting college football’s top quarterbacks this season, as Eli Manning is set to turn 37-years-old in January. The Giants have multiple needs along the offensive line, including a legitimate starting left tackle.

G-Men HQ has already taken a closer look at some of the top prospects to target in the 2018 NFL Draft, but it remains unclear whether Jerry Reese will be the man making those decisions.

There are plenty of reasons to move on from Reese. But New York’s ownership is historically known for their loyalty. While fans will have to wait until the end of the 2017 season to find out Reese’s future with Big Blue, let’s take a closer look at some of his best and worst draft picks since taking over the position in 2007.

#5 – RB David Wilson

Wilson could have come in at No. 1 due to his first-round selection, but his career was cut short after just two seasons due to spinal stenosis. The No. 32 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft showed plenty of talent in 21 games but was forced to retire at 23-years-old. It may be unfair to call Wilson a bust, but he had to be placed on this list given his draft selection. The New York Giants have not had a 1,000-yard rusher since Ahmad Bradshaw in 2012.

#4 – WR Hakeem Nicks

Nicks helped New York hoist a Lombardi Trophy and will always be remembered for his Hail Mary touchdown grab against the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round. While Nicks put up some great numbers in his short career, his No. 29 overall selection will always be viewed as a reach. Nicks spent just five seasons with Big Blue before returning to the team in 2015 for six games. To be fair to Reese there were plenty of busts in the 2009 draft, but with players like LeSean McCoy, Patrick Chung, Connor Barwin, and Mike Wallace still on the board, Nicks clearly deserved a place on this list.

#3 – WR Rueben Randle

Randle put up some impressive numbers in four seasons with Big Blue but failed to show any consistency. The Giants 2012 second-round draft pick is no longer in the league after being released from the Chicago Bears in September. Reese selected Randle ahead of wide receivers  Mohamed Sanu, T.Y. Hilton, Travis Benjamin, and Marvin Jones in the 2012 draft.

#2 -LB Clint Sintim

Reese has struggled to find linebacker talent over the years, but Sintim is arguably his worst draft selection. Sintim started just one game during his two-year career with the Giants and officially retired from the NFL in 2013 after blowing out his knee twice. In two seasons with the G-Men, Sintim recorded 11 tackles and one sack. He was the No. 45 overall pick in the 2009 draft.

#1 – OT Ereck Flowers

No surprise here, Flowers takes the top spot. While Reese has struggled to find linebackers over the years, offensive line has been his kryptonite. From Flowers to Will Beatty to even Justin Pugh, Reese has failed to solve New York’s offensive tackle problem. Center Weston Richburg and Pugh are arguably two of Reese’s best draft selections, but it also must be remembered that Pugh was taken with the 19th overall pick in the 2013 draft with the intention of playing left tackle.

That clearly didn’t work, so Reese took another shot and made a reach for Flowers with the No. 9 overall selection in the 2015 draft. That decision has proven to be one of the worst draft picks in Giants history. It’s not all Flowers’ fault, as Reese failed to bring in competition for the position during both the 2016 and 2017 offseasons.

Rams running back Todd Gurley, Chargers running back Melvin Gordon, Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters, Cardinals left tackle D.J. Humphries, and Buccaneers left tackle Donavon Smith are just some of the players to be taken after Flowers in the 2015 draft.

#5 – DT Linval Joseph

The Giants have plenty of young talent on their roster despite their record, and players like Justin Pugh or Sterling Shepard could have taken this spot. Instead, it goes to a player that’s no longer on the Giants, but that doesn’t mean he’s not still wreaking havoc in the NFL. The Giants selected Joseph with the No. 46 overall pick in the 2010 draft, and the 6-foot-4, 328-pound defensive tackle just earned Pro Bowl honors with the Minnesota Vikings last season. Joseph has amassed 25 tackles for a loss, 19 sacks, and six forced fumbles, and he is currently starting for Minnesota’s fifth-ranked defense this season.

#4 – SS Landon Collins

Trading up to select Collins may be one of Reese’s best decisions since taking over general manager duties in 2007. Collins earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2016 and was in the running for NFL Defensive Player of the Year last season. The 6-foot, 222-pound strong safety has not lived up to expectations in 2017, but still leads the team in tackles (56). Collins has already proven himself a steal with the 33rd overall pick in the 2015 draft and is likely to be anchoring Big Blue’s defense for years to come.

#3 – RB Ahmad Bradshaw

Bradshaw could arguably be No. 1 on this list given his draft selection. The Giants two-time Super Bowl winner was the sixth to last pick (No. 250) in the 2007 draft. Bradshaw immediately contributed in his rookie season, rushing for 208 yards and a touchdown during New York’s postseason run to Super Bowl XLII. The Giants seventh-round draft pick out of Marshall is currently the franchise’s sixth all-time leading rusher (4,232) despite only spending six seasons in the Big Apple. Bradshaw continually showed toughness and brought a physicality to Big Blue’s ground game alongside Brandon Jacobs, something that has been missed in New York for some time now.

#2 – DE Jason Pierre-Paul

JPP may not be living up to expectations this season, but that doesn’t take away what he’s brought to Big Blue through his first seven seasons. Pierre-Paul was key to New York’s Super Bowl run during the 2011 season, leading New York’s pass rush with 16.5 sacks that year. The Giants 2010 first-round pick out of South Florida holds the seventh most team sacks (54.5) in franchise history and will surely move up that list before calling it a career. Pierre-Paul missed half the 2015 season due to a July 4th fireworks accident but has since recorded 94 tackles, 11.5 sacks, and five forced fumbles in 21 games.

#1 – WR Odell Beckham Jr.

Reese got a steal in Beckham with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2014 draft, as the fourth-year receiver already sits 11th all-time for receiving yards (4,424) in franchise history. The Giants 5-foot-11, 198-pound receiver won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2014 and has been named a second-team All-Pro in back-to-back seasons. Beckham was on pace for four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons but a fractured ankle early this season ended any chances of that.

The Giants receiver has been nothing short of sensational. He’s been a highlight reel for Big Blue in less than three and a half seasons and is only 25-years-old. While Beckham is Reese’s best draft pick since taking over in 2007, it has to be mentioned that the G-Men have yet to win a playoff game with the star receiver.

Beckham is one of the top wide receivers in the NFL when healthy, but with an erratic defense, a shaky offensive line, and no ground game, his addition has not helped Big Blue get any closer to another Lombardi Trophy.

Next: How New York Giants Failed Eli Manning