It probably doesn’t do much good to try and convince the Dave Gettleman haters that he seems to be the right pick for Big Blue.
But we’ll try to do so anyway. New York Giants fans should be heartened to hear about more sweeping changes in East Rutherford. According to the New York Post, the entire preparation process for the NFL Draft from Jerry Reese’s regime has been scuttled.
In reality, that change cannot come fast enough. Hopefully by now, co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch understand that Reese was the problem all along. The tinkering of coordinators, and then head coach could not resolve the fundamental problem of player procurement.
At this point, hopefully Reese owns his failures as New York Giants general manager. For one, there were many notable draft problems over the years. Far too many Prince Amukamaras, Rueben Randles and Linval Josephs never made it to a second contract with Big Blue.
In the case of Joseph, he was a decent player, who Reese decided to let go in free agency. Randle became a wasted second-round draft pick. These guys, along with Damontre Moore, Andre Williams, Owa Odighizuwa, Marvin Austin and Adrien Robinson highlight Reese’s tenure.
As you can probably tell, that’s not a ringing endorsement.
Homegrown Players
Ironically, ownership allowed Reese to continue to flounder year-after-year in player procurement. Even after former head coach Tom Coughlin was let go, leadership allowed Reese go on a spending spree. Shouldn’t that have been a hint for them as to where the real problem existed?
Currently, of the team’s five best players, Reese only drafted two of them – Odell Beckham and Landon Collins. Contrast this dynamic with the Minnesota Vikings. According to the team, four Vikes were named to the Pro Bowl.
"“Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr, defensive end Everson Griffen, cornerback Xavier Rhodes and wide receiver Adam Thielen have been selected by players, fans and coaches to the 2018 NFL Pro Bowl.”"
All four players are homegrown, with Thielen actually being an undrafted free agent. He was a local kid from Minnesota State invited to a tryout. It seems that every week, we see another Rutgers player competing for a playoff team. The New England Patriots have three Rutgers players on their roster, which is typical for a Bill Belichick team. They also have Chris Hogan who played at Monmouth University.
The New York Giants boast two Syracuse players, which is as close as it gets for Big Blue.
New York Giants
Keep in mind that Reese began his career as a scout with the New York Giants. That should have meant that the draft should have been the strength of the front office. Instead, nothing functioned well, including free agency and contract negotiations. The Post also brought to the forefront a revelation that we all suspected, but never was confirmed.
"“There were some in the building who wondered why Reese did not at least drive down to Rutgers on game days to check out the Big Ten prospects on the field, or why Reese saw the need to watch a Giants walk-through on a Saturday when there were college games to see on various campuses.”"
Moving Forward
It takes a couple years in order to evaluate a draft, so let’s look at 2015. It actually represent a good example of Reese’s influence. Of the six selections that year, only safety Landon Collins was avalue selection. No doubt he is a valuable player.
First-round selection Ereck Flowers and Mykkele Thompson (5th Round) were over-valued. Notably, we call this “Reese’s magic draft board”. And when questioned about it, the former GM would get surly and defensive. But the facts are the facts.
Third-round pick Owa Odighizuwa was physical specimen with questionable desire. We previously wrote about how this represented another draft mistake by Reese and company. But these mistakes happen when you simply go to the NFL Combine or all-star games.
Fans can’t complain that Bobby Hart was finally let go. Late draft picks should be hit or miss. The true mistake was the idea that a late-round guard could become an NFL right tackle. That continues to be a little perplexing for an NFL team. The only thing of note with the Geremy Davis pick is whether or not he could have been a priority free agent. Online scouting reports all said that Davis simply did not have the foot speed to be an NFL wideout.
Late round picks are hit or miss, but there’s no reason to throw them away.
Nothing says that Gettleman’s proposed changes will immediately turn around the franchise. But changes were desperately needed, and from that standpoint alone, they should be welcomed.