2003 Draft

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

The Giants had a solid draft.  The Giants could have used a left tackle but they flew off the board before they selected in round one.  Diehl is solid at that position but putting in a stud there and moving him back to guard could have made this unit a dominate one.  In college street free agency the team added an interesting prospect in defensive end Gilberry. 

DRAFT PICKS

Phillips was the best free safety in this draft and fills a need for the Giants who lost Gibril Wilson in free agency.  Phillips has measureables, ball skills, and football smarts and should be an important piece of their defense for years.

I thought Thomas would be best served in a Tampa cover two defense.  However, he does have more speed than the typical cover two corner so it wasn't that much of a stretch for the Giants system which employs both man and zone.  Personally, I liked Charles Godfrey a bit more at this spot.

Manningham is an enigma.  While I had a second-to-third round grade on him, he is too much of a hit-or-miss prospect for me with Lavelle Hawkins and even Andre Caldwell still available.  I love Hawkins upside.  Manningham is a player that needs to mature as a person before he can be counted-on on the football field.

Kehl was a great pick in round four.  This kid has a rare combination of strength, speed, quickness, and athleticism.  He also has rare change-of-direction for a man his size.  He could develop into a dominating WILL, and could even hold his own at SAM if needed.  At BYU he had 91 tackles, 4 sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss and 3 interceptions his senior year.

Goff is the type of player that catches my eye in the draft process.  Considered strong, fast, but limited athletically, Goff hit a home run with his workout.  This is a kid who needs some development but could grow into a solid starting middle linebacker.  With the G-men he can settle in behind Pierce for a couple of years before taking over.

Woodson is a player with good quarterback skills but horrible, and I mean horrible mechanics.  His arm, smarts, pocket awareness and accuracy are round two stuff.  The way he delivers the ball will make him David-Carr-like (sacked continuously).  If he is willing to re-learn how to play the position, he could have a nice NFL career.  If not he will be out of the league quickly.

Henderson was not on my radar.  He may have a tough time making the roster and could start the season on the Giants' practice squad.

COLLEGE STREET FREE AGENTS

Bain is a big strong kid from a top college program who has a chance to develop into a backup guard.  He is an ideal candidate for the Giants' practice squad.

Gilberry is an interesting case.  On film he looks like a good player with the potential to get after the quarterback.  However, his workout was poor.  He is certainly worth a look in camp and could beat out Henderson for a roster spot.

Warrick is an athletic safety with very good quickness.  The Giants have a lot of quality players fighting for roster spots in the secondary, but Warrick has a legit shot to steal a roster spot.  One reason is that he can be a top special teams player.