Thoughts on the NFL Draft

The Indianapolis Colts just officially ended the NFL Draft exactly the way they started it; by taking a quarterback. Andrew Luck went first, and Chandler Harnish went last. I've got my money on Luck working out better, but at least Harnish earns the title of "Mr. Irrelevant," even if he never does actually play an NFL game. First I'll give you my thoughts on the Giants draft, and then just some general thoughts...

Round 1 - David Wilson (RB, Virginia Tech) - Doug Martin went one spot before our pick, and I would have loved to have been able to get Martin. Wilson is supposed to be a tough runner who can get yards up the middle, which is exactly what we need following the departure of Brandon Jacobs. He's not too great in the passing game out of the backfield, but supposedly has great intangibles, a great work ethic, and puts the team first. He should get a shot at a lot of carries, and between Bradshaw, Ware, and Wilson, I think our running game can be good as long as everyone stays healthy.
Round 2 - Rueben Randle (WR, LSU) - This seems to be the pride of the draft according to the front office. Supposedly they wanted to take him in the first round, but were able to get him in the second round. I don't know if that is particularly a good thing because that means no one else thought that highly of him, but he sounds pretty good. Big guy with big hands. He sounds a lot like Hakeem Nicks, and there is nothing wrong with that. I think this will allow us to move Victor Cruz into the slot sometimes and give Eli plenty of options in the passing game. I like this pick.
Round 3 - Jayron Hosley (CB, Virginia Tech) - He's small, has good hands, and has room to improve as far as tackling goes. Sounds like a nickel corner. Aaron Ross is gone, but with Terrell Thomas coming back from an injury, as well as Corey Webster and Prince Amukamura firmly entrenched above him on the depth chart, Hosley will not need to come in and play right away. I doubt he will ever be a top-flight cornerback, but we don't need him to be(at least right now). This pick sounds pretty good.
Round 4 - Adrien Robinson (TE, Cincinnati) - Big guy with good hands who can stretch the middle of the field, but needs to improve on his blocking. Depending on how long it takes Ballard and Beckum to get back from their injuries, Robinson might be the guy we need to make an instant impact. Martellus Bennett was signed, but I think Robinson will still probably get a lot of playing time if we open the year without Ballard and Beckum. He sounds like he might be pretty good, but once all of our tight ends are healthy, we'll get a true sense of if/how he fits in.
Round 5 - Brandon Mosley (OT, Auburn) - He has played all over the place on both sides of the ball throughout high school and college, so the word is that we will use him to fill in at either guard or tackle. He is strong but has a lot of room to improve because he has played so many positions. He also had academic problems in high school and college, which is not a good sign. He sounds like a bit of a project. Kevin Boothe started that way though and was a big part of our offensive line this season, so at best I think Mosley will be a serviceable starter, but that might be asking too much.
Round 6 - Matt McCants (OT, UAB) - I'm not too thrilled with this pick. He only played one year in high school, and he was suspended for the entire 2008 season in college. He is athletic for a big guy and the team wants to turn him into a right tackle, but this doesn't sound like a guy I want protecting Eli at this point. I'm not expecting much here.
Round 7 - Markus Kuhn (DT, NC State) - We are by no means deep and talented at defensive tackle, so I'm not surprised we took one. This guy isn't huge relative to the position and will need a lot of work. He will probably get a good look though because of our lack of good depth here, but it would still be a surprise to see him play much this season.

So, overall I think I would give this draft about a B- or a C+. We addressed the positions that we needed, but I don't think any of these guys will be stars. There is a reason that the defending champions get the last pick of each round though, so it isn't like we need instant impact superstars anyway. These guys will help fill out our depth chart, and at this point I think that is exactly what we need.

As far as the rest of the draft goes, I have to say that I really enjoyed the first round. Thanks to the new rookie wage cap and a shorter time limit in between picks, the first round was full of trades and action. It took half as much time as normal, which is a huge positive too.
One thing that definitely stood out to me was how well it seems the rest of the NFC East drafted. Dallas moved up to get Morris Claiborne, Philadelphia seemed to get some good value, and of course Washington got the Heisman Trophy winner. The division is going to be very tough next season. Other than that, let the undrafted free agent signings begin, and then minicamp won't be far behind that!

Daily Rangers Update: Madison Square Garden was rocking this afternoon, and the Rangers won 3-1 to take Game 1 of the series. Chris Kreider was great again and could not have gotten off to a better start with the team. Ruslan Fedotenko gave a spectacular effort when Washington had a 5-on-3 advantage in the second period, Brad Richards played well, Lundqvist made some big saves, and we got off to a good start. Game 2 will be Monday night. Let's Go Rangers!
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Joe Saunders was excellent last night, throwing a complete game, three-hit shutout. Miguel Montero had a big two-out hit, Aaron Hill hit a home run, and Jason Kubel continues to stay hot. We are in the top of the 5th inning tonight and up 2-0. The first inning got off to a great start offensively, but Anibal Sanchez has been very good since then. Ian Kennedy is putting on a textbook display of a tightrope walk. He has not had close to his best stuff, but there is still a 0 on the board and that is all that matters.
Daily Giants Update: None needed today, as I've already provided it. The only thing I need to add is that we are still the Super Bowl champs.