Overall, I thought the New York Football Giants had a very good draft. The notable players that they drafted included S Kenny Phillips, WR Mario Manningham and QB Andre' Woodson. Coming into the draft, the Giants secondary was definitely its biggest weakness. I believe they more than addressed it with their first round selection of Kenny Phillips, a safety from the University of Miami. I expect Kenny Phillips to start at either one of the safety positions. I think he will make a great impact and hopefully will get to start alongside veteran safety Sammy Knight, who could be a great mentor to Phillips. I believe the two of them can be a dynamic duo in the NFC. I was extremely happy that wide receiver Mario Manningham managed to slip all the way into the third round. In my opinion, Mario Manningham would've been a first round pick and the number one wide receiver chosen in the NFL Draft had it not been for his minor off-field issues. Although I feel that the Giants should've traded up to draft linebacker Dan Connor, Manningham is a great value pick in the third round and has tremendous upside because of his extraordinary athletic ability. With Amani Toomer getting up their in age the Giants need to find an eventual replacement for him and Manningham should be that guy. I can already see Manning to Manningham for several touchdowns next year. Even though quarterback wasn't a position of need in the draft, the drafting of Andre' Woodson makes sense because he was the best available player still on the board in the sixth round. The pick also provides extra insurance to Eli Manning and should give the Giants a significant strength. I expect Woodson to make the team as the third quarterback and hopefully he will be able to learn a lot from Eli Manning and David Carr. I think that if he develops nicely he may pass David Carr to move up to the second QB on the depth chart. Who knows, he may even replace Eli Manning someday. The Giants also drafted corner back Terrell Thomas from USC in the second round, who should be able to replace R.W. McQuarters and/or Sam Madison and play some nickel and dime back this year and could ultimately challenge Corey Webster for the second starting corner back spot. Linebackers Bryan Kehl (BYU) and Jonathan Goff(Vanderbilt) were taken in the fourth and fifth rounds respectfully. Both of these picks should help replace the departures of linebackers Kawika Mitchell and Reggie Torbor in free agency. The Giants used their last draft pick, number 199 overall in the sixth round, on defensive end Robert Henderson(Southern Mississippi), who should provide more depth to the Giants' biggest strength on defense. I would rate the Giants draft a B+.
-Ryan Kutey
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