Aaron Ross is 24 years old and he was more adept in college as a Cover-2 corner. But he can play man to man and, perhaps what separated him from Miami LB Jon Beason and Central Michigan OT Joe Staley, is that he's a two-position guy -- three punt returns for TDs at Texas.
Jerry Reese just joined us and said the Giants tried to move up once they saw Darrelle Revis and Leon Hall fall out of the top 10 -- the Giants had both of those CBs ranked ahead of Ross. But the price was too steep and the offers to move down were "nickel-and-dime stuff," Reese said, so "It was the right time and the right place for us to pick him."
Reese likes Ross' size (6-0, 193) a lot. "He's a big guy with long arms," Reese said. "Will he cover Terrell Owens better than Santana Moss? He will."
Tom Coughlin joined us for a few minutes too and noted the combination of value and need in picking Ross. "The punt-return ability is a big plus for us," he said. "Obviously, we have some needs to fill, this being one. There's a few things we want to get done in this draft."
Doubt TC would have been upset if Joe Staley had been the pick. Barring a trade, the Giants will be hard-pressed to pick up a quality LT today.
Comments (13)
I would have preferred an offensive lineman.
At first i wasnt happy with the pick i wanted them to take Reggie Nelson, but then i though about it. he does fill 2 needs. and he is long, which is good for big wideouts now-a-days. and thought demps wasnt the best he has more left then madison and mcquarters. i hope this is the right pick. i LOVe the steve smith pick. he will god a solid WR for many years.
Rich is nuts. Great picks for he first two rounds. Ross is very good and Smith will fill in nicely as a third WR this year. Alford I thought was a bit of a reach in the 3rd round but he has credentials and was 3rd team All American...not a bad pick...could be another COfield.
Are Jumbo Elliott and Raul Allegre available? What good are wideouts when Eli is going ro liik like Wylie Coyote in a train tunnel? Why are the Giants throwing away players like Petigout and Feely without simple draft trades? Answer... look back to 1965 when they threw away their franchise. No plan, no clue. Street and Smith drafting. I wonder if Rocky Thompson is available.
So far the Giants have done just what they did in free agency. Nothing! Their 1st round pick was a CB who was projected to be a 2nd rounder. Then a WR with no speed and in the third rounder a DT who was projected for the 6th round. And still no Linebacker. Maybe Reese should go the Main st and Nothern Blvd for the 4th round. I here there are some day laborers that go pretty cheap!!
The Giants needed an impact player on defense in first or second round. Let’s face it outside of Pierce; the linebacker’s core is a who’s who on mediocrity. Jackson, Blackburn, and Mitchell, maybe if combine there talents there a good linebacker there. It’s pretty bad when you’re going to miss an aging Brandon Short. The Giants have always been about great defenses and mistake free offenses. I don’t see that anymore. They need size on the line and speed at wide receiver, defense back and linebacker positions. In addition to just good smart fundamental football, how many blown assignment, missed tackles and acts of stupidity did you see last season. Andrew I hope your right, I would love to be proven wrong, but I just don’t see it thus far. Prediction Giants 7-9 or at best 9-7 either way they don’t make the playoffs.
Come on Rich. Ross was the third best CB on everyones list and is big, fast, and strong. WR are getting bigger in the NFL and so the CB have to also. Steve smith is a great value pick. look at this year-by-year. This year amani can take his time and getting healthy and they still have 3 good WR. and then next year, who knows is plax and toomer will be around. they will have smith and moss, they and a bigger WR in the draft or FA and they still have a good WR corp. he is very dependable and has great hands. alford was a stretch, but he wasnt a 6th round talent. he is a DE-DT tweener, more of a DE in the 3-4. i dont like that pick, he is a lifetime backup, and that in the third round is strange.
They are all decent picks, but the knock on Ross is he gets burned on deep routes. We've seen that all season. Smith is a good possession receiver, no doubt. Alford, if you look at all the analysts reviews he’s a late 5th early 6th rounder. While the Giants watched Poslosnzy, Bradley, Okwo and even Beason go to defensive minded teams. Who's left Shaw, Barnes? The Giants need to control the line and pressure the QB in order to help the secondary.
PS - Ross was ranked 5th not 3rd.
All of the experts here obviously have overlooked Wilkerson who is the type of LB who fits the pressure mode of Spagnoulo. The Giants have some excellent pass rush tools which Tim Lewis never took advantage of. Lewis made the Giants play a conservative cover defense which was porous. He constantly had the defense stuck in between being agressive and maintianing conservative nateure, this is why there was so much confusion (remember the first 3 games?) This years defense will not be confused and they will play overly aggressive, get ready for Blitz-kreig! This is why Ross is an excellent fir, he is a CB who will pressure on the line of scrimmage. No more having the receivers roam into fat and soft zones, now receivers will be challenged to get off the line, this is the way it should be. For all of those who beleive that the Jints will have a weak defense, I will project this years defense to be surprisingly strong! A new scheme with pass rushers all around, I personally like it and they do have the personnel to play this way!
Finally - A Beast! DeOssie is a good pickup. Now if Wilkerson can size up a little from 230 - 240, The Giant's have a good pair of young LB's. Now let's sure up the O line.
Looks like a strong finish. Let's hope so..
I tend to agree with Mel Kiper who feels that the Giants had the second worst draft of all the teams. I would have liked them to have taken Joe Staley so that Eli would get the protection he needs on his blind side. When Eli had Luke last year the team was 6-2, when Luke went down the team went 2-6. Those are very telling statistics. Only time will tell who is smarter...Kiper or Reeseo. To play it safe, the Giants should hirer Fran Tarkington to teach Eli how to scramble to save his life. How Eli goes is how the Giants go. He is the key and his needs where not addressed either in free agency or in the draft.