"We Got Bigger and Faster"

After seventeen hours of draft coverage over the last two days, ESPN has left Radio City Music Hall and teams can begin to focus their attention on mini-camps. Despite what many experts perceive as a mediocre draft, Giants GM Ernie Accorsi boasts "we got bigger and faster." While Giants fans across the country were steaming about first round selection DE Matthias Kiwanuka, and rightfully so, you have to take in to account who is making the decisions. Accorsi has always been very forthright about his desire to find pass rushers. In his words, pass rushers are like homerun hitters, you can't have enough of them. Luckily the Giants were in a position to draft "best available" on their draft boards due to their free agency overhaul. Another thing to consider is that the draft is just a portion of a team's offseason, to judge their effectiveness you must evaluate what a team does from March to August. However, for the purposes of this column, I'll just take a look at how the Giants fared over the weekend:

First Round, 32nd Overall Selection: DE, Matthias Kiwanuka, Boston College.
Early in the season Kiwanuka was being projected as a mid-first round talent. However, he was involved in an ugly incident in the middle of the season which left him injured and an opposing offensive tackle suspended. He was a very productive end in college, producing 37 1/2 sacks during his four years in Boston. Scouts project him to make an immediate impact in passing situations. Kiwanuka also has the size and speed to lineup as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme which the Giants do not currently employ, but could given Tim Lewis' past history with that defense and the current roster personnel.

Second Round, 44th Overall Selection: WR, Sinorice Moss, University of Miami
After Ernie failed to land older brother Santana Moss in 2001, whom he held in very high regard, there were no doubts Sinorice was his man in '06. Using one of the extra picks they obtained from Pittsburgh in their first round swap, the Giants landed the game breaking wide receiver they coveted. They may be criticized for passing on Florida WR Chad Jackson, but the Giants did not need a tall, number one receiver. They have that guy in Plaxico Burress who will be in Blue for years to come. Moss is the perfect compliment to the receivers currently on the roster and should have an immediate impact on the passing game.

Third Round, 96th Overall Selection: ILB, Gerris Wilkinson, Georgia Tech
Wilkinson is considered a bit of a "tweener", but the Giants see him as a versatile backup at linebacker who is capable of playing all three positions. In college he spent time starting at all three linebacker positions, as well as Defensive End. He's considered too lean to be a defensive end in the NFL, which is perfectly fine considering the Giants abundance of ends now. Wilkinson will immediately contribute on special teams and will be in the rotation of WIL (weak side) linebackers.

Fourth Round, 124th Overall Selection: DT, Barry Cofield, Northwestern
Coming out of the Big 10, Cofield had his hands full with talented centers like first rounder Nick Mangold. Some experts feel he has a tough time shedding double teams and is not good enough with his hands at the point of attack. However, the Giants see him as a guy who could capably fill the Nose tackle position. He is an effective run stopper and his big frame will allow him to eat up blockers for the talented linebackers behind him. Seems like he will help fill the void created by the departure of Kendrick Clancy and will be expected to compete for a starting position next to William Joseph.

Fourth Round, 129th Overall Selection: OT, Guy Whimper, East Carolina
This selection personifies the concept of "best available athlete"on the board. The Giants used their second fourth round selection on a freakishly athletic, raw offensive tackle. In college he played a variety of positions, giving him the type of versatility the Giants coveted for offensive line depth. He's been clocked under 5.0 seconds in the forty, a very impressive time for an offensive lineman. While he is too much of a project to be expected to start the season, it seems the Giants will look to shape him in to Luke Petitgout's replacement on the left side.

Fifth Round, 158th Overall Selection: S, Charlie Peprah, Alabama
A common theme with the Giants draft was players with versatility. Safety Charlie Peprah fits this mold, having played his first two seasons at Alabama at corner recording seven interceptions. It is believed he's too slow to play corner clocking 40 times in the 4.5-4.6 range. He will immediately provide good depth at the safety position and could see action in late game passing situations with extra defensive backs. The Giants think he will improve their special teams and could develop in to a solid safety.

Seventh Round, 232nd Overall Selection: CB, Gerrick MacPherson, Maryland
Although seventh rounders are always long shots to make the team, this pick excites me nearly as much as acquiring Moss. Going in to the draft I felt the Giants were still a playmaking cornerback short and MacPherson could develop in to that player. MacPherson was a member of the 2005 All-ACC Indoor Track Team and posts impressive forty times in the 4.3 range. He saw limited action at Maryland at corner, but the Giants believe his speed is worth taking a shot on and I couldn't agree more. If the Giants can work on his cover abilities he could be a potential matchup nightmare for division foe WR Santana Moss.

Overall it was a very interesting draft for the Giants. With the impressive work done in free agency the past two offseasons they had very few immediate needs. Many believed, myself included, that Defensive Tackle was a position of serious concern but the men in charge of the draft (GM Ernie Accorsi, Director of Player Personnel Jerry Reese, and Head Coach Tom Coughlin) adamantly denied those claims. There's still a chance the Giants will add a veteran DT such as Green Bay's Grady Jackson or Carolina's Brenston Buckner, but both are aging and battling injuries. However, as I said earlier, the draft can not be viewed on its own. It's just one phase of the offseason and the Giants did a fair job with it. As Mike Wilbon said on PTI today, it's unfair to evaluate a draft the day after. For all we know Vince Young could be the next Ryan Leaf and LenDale White could be the next Jerome Bettis. It's what makes the draft exciting, but the only true indicator will be when the season gets underway.