Considered one of the best sports websites on the Internet, CBSSports.com has some of the most knowledgeable and talented writers around.
Their team of Rob Rang, Dane Brugler, Pat Kirwan and Pete Prisco are widely respected professionals with years of experience scouting future NFL prospects.
The New York Giants have been one of the tougher teams to pinpoint as the 2012 NFL draft inches near, but each of these men have taken their chance at predicting what the defending Super Bowl champions might be thinking heading into the NFL’s most exciting offseason event.
With the quartet of writers’ newest mock drafts online, let’s evaluate the selections they have made for the Giants.
Round 1, Rob Rang: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
As of now, Osi Umenyiora is a New York Giant, but there is no telling what the future holds. What we do know is general manager Jerry Reese loves his pass-rushers and does not care who he already has on the depth chart.
Quinton Coples is one of the most talented defensive linemen in this year’s draft class, but concerns about his commitment are expected to send him falling down the board.
The Giants would be more than happy to put a stop to that descent with the 32nd pick in the draft and add another athletically-gifted defensive end to their repertoire.
With Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka entering the final year of their contracts, as Rob Rang notes, the Giants may seek insurance in the form of Coples.
New York will have other options with this pick, some of which may seem to be better choices for the sake of need, but the decision to go with a defensive lineman would not be a surprising one at all. With all of the top offensive tackles off the board, as well as Chandler Jones and Jerel Worthy, the addition of Coples is a quality choice.
Round 1, Dane Brugler: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
The offensive line was a very evident need for the New York Giants in 2011, despite their triumphant Super Bowl victory. For much of the season, it was a work of art piecing the line together every week as it was constantly marred by injuries and featured struggling, aging veterans.
Dane Brugler seeks to address this issue with the addition of one of the draft’s best offensive tackles, Stanford’s Jonathan Martin.
Martin is a big, talented tackle who could step in and fill the void left by Kareem McKenzie immediately. His prospects as a left tackle are questionable, but Will Beatty still has time to prove he is fit on the left side for the Giants.
Being an intelligent kid from one of the country’s top schools and playing in a pro-style offense with the Cardinal, Martin should be able to excel quickly with Big Blue.
This has to be the best pick when considering need, but the Giants love to select the best player available. Considering the talent off the board, however, Martin would qualify in both regards and should be an easy pick for Jerry Reese and company if things turn out the way Brugler has predicted.
Round 1, Pat Kirwan: Devon Still, DT, Penn State
The New York Giants love bolstering the depth along their defensive front four, and I would not be surprised to see them to do just that in the first round, but Pat Kirwan’s selection of Devon Still is unpleasant.
Earlier in the year, the Penn State product was a much more prized commodity, but at this time, there are better prospects that should garner the Giants’ attentionâ€"even if many have Still going in the middle of the first round.
Kirwan has things shaken up much differently than many have thought throughout his draft, which puts the Giants in a bit of a bind if things were to go as predicted.
However, with guys like Lamar Miller, Coby Fleener, Harrison Smith and Vinny Curry still available, all four players would be much better options than a questionable talent like Still.
Round 1, Pete Prisco: Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia
The New York Giants need help along the offensive line and though it has been awhile since Georgia’s Cordy Glenn has been tied with the Super Bowl champions, Pete Prisco thinks it is a perfect match.
Glenn has the talent and ability to be a star offensive lineman in the NFL. He has been predicted to go nearly everywhere during the first round of the draft, but it is doubtful he falls as far as No. 32.
Despite this, should Glenn be on the board, it should be hard for the Giants to say no. Glenn is a big, surprisingly agile offensive lineman, projected as a guard but capable of either position on the left side of the line.
With uncertainty surrounding the long-term success the Giants offensive line can have in its current state, this is an easy choice. Should he be available, Glenn is a better option than Martin, Coples or Fleener at No. 32.
Round 2, Rob Rang: Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers
In 2011, Eli Manning arrived as an elite quarterback in the NFL. In the process, the New York Giants offense became one of the most lethal units in all of football.
If the Giants wish for that dominance to continue, they will need to fill the void left by Mario Manningham.
Certainly, Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz can handle their own, but adding a third receiver with the talent of Rutgers’ Mohamed Sanu, as Rob Rang has selected, would give the Giants loads of potential on the offensive side of the football.
New York could look to add a running back or offensive tackle here, and with Washington’s Chris Polk still available, that is a better direction for Big Blue. The Giants need to add another target for Manning, but not at this point in the draft when better receiving prospects can be had later in the draft, such as Chris Givens from Wake Forest.
Round 2, Dane Brugler: Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson
The New York Giants will add depth to their front four, it is only a matter of time. With the selection of Jonathan Martin in the first round, Clemson’s Brandon Thompson is a spectacular pick here.
Thompson has first-round talent and was projected to as early as the late-first round earlier in the year.
With Rocky Bernard and Jimmy Kennedy gone, Thompson is a promising, young pass-rusher that would be an intriguing addition to the Giants’ rotation along the defensive line with fellow quarterback-hungry linemen Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora.
Round 2, Pat Kirwan: Chris Polk, RB, Washington
Pat Kirwan flopped with his first-round selection, but he nails it in the second with the selection of Washington’s Chris Polk.
The New York Giants need a No. 2 to split carries with Ahmad Bradshaw following the release of Brandon Jacobs, and The Incredible Polk is a pick full of value at the back end of the second round.
Polk has the size and power to run between the tackles, but loves to run around the edgesâ€"which he did quite successfully during his career for the Huskies. He is a red-zone threatâ€"with 21 rushing touchdowns the past two seasonsâ€"and serviceable as a receiver out of the backfield with 79 receptions at Washington.
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