BleedinBlue

The more I read on this guy, the more I like this pick as good as any we had. The most intriguing prospect in the New York Giants' 2013 NFL Draft class might just be Cooper Taylor, the Richmond safety selected in the fifth round. Cooper is a humongous safety at 6-foot-4 3/4, 228 pounds. He also probably has the best back story of any of the players selected by the Giants. "We think we got a hidden gem there," said Giants Director of College Scouting Marc Ross. "This guy is big, fast, smart, plays the game the right way. He did a lot of things for Richmond. They lined him up at multiple positions. You'll see him in the box; you'll see him back deep. He covers the slot. Productive there. He transferred from Georgia Tech, but we think this guy has got a lot of upside. Sent our (secondary-safeties) coach (David) Merritt down there to work him out -- a private workout -- and he was really impressed by him. We had him in for a visit. The kid is really smart. Loves football, so we think he has a ton of upside." The Times Dispatch also noted that the Giants have a Richmond connection in defensive coordinator Bob Trott, who was a defensive assistant with the Giants in 1991 and 1992. Here is part of what Trott told the Times Dispatch about Taylor: "Quite frankly, some NFL teams like big safeties, and some of them don't" Trott said. "I would love to coach him in the NFL. My experiences, with the safeties I've had, I'll take him any day. ... He has got the intangibles. He'll do really, really well on an NFL team." Taylor is primarily a safety, but does have experience dropping down to play outside linebacker. With the Giants' fondness for using a three-safety set, something defensive coordinator Perry Fewell began a few seasons ago with Deon Grant, Taylor could be a perfect fit for the Giants' defense. "As soon as it becomes second and long, everybody changes anyway. You're gonna see either a 4-2-5 or a 4-1-6 package, depending on the quality of your people that you can bring down. He is certainly a candidate for one of those spots. Although with his range, you think you'd want to be attracted to him staying in the middle of the field but we'll see," head coach Tom Coughlin said Monday on WFAN. Taylor joins a group of safeties that is led by starters Antrel Rolle and Stevie Brown. He will compete for a backup spot with Will Hill, Ryan Mundy and Tyler Sash. "He is a safety by trade but you drop him down in that three-safety package or whatever you want to do in terms of -- you substitute a defense whether he plays an outside backer or whatever. That is all going to have to be determined when we get him in here. We are hoping that he is going to come in and apply all of the tools that he has right away there in the secondary for us." At Richmond's pro day, Taylor ran 4.49 40-yard dash, had a 36 1/2-inch vertical jump, 10-foot-7 broad jump, posted a 4.29 in the short-shuttle, 6.96 in the three-cone and hammered out 23 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press. General manager Jerry Reese called Taylor a "big size-speed safety that we think has a really nice upside. I can envision him honestly on special teams with that size and speed. I can envision him being that third safety in some the three-safety looks that Perry Fewell likes to use. A big, tough guy, we like his skill set." ---------------------------------- From CBS: "Plays with excellent aggression and physicality. Decisive in his decision making and shows a good burst, arriving to the play quickly and ready to blow up the ball carrier. Better than expected athleticism for his size, and flows to the action while breaking down on the move. Did an excellent job at the Shrine Game of digesting the coaches' instructions and applying them immediately, always appearing focused and zoned in on what is going on around him." From NFL.com: "His official position will be strong safety, but he's one of those guys who could possibly bulk up and play outside linebacker. Reminiscent of Kam Chancellor of the Seattle Seahawks" From NFLDraftScout.com "With his size and strength, he is an enforcer against the run but he also showed the range and athleticism to be effective in coverage as well as the football intelligence to digest a lot of coaching all at once".

Bringing the updated list to this page: - TE Chase Clement (LSU) 6'5" 265 / 4.95 40 time / also plays DE and OT - CB Charles James (Charleston Southern) 5'10" 184 / 4.42 40 time / also returns kicks (1st team All Big South Defense) - OLB Alonzo Tweedy (Virginia Tech) 6'1" 197 / 4.40 40 time (ranked 17th out of 176 linebackers in the draft - stock rising in past month) - OLB Etienne Sabino (Ohio State) 6'2" 247 / 4.71 40 time / bench 24 reps (strong sucker) / broken fibula in senior year limiting action and causing stock to drop) - MLB Charles Dieuseul (Mount Union) 6'0" 245 / 4.48 40 time (D3 Football.com All-America First Team; has won Conference MVP at two positions DE and LB) - WR Marcus Davus (Virginia Tech) 6'3.5", 233 / 4.47 40 time (led Virginia Tech with 51 catches for 953 receiving yards and five touchdowns last year) - RB Jeremy Wright (Louisville) 5'11" / 205 lbs / 4.53 40 time (young - don't know much about him other than he was Louisville's primary RB last season) - OG Kitt O'Brien (Ball State) 6'5" 325-pounds (beat out Detroit for him) - Long Snapper Brandon Gabbard (Southeast Missouri State) 6'5" 275-pounds - OG Guard Seve Rivers (East Stroudsburg University) 6'3" 300-pounds (Two-time All-PSAC East)

And the list continues to grow. Must be Ralph Vacchiano was wrong about the limit of UDFA's because the Giants keep bringing them in. Seems they are targeting offensive lineman still. - Offensive Guard Kitt O'Brien (Ball State) 6'5" 325-pounds (beat out Detroit for him) http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20130430/SPORTS20/304300020/new-york-giants-and-ball-state-and-kitt-o-brien?nclick_check=1 - Long Snapper Brandon Gabbard (Southeast Missouri State) 6'5" 275-pounds - Offensive Guard Seve Rivers (East Stroudsburg University) 6'3" 300-pounds (Two-time All-PSAC East)

Getting back to the topic...I found a nice writeup on Moore from a newspaper in Texas 'Underdog' Moore slides to Giants, ready to prove himself in camp One round came and went. Two rounds came and went. It was a painstaking process for Damontre Moore, who was projected in January to be a top-10 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, as he watched 32 teams look at his name on the board and opt to go in a different direction. Finally, after a night-and-a-half of waiting to hear the destination of his future home, the New York Giants rang Moore's cell phone and selected him with the 17th pick in the third round. Moore, who watched the draft with family and friends at Von Miller Sr.'s house in DeSoto, said seeing 80 names called ahead of his made for a treacherous lesson in patience. "It was one of the most difficult things in my life," he told Aggie Nation Tuesday. "I was hoping to slip in the first round and then the whole second round goes, and I was like, 'Is this ever going to happen?' "But, better late than never." Moore said he was surprised the Giants called because he hadn't heard from the team since talking with them at the NFL Combine. At the Combine, Moore ran a 4.95-second 40-yard dash and did only 12 repetitions in the bench press -- key contributors to his plummet from surefire first-rounder to third-round selection. Always an underdog However, Moore said that he's stayed confident in both himself and his ability on the football field throughout the past few months. "If anything, I just used it as more motivation," he said. "Throughout my career, I've been the underdog. I like being the underdog." Moore came to A&M as an unknown three-star prospect that didn't even start on his Rowlett High School team. However, in his three seasons in Aggieland, he recorded 26.5 sacks, showing off the potential to be an elite pass rusher. During an All-America junior campaign, Moore led the Aggies with 85 tackles -- becoming the first defensive lineman since Sam Adams in 1993 to lead the team. Prior to the Aggies' Cotton Bowl victory over Oklahoma, Moore made the decision to forego his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. A month later, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. projected Moore as the No. 2 pick -- in the first round. Things, though, didn't work out as planned. Regardless, Moore said he would make the same decision today as he did in January. "Everything happens for a reason," he said. "I made the decision that anything can happen on any given Sunday. There were a lot of things that went into it. I gave myself the best case and worst-case scenario, so I don't really regret anything." In a great situation All things considered, Moore landed in a great spot in New York. As a third-round pick, the immediate expectations are tempered. And the Giants have a long lineage of premier pass rushers: Lawrence Taylor; Michael Strahan; Justin Tuck; Osi Umenyiora; Jason Pierre-Paul; and Mathias Kiwanuka. As former Giants' GM Ernie Accorsi told NFL.com, you "draft pass rushers until the cows come home." Moore said he's proud to go to an organization that puts an onus on getting to the quarterback. "They've been producing great D-ends for a while," he said. "They have a successful history and I'm ready to go in and learn from the best in the game." Giants' head coach Tom Coughlin told after the draft that he believed Moore had the tools to be a very productive pass rusher. "That is why we brought him in here," he said. Though draft week proved to be difficult for Moore, he said he'd definitely go into camp on May 9 with a chip on his shoulder. And he said the Giants, and their fans, won't be disappointed in the player they felt was worthy of a third-round pick. "They're getting a hard working guy that's going in there closed mouth, open-minded and eager to work," he said. "A guy that plays with a lot of tenacity, is really competitive and, overall, they're getting a really good player."

I figured there had to be a few guys out of Div III schools that made it. Just because a school plays in Div III, doesn't mean they are small...many of them pushing 20,000 students. But it does mean they've played lesser talent. Still, there are 449 Div III schools out there so there has to be some hidden talent. I would think that a player who made the "First Team All American - Div III" has to be pretty good, such as our UDFA pickup, Dieuseul, whose measurables are off the chart and has won MVP at both LB and DE. I suspect he has the talent, but is green as grass when it comes to being NFL ready. He could be an interesting project.

We got spoiled with Spags. But I agree...I'm not sure he's the right guy to run our defense. I'd love to be a mouse in the corner of the general manager's office to hear what they are saying about him.

An awful lot of our problems last year started on the line, which forced LB's and Safeties to bail them out. I think the line is marginally improved as long as Big John can step right in and be a force and Tuck becomes rejuvenated. I think Linval Joseph and Big John lined up side by side is an improvement, with Rogers, Patterson, and Jenkins in the mix. Really hoping Tuck is back and this DaMonster Moore becomes a big threat. I'm not worried a whole lot over the LB play as some and see corners as being a bigger problem. Webster seems to be in the same boat as Tuck and has lost the fire in his belly or something, or maybe it's just age and injuries taking their toll. I'm not sure Thomas will ever be the same after three acl surgeries and hoping Ross has found the drive he had as a rookie and an improvement with experience. Time will tell. We could definitely use another LB, but with Fewell's defense and his partiality to 3 safety sets, it's not that big an issue to me. And with the pickup of Cooper Taylor, I think we finally found a guy who can cover TE's...especially Witten, who always has huge games against us causing me to throw things around the house and yelling for someone to cover him. As far as the draft goes, there was no game-changing LB available to us that would have beaten out Williams or Paysinger, let alone Rivers, Connors, or Herzlich...and if Kiwi goes back to LB, we have a bit of a glut there. They looked bad last year primarily because of the porous and very inconsistent d-line. No pressure on the QB, and RB's finding big holes right in the middle of the line. I tend to agree with Martellus Bennett that last year was a bit of a fluke because a lot of guys were basking in the afterglow of the Super Bowl instead of having the hunger of years past. This coming season will be an improvement over last year. Philadelphia has made strides to improve and will be a bigger problem to us than Washington (IMO). The Eagles were a QB short of having a Super-Bowl worthy team and gave us a reprieve by throwing big bucks at Vick. We should be able to win the division this year. We'll have a high-powered offense and an improved defense.

I'm not sure the term "small school" adequately describes a school. Div 1 is a classification that has little to do with student size (ex. Ohio St. has 57,000 students and Wake Forest University has a whopping 4400 students...heck, University of Tulsa plays Div 1 football and has a little over 2700 total students). Then there's Div 2, which can have anywhere up to nearly 30,000 students. And of course, Div 3 schools are the smallest of the bunch such as Ithaca College or SUNY Cortland (both schools within 20 miles of me, but which have 6500 and 7200 respectively). That said...we signed MLB Charles Dieuseul from Mount Union College (2200 students) who made the Div III All-America First Team; and has won 2 Conference MVPs. His measurables are up there with the best of the best, but it'll be interesting to see if he can actually make the jump from Div III to the pro level. I don't know if that's ever been done. I know Div II athletes have done it (albeit few), but not sure if a Div III has done it.

Thanks man...I always figure that people will get sick of the stuff I dig up and post...especially on the UFDA's. Personally, I think there's a couple of gems in that group, but I feel that way every year. Hopefully we'll shake out another Cruz from the pile of leftovers.

Perfectly said. Personally, I think every year that the draft won't stir up something in me that makes me become obsessed with the team for a week or so. Then every year, I go nuts with excitement. It's like when I was a kid and trying to sleep on Christmas Eve or when I was a teen the day before deer season with visions of nailing a giant 14 point trophy buck in the morning (never got a trophy though, just a few spike horns and crotch horns - got a six point once, no big deal). I can't think of one other yearly event in my life that makes me feel like a kid again. As a kid, I didn't have squat for toys and any present under the tree on Christmas morning would get me so excited I couldn't hold still. 55 years later, waiting for draft day and the Giants on the clock gives me that same rush...and I wonder what exciting new toy we're going to get to add to the team. It takes me a couple of weeks just to settle down. I have no idea what makes me do that. I'm a die hard Yankee fan and Knicks fan and I have no idea when the draft takes place nor do I even care. It's a phenomenon of mine for the Giants only. Go figure. Regardless...a couple of weeks from now and I slide back into anonymity and occasionally keep up with training camp and new transactions. My big hope is that Cruz puts his signature on a contract and get that crap behind us.

A couple of interesting notes on our UFDA's. OLB Alonzo Tweedy: was pursued by New England as well as the Giants. Although listed as an OLB, his real specialty is on special teams. With Virginia Tech, he was a monster at punt coverage and could become our first true "gunner" since David Tyree was on the team. From the Virginia Pilot: Of Tweedy's 21 tackles this year, 16 have been on special teams. Eight of those are on punt coverage. The rest of the team has 11. "If I put it right, it's getting stopped; there's no question in my mind," punter A.J. Hughes said. "I could give him three seconds hang time, he's already down there. He's a freak. He's insane." "I just run," said Tweedy, who has been timed at 4.39 seconds in the 40. "I think of it as a race. As soon as I see them hike the ball, I'm gone. I make one move and I'm out." Tweedy's nickname could be "Da Cruise Missile", because once he locks in on a target, he seeks it out and destroys it TE Chase Clement: was one of the top blocking TE's in the entire draft. He's athletic and strong, but not much of a receiving threat. He's very versatile having played DE and OT for LSU in the SEC, without question, the toughest college conference in football. The Giants see him being used as a 6th lineman to be used in short yardage and goal line situations. Our two first TE's (Myers and Robinson) are receiving threats, but aren't known for their blocking ability. Clement will compete against Pascoe for the third TE spot and if he wins, will be used in special situations...especially if the offensive line doesn't come together like we hope.

Giants have added RB Jeremy Wright, a junior from Louisville. 5'11" / 205 lbs / 4.53 (40 time) 2012 season ran for 824 yards and 10 TD's. Had a good game against very tough defense of Florida (ranked #1 in the nation at the time) with 84 yds and a TD. Could have attitude problems from what I can tell. Dropped out of school after the football season ended and told no one - not even the school... Must be someone was cut in order to make room for him. Don't know who.

Time will tell how well this strategy works out. Poor kid is following a legend and that's tough for any athlete. One thing can be certain, and that is Nassib will give everything he's got to glean what he can from Eli's knowledge and he will put in 100% effort and time into developing into the best QB he can be. He's got the arm, the accuracy, and incredible composure in the pocket (unlike Carr). He is definitely a pocket QB and is a cerebral type that relies on figuring out, understanding, and exploiting defensive schemes rather than getting fooled and taking off on his legs like the type of QB that seems to be what a lot of teams want these days. Personally, I'll take a thinking QB over a running QB every time.

I have very fond memories of Bradshaw and he's probably got another season of running left in him (spread out over 3 years between injuries). At this point in his career, he should be polishing up that college degree and thinking about a new career. One of the things I wonder about, is the new rule in football that disallows RB's to lower their head. I think it's going to lead to a whole lot less running plays and perhaps a complete different type of runner. Bradshaw and Joseph were both quick to lower their heads and put a hurt on tacklers. That now brings a 15 yard penalty. The wussanization of real football!!

EJ Manuel had a terrific Senior Bowl (was the MVP)...his lifetime stats are nothing like how he played in that game. Make no doubt about it, Doug Marrone loves Nassib and has repeatedly said so. He wasn't given carte blanche over the GM to take whoever he wanted, however he obviously agreed that Manuel was going to be a good QB. Manuel's caveat is that he can also run with the football (ala McNabb, Vick, RGIII, etc.) and in fact, scored a TD in the Senior Bowl with his legs. Here's a pretty good summary of how Manuel leap frogged all the other QB's even though he was ranked anywhere from the 4th to the 7th best QB in the class:

Thought this was interesting. The Syracuse lacrosse team knocked off no.1 Notre Dame on Saturday at Giants Stadium. Pugh - a die hard Orange fan and one time Eagle's fan) was at the game and I liked how he dressed:

Just a little trivia for you guys. Ryan Nassab faced Geno Smith three times in the last three years. The outcome: 2010: Syracuse beats West Virginina 19-14 (Nassib throws 1 TD, 0 interceptions. Geno Smith throws for 1 TD, 3 interceptions) 2011: Syracuse stuns West Virginia 49-23 (Nassib passed for 229 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another knocking off no. 11 W.Va) 2012: (Pinstripe Bowl - Yankee Stadium) Syracuse plasters West Virginia 34-14 (Nassib threw for 2 TD's and 1 interception, Geno Smith threw for 2 TD's, 0 interception) Doesn't really mean all that much, but in each case, Syracuse was a significant underdog, yet the Nassib led team still rallied for wins. Leadership cannot be determined by number of yards thrown and number of completions. edit: Syracuse also beat Kansas State in the inaugural Pinstripe Bowl in 2010, getting 239 yards and three touchdown passes from Nassib. There's been 2 football games played at Yankee Stadium in the past several decades. Both times, Nassib led his team to victory as the underdog. The point here is that Nassib doesn't fold like a cheap suit under the bright lights of the greatest (and most opinionated, fan savvy, critics) city in the world. That to me is important!

Yeah...got quite a tan though

Yeah...Pugh made it his life's mission to make sure Nassib never got sacked. He is willing to get killed to stop the QB from getting hit. And considering he was the only one on the line worthy of All-Pro status, that's pretty impressive that he only allowed a 1/2 sack all year. Wasn't like he had a lot of help. Here's a shot of him protecting Nassib:

Added WR Marcus Davus to the UFDA list. 6'3" (listed as 6'4" on several draft sites), 233 lbs - 4.47 (40 time) projected to be drafted in the 6th round and possibly as high as the 4th round. I do like tall WR's. Maybe we catch lightning in a bottle again like we did with Cruz. At worst (perhaps at best), a replacement for Hixon and an understudy of Randle. Everything I've read says that he's an incredible athlete that needs refining. Came to school as a QB so understands how a QB thinks. Very clean background so no character issues. The only knock on him is that sometimes he plays lackluster if he's not the focus of the offense. Has lots of room to grow, but has NFL talent now. Needs coaching and personal effort. "He'll have familiar faces there. The Giants drafted two Hokies early in last year's draft who figure to have prominent roles this year - running back David Wilson and cornerback Jayron Hosley. They also signed outside linebacker Alonzo Tweedy to an undrafted free agent deal yesterday. Davis, who led Virginia Tech with 51 catches for 953 receiving yards and five touchdowns last year, still doesn't know all the reasons that led to him not being selected, although there were numerous theories - from the receiver's lackluster blocking last year to his agent's relationship with NFL teams to concerns about a shoulder injury from five years ago. For whatever reason, he dropped. Initially, he didn't watch, but as his phone didn't ring, he tuned in, only to hear names called of players he'd never heard of, adding to his frustration. "Teams passed on me for whatever reason" Davis said. "That's up to them. But going into camp, I'm going to use that as motivation. Everybody passed on me. The Giants gave me an opportunity to come in and try to prove myself. So I'm just going to use that and come into camp a different person." From CBS: "An athletic specimen who has a similar skill-set as Dez Bryant, Davis has a lot of NFL tools". "Athletic-looking frame with prototypical length and thickness. Deceptively quick feet and suddenness to evade press at the line. Davis possesses some eye-popping measurables, and will probably rise up draft boards on his pre-draft workouts alone. A close look at game tape, however, shows a receiver who, although tremendously gifted, lacks fundamental consistency and tends to coast at times with his effort. He'll have to convince scouts that he's hungry to improve if he's to go any higher than the fifth round, despite having elite talent".

Except that the Steelers took Jones with the 17th overall pick in the first round. As far as I'm concerned, the only linebacker worth getting excited about.

Naz...I told you in a different thread, the Giants got a kicker...they signed Lauren Silbermans !! Here's a video of her highlites:

Dallas and Washington didn't make picks that are going to have them leap frogging over us. Philadelphia...now there's another story. The only saving grace for us against Philly is that Vick sucks and if they don't use Vick, they go with a rookie QB.

I would have liked to pick up Arthur Brown, but burning a second on him is a big risk IMO. I know Baltimore did, but they had a stash of extra picks to trade away and the ONLY position they needed to replace was LB. And the scouts all say the same thing about Brown - "fast, instinctive, a little small for the position" I think Cooper Taylor could very likely end up being better in the long run and I think the Giants want to move him back to his original position of LB. I believe Richmond liked Taylor's speed and needed him to play safety for them. Anyway, compare the two. Taylor.......vs..........Brown 6'5" / 248...............6'0" / 241 4.49 (40 time)...........4.62 (40 time) 127" (broad jump)........116" (broad jump) 4.29 (short shuttle).....did not compete 6.96 (3 cone drill)......did not compete 23 (reps on the bench)...did not compete 4 interceptions sr. yr...2 interceptions sr. yr. 1.5 sacks sr. yr.........2 sacks sr. yr. Brown of course, skipped the NFL combine due to a injured shoulder. Regardless...I think the Giants plan on putting 10 more pounds of muscle on Taylor and turning him into an outside linebacker. He's certainly fast enough, strong enough, and it is his natural position. Brown of course played against top tier opponents in school whereas Taylor played against somewhat easier opponents. Both are exceptionally aggressive and athletic.

There wasn't a game changing linebacker available to us after Jarvis Jones was taken off the board. And Ogletree was too high a risk to burn a first on and after T'eo's horrible combine, he wouldn't have beaten out Connors or Herzlich. No matter who we picked up in the draft, they would never have beaten out the two aforementioned middle linebackers and they wouldn't have beaten Rivers, or Paysinger, or Williams and probably not even Muasau. And lest I forget, Kiwi plays an above average LB who might very well end up back there. You guys act as if there was a Lawrence Taylor type LB available to us at every round. There wasn't a single linebacker available that would have made a hill of beans worth of a difference in the grand scheme of things. This was a very poor year for linebackers when the best of the bunch are T'eo with the speed of an offensive lineman, and a crack head nut job whose really a fast runner, but can't tackle for shit, etc. Greene was a decent pickup in the 4th or 5th round and he would have been ideal to play behind Rivers and Paysinger for 2 plays a week (or less). If we had drafted a linebacker in every single round, we'd have a few fans that are really, really happy and probably ecstatic....but a whole bunch of us that moan in despair. You guys have to let it go. You act as if this draft was loaded with a group of once in a lifetime linebackers and it simply was not the case. The Giants staff is not made up of morons incapable of knowing our needs or seeing what's available.....but damn, they are far better than a bunch of arm chair fans who think that Sean Porter or Gerald Hodges is going to turn the entire defense around and put us on the path of another Super Bowl. This was just a very sucky year for linebackers and certainly not linebackers that would replace anyone on our current roster. edit: Not to mention, we've gone to using 3 safety sets in a lot of cases and hell, in the grand scheme of things, we might have gotten the best linebacker in the entire draft if Cooper Taylor pans out. Cheer up guys!