The Best of the Rest

[Allstarjim]

The following are players that were in Gil Brandt's (of NFL.com) Hot 50 (the actual article is a Hot 100) that have NOT been taken in the first two rounds. So, according to Gil Brandt, they would all be value picks tomorrow. So if you like Gil Brandt, then here you go:

 

Jamaal Charles RB, TEXAS

Pat Sims, DT, Auburn

Jeremy Thompson, DE/LB, Wake Forest

Dan Connor, LB, Penn State

Marcus Harrison, DT, Arkansas

 

Obviously we are not needing a RB, but I like the fact that there are two DTs in there that are highly regarded. DT is an area I think the Giants need to address by the 5th round for depth. Anybody have any thoughts on these players?

[Sephiroth]

Dude, I was hoping someone would post a "best of the rest." I've been so fucking busy this week I've hardly gotten to follow the draft at all.

 

Good lookin' out man.

[Jay Lesner]

As if Dan Connor will last 31 picks...

[Allstarjim]

As if Dan Connor will last 31 picks...

 

 

Chillax, baby! <said in Conan O'Brien voice> Simmer down now! I'm just posting who's out there. You are correct that the likelihood is that Connor won't last, but he's still out there so I had to include him. Plus, you never know what kind of trades can happen Day 2 with the potential of NY getting a higher pick in the 3rd....

 

In a few minutes I will post the players 51-100 that have not been selected yet.

 

 

[Allstarjim]

Here are the players that have not yet been drafted that Gil Brandt had in his pre-draft rankings 51-100:

 

Tier 6 (51-60)

Clifford Avril, DE/LB, Purdue

Bryan Kehl, LB, BYU

Justin King, CB, Penn State

Mario Manningham, WR, Michigan

 

Tier 7 (61-70)

Tyvon Branch, CB, Connecticut

Oniel Cousins, OL, UTEP

Tavares Gooden, LB, Miami (Fla.)

DaJuan Morgan, S, N.C. State

Kevin Smith, RB, Central Florida

 

Tier 8 (71-80)

Tashard Choice, RB, Georgia Tech

Brad Cottam, TE, Tennessee

Dre Moore, DL, Maryland

Jeremy Zuttah, G, Rutgers

 

Tier 9 (81-90)

Earl Bennett, WR, Vanderbilt

Andre Caldwell, WR, Florida

Anthonty Collins, OL, Kansas

Early Doucet, WR, LSU

Andre Fluellen, DL, Florida State

Charles Godfrey, CB, Iowa

John Greco, OL, Toledo

Erin Henderson, LB, Maryland

Mike McGlynn, OT, Pittsburgh

Reggie Smith, S, Oklahoma

 

Tier 10 (91-100)

Josha Barrett, S, Arizona State

Shawn Crable, DE/LB, Michigan

Thomas DeCoud, S, California

Chris Ellis, DE/LB, Virginia Tech

Stanford Keglar, LB, Purdue

Josh Morgan, WR, Virginia Tech

Carl Nicks, OL, Nebraska

Steve Slaton, RB, West Virginia

Craig Stevens, TE, California

Tom Zbikowski, S, Notre Dame

[Allstarjim]

Dude, I was hoping someone would post a "best of the rest." I've been so fucking busy this week I've hardly gotten to follow the draft at all.

 

Good lookin' out man.

 

You know I got your back!

[Allstarjim]

Out of all this information, I shall provide you my fellow Giants fans, some info on intriguing players that I am ripping off from NFL.com.

 

First is Mario Manningham:

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 181

 

Overview

Mario Manningham is as smooth as his middle name -- Cashmere -- when it comes to running routes.

The slight-framed receiver had great success as the favorite target for Wolverine quarterback Chad Henne. Playing mostly at split end, he finished his career ranked fifth in school history for receiving yards (2,310), fourth in touchdown catches (27) and ninth for receptions (137). All but seven of his touchdown grabs have come from outside the red zone.

 

At Warren G. Harding High School, Manningham was a Parade All-American, first-team All-State, All-District and All-Conference selection as a junior and senior. He was rated 12th on the Detroit Free Press "Best of the Midwest" list and was a four-star prospect that was ranked the fifth-best receiver nationally and third-best prospect in Ohio by Rivals.com.

 

College Football News rated Manningham as the sixth-best wide receiver and 43rd player overall in the country. He was named Prep Star's Dream Team as the sixth-rated receiver prospect in the nation and was named the seventh-best receiver prospect by Student Sports Hot 100 recruits.

 

Manningham started the last two years of his three-year career. He had 105 catches for 1,883 yards and 24 receiving touchdowns in his final two seasons and also tallied four interceptions at cornerback during his career. He had 52 receptions for 821 yards and 10 touchdowns during his senior season, including seven grabs for 251 yards and three scores vs. Glenville, as he clinched the team's victory with an interception and 50-yard return for a score in the waning moments.

 

Manningham caught 32 passes for 626 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior and made 21 catches for 436 yards and three scores his sophomore year. He also lettered in basketball, earning honorable mention All-State his senior year. The three-year varsity letterwinner averaged 17 points as a senior after posting a career-best 21-point average his junior year, gaining All-Conference and All-District honors during his final two years.

 

As a freshman at Michigan in 2005, Manningham was a Freshman All-American honorable mention and Freshman All-Big Ten Conference choice by The Sporting News. The UM receiver was going to enroll at Ohio State, but the Wolverines wrested him away from his in-state team. He went on to catch 27 passes for 433 yards (16.0-yard average) and six touchdowns while starting three of 12 games at split end, sharing that spot with Steve Breaston.

 

A partially torn medial collateral ligament and meniscus in his right knee vs. Michigan State required arthroscopic surgery in 2006, as Manningham started nine of 10 games in which he played. The Rivals.com All-American third-team pick finished third on the squad with 38 catches for 703 yards (18.5-yard average) and nine scores while lining up at flanker.

 

Manningham shifted back to split end in 2007, starting 11 of 12 games. He led the team with 72 receptions and led the Big Ten Conference with 1,174 yards (16.3-yard average), as he scored 12 times. He also rushed 19 times for 119 yards.

 

While his 72 catches are impressive, the fact that he had 142 passes thrown to him, leaving 70 potential receptions on the field, drew the ire of former head coach Lloyd Carr, who said Manningham didn't play as well as he can.

 

Manningham was also suspended by the coaching staff for the Eastern Michigan game, for what Carr first cited as a violation of team policy. It was later revealed that the staff was made aware of an off-field incident on April 25. He was one of three people in a car registered to Manningham's father on a road from Ann Arbor to his home in Ohio.

 

In southern Monroe County, not far from the state line, an unmarked car pulled up behind the Cadillac. The sheriff's deputy searched the three young men and the car. The two passengers had a small amount of marijuana in their clothing. The deputy found 500-milligram tablets of Vicodin, a prescription pain killer and a controlled substance, in Manningham's pockets and a couple in his suitcase in the trunk.

 

The three young men were arrested and transported to a nearby State Police post.

Manningham was questioned about the pills. He said that after undergoing surgery in January, he had been prescribed Vicodin, but he had run out and borrowed a few from a teammate for his upcoming car trip.

 

In late October, prosecutor William Nichols announced he has decided no warrant against Manningham would be issued and he would not be charged with a felony for possession of Vicodin pills not specifically prescribed for him. He could have been charged with a felony.

 

Manningham closed out his career by starting 24 of the 34 games in which he played. He had 137 receptions for 2,310 yards (16.9-yard average) and 27 touchdowns, scoring 162 points. He added 176 yards on 31 carries and 17 yards on a punt return, amassing 2,503 all-purpose yards, an average of 73.62 yards per game.

 

Analysis

 

Positives: Has adequate shoulder width and room on his frame to add more bulk, but only if it won't impact his quickness...Has exceptional speed and acceleration to suddenly burst off the snap and get into his routes (will struggle vs. a press)...Shows good sideline awareness and the ability to make the tough catch with his back to the quarterback...Can also surprise a second-level defender with his suddenness coming out of his breaks...Sharp pitter-patter route runner with a fluid change of direction...Plants and drives well on his routes and is alert to the stationing of deep coverage...Runs with very good agility and balance (fluid, natural motion) and is able to get to top speed instantly when he is not facing a strong jam...Has the body control to get in and out of his routes and is very elusive after the catch...Not the type that will go over the middle for the ball, but he is slippery trying to avoid tacklers...Very quick to see and adjust to the secondary's moves and has big-play ability after the catch...His straight-line burst allows him to consistently stretch the field...Creates a lot of separation on his own and can find space in the zone seams...Has the burst to separate deep separation and sideline body control to make acrobatic catches seem routine...Has a sudden burst out of his cuts and is known for making the off-balance grabs near the sidelines...Has the quickness to consistently beat defenders on deep routes...Makes most of his yardage after the catch, easily turning the defensive back on his routes while kicking into second gear to run away from his man...While he lacks the strength to escape the jam, he has the speed to elude...Able to drop his weight and show good body control in his short-area patterns and can get open deep due to his quickness coming out of the break...Has quick plant-and-cut ability and loves when the defenders give him even the tiniest of cushions...Shows smooth and fluid body adjustments while tracking the ball in flight...A liability when used on inside routes, but has the speed and suddenness to separate on the perimeter...Has good body flexibility to adjust to the ball in flight and, when he maintains concentration, he does a good job of looking the ball in and catching it with hands extended away from his frame...Has gazelle-like moves in the open field and though he lacks bulk to break tackles, he has the vision and elusiveness to make big plays...Shows good hip wiggle, shake and burst to take a defensive back out of his backpedal earlier than desired and has that game-breaking ability to stretch the field.

 

Negatives: Has a slight frame with marginal strength and struggles to maintain additional bulk...In previous attempts to put on weight, it has impacted his quickness, making him look sluggish coming out of the gate and into his routes...Always looking for the home run, which will lead to concentration lapses, resulting in drops of easily catchable balls (was successful in getting to only 72 of 142 passes thrown to him)...Shows little willingness to sacrifice his body and get to the ball in a crowd, as he is more conscious of the defender closing on him, resulting in several dropped balls (converted just 12-of-42 third-down plays he was involved in during 2007)...Had an off-field incident that might need further clarification...Passive blocker who prefers to just "pester" his man and does not make much of an effort to sustain blocks...Likes to cradle the ball and sometimes will try to turn and run before he has properly secured the pigskin (does not have fumble issues, but did have several costly drops in 2007 -- see Oregon, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Ohio State games)...Competes better when he knows he will be the primary target, tending to throttle down when not involved in the play (resulted in his being benched briefly early in the season and be cited by coach Carr for a less than urgent performance on the field)...Needs to improve his balance coming back for off-target passes (does not get down well enough to make shoestring catches)...Must time his leaps better and improve his jumping ability, as he will lose more than a fair share of battles going for the pass at its high point (had 20 passes deflected away from him in 2007)...Needs to improve his overall strength, as the more physical defenders have good success in pressing and rerouting him (relies mostly on his speed to elude)...Must display better courage when operating over the middle and he shies away from contact...Liability for the ground game, as he is very hesitate when asked to cut block, will not face up to an opponent and takes poor angles.

 

Compares To: SINORICE MOSS-New York Giants...Both have speed, neither can escape a physical jam and both tend to shy away from contact on a regular basis. While Manningham's college statistics are impressive and he has natural hands, he leaves a lot of passes on the field, lacking great courage battling for the ball in a crowd. Like Moss, if he has a clear path, he will torch the deep secondary and is known as a playmaker. The problem is, unless he gets more physical vs. the press and plays with better moxie going over the middle, Manningham looks like a classic boom-or-bust prospect.

 

Injury Report

2006: Suffered a right knee partial meniscus and medial collateral ligament tear in the third quarter vs. Michigan State (10/07), undergoing arthroscopic surgery that prevented him from playing vs. Penn State (10/14), Iowa (10/21) and Northwestern (10/28).

 

Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.

 

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For the record, I know he is a "name" guy and is still available at a position I think we would be wise to address, but I don't want him. I want a bigger target for Eli, plus, I don't think we need another Sinorice.

[Lubeck]

For the record, I know he is a "name" guy and is still available at a position I think we would be wise to address, but I don't want him. I want a bigger target for Eli, plus, I don't think we need another Sinorice.

 

How can a guy with 4 inches on Sinorice be compared to him though?

[BleedinBlue]

It will be interesting to see where the Giants go with their 3rd round pick. In the past, they've usually alternated between defense and offense in order to allow their defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator the opportunity to re-stock their shelves and perhaps find a key player for their schemes.

 

So I suspect we'll go offense this time.....probably wide reciever, but maybe a big strong lineman like Jeremy Zuttah. Who knows?

 

I am very leary of Mario Manningham. Not because I don't think he's talented, but because of his past drug use, his lying about it, and his wonderlic score of a whopping "6". Reports have said that the "6" in his wonderlic score was no fluke and he has trouble spelling his name the same way twice - seriously! Players are allowed to take the wonderlic tests twice if they feel they didn't have adequate time or weren't well enough prepared, but those close to Manningham told him not to take the test over because he could actually score lower the second time around.

 

Bottom line: apparantly he's dumb as a box of rocks and has a penchant for drugs. Who on earth gets caught in a drug test twice? Not performance based drugs, but simply pleasure drugs. Especially when you know you are good enough to be a first round draft choice if only you stay away from the dope.

 

I picture a young man who will instantly become a millionaire once he is signed and have too much money and too little sense to stay away from the drugs.

[fishgutmartyr]

Anyone know why Conner fell so far? He was supposed to go late first, right?

 

 

[CrazedDogs]

It will be interesting to see where the Giants go with their 3rd round pick. In the past, they've usually alternated between defense and offense in order to allow their defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator the opportunity to re-stock their shelves and perhaps find a key player for their schemes.

 

So I suspect we'll go offense this time.....probably wide reciever, but maybe a big strong lineman like Jeremy Zuttah. Who knows?

 

I am very leary of Mario Manningham. Not because I don't think he's talented, but because of his past drug use, his lying about it, and his wonderlic score of a whopping "6". Reports have said that the "6" in his wonderlic score was no fluke and he has trouble spelling his name the same way twice - seriously! Players are allowed to take the wonderlic tests twice if they feel they didn't have adequate time or weren't well enough prepared, but those close to Manningham told him not to take the test over because he could actually score lower the second time around.

 

Bottom line: apparantly he's dumb as a box of rocks and has a penchant for drugs. Who on earth gets caught in a drug test twice? Not performance based drugs, but simply pleasure drugs. Especially when you know you are good enough to be a first round draft choice if only you stay away from the dope.

 

I picture a young man who will instantly become a millionaire once he is signed and have too much money and too little sense to stay away from the drugs.

 

If we excluded every prospect who's smoked weed, it would be maybe a two round draft. But he sure was retarded to lie about it after his failed tests. And a '6' on the Wonderlic? How'd he get into Michigan?

 

Got to say, I think your assessment is right on with this guy, Bleedin. Stay the hell away.

 

 

[BleedinBlue]

Anyone know why Conner fell so far? He was supposed to go late first, right?

I have no idea, but it is a little puzzling. I'm not surprised that both Keith Rivers and Jerod Mayo went before Conners, but what's really puzzling is that both Curtis Lofton and especially Jordan Dizon have been picked ahead of him

 

Scouts look for something special about a kid that fits their perfect scheme rather than what the talking heads have to say. Hell....if Kiper was so smart, he'd be making ten times more money working for a football team....instead, he's no different than all the other hacks holding a microphone. He's just really, really irritating because he's so adamant that he has the corner on what teams should pick. Hell...he gave the Giants a "C+" grade on taking Kenny Phillips - a player many had going in the top 15 or 20.

 

Conners will probably be perfect for some team's scheme, but they must have other pressing needs. Perhaps he will be there when the Giants are on the clock again and maybe they'll grab him. but I really suspect Giants will go offense this round.