Past drafts re-graded

[Taylorized56]

Looks like we did pretty good eh?

 

2003 http://walterfootball.com/draft2003Gnfc.php

Grade given on 5/1/03: D

Grade given on 6/7/08: B+

Good Moves: DT William Joseph was a good pick, late in the first round. They drafted a good corner in the fourth round, Rod Babers.

 

Bad Moves: 2nd and 3rd round picks were duds: DE Osi Umenyiora and TE Vashante Shicarore should have TV and radio announcers baffled for years. They did not address their OT need.

 

June 7, 2008 Update: Osi Umenyiora still has TV and radio announcers baffled. You can include opposing offensive coordinators in that category too. Umenyiora (2nd round) had 15 sacks in 2005 and 13 in 2007.

 

I was way off on this draft, as you can tell. Umenyiora's not a dud, while William Joseph (No. 25 overall) and Rod Babers (4th round) were anything but good picks. Joseph was out of football in 2007, but recently signed a 1-year deal with the Raiders. I'm not surprised ... Babers, meanwhile, has been out of football since 2004.

 

In his first year as a starter, Visanthe Shiancoe (not Shicarore, the female pop singer) notched 27 receptions and 323 yards with the Vikings. Not terrible, but I get the feeling Minnesota regrets paying him $18 million over five seasons. Shiancoe was a third-rounder.

 

New York's best pick, with the exception of Umenyiora, was the fifth-rounder it spent on David Diehl. A former guard, Diehl transitioned over to left tackle and played extremely well ... Other solid Day 2 selections include Frank Walker (6th round), a solid special-teamer; David Tyree (6th round), the hero of Super Bowl XLII; and Kevin Walter (7th round), who had 65 receptions and 800 yards with the Texans in 2007.

 

Willie Ponder (6th round) returned two kickoffs for touchdowns a few years ago, but is currently out of the league ... Charles Drake and Wayne Lucier, both seventh-rounders, are also unemployed.

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2004 http://walterfootball.com/draft2004Gnfc.php

Grade given on 5/1/04: D

Grade given on 6/5/08: A+

Good Moves: G Chris Snee will be a talented offensive lineman, although he was not the best available at his position. Seventh round pick DE Isaac Hilton will pan out.

 

Bad Moves: Giving away a first round pick was a terrible move, even if it was for a franchise quarterback. None of their other picks seemed to make any sense, and they didn't address their woeful offensive tackle position.

 

June 5, 2008 Update: I never said Eli Manning was going to be a bust, though I never expected him to win a Super Bowl after watching him flop down the stretch a number of times. I was more concerned with the fact the Giants gave up so much to get him. Well, they apparently knew what they were doing. Congratulations to Eli and the rest of the Giants for knocking off the invincible Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

 

Eli wasn't the only star New York picked up in this class. Chris Snee (2nd round), the son-in-law of Tom Coughlin, has emerged as one of the better guards in the NFL. He'll be a free agent in 2009 unless the Giants can lock him up ... Gibril Wilson (5th round) was instrumental to the Giants' Super Bowl run. Wilson was the team's top defensive back, and was awarded with a 6-year, $39 million contract from Al Davis this offseason ... Reggie Torbor (4th round) is a solid backup linebacker, though the $14 million contract the Dolphins gave him says otherwise.

 

No, Isaac Hilton did not pan out. In fact, none of New York's sixth- and seventh-rounders did. Jamaar Taylor, Drew Strojny and Hilton are all working elsewhere.

 

Potential 2004 Starters: QB Eli Manning, G Chris Snee.

 

2005 http://walterfootball.com/draft2005Gnfc.php

Grade given on 5/1/05: B

Grade given on 6/3/08: A

Good Moves: The Giants didn't have many picks, but they made a couple of good moves. Cornerback Corey Webster will be a decent nickel back in 2005. Defensive end Justin Tuck provides much-needed depth behind Michael Strahan, while Brandon Jacobs will spell Tiki Barber for a few plays.

 

Bad Moves: There were better defensive ends than Eric Moore in the sixth round.

 

June 3, 2008 Update: I gave the Giants a B because they had just four picks. Big mistake. Three of those selections all made huge contributions to their Super Bowl run.

 

The player who had the most impact last year was Justin Tuck, a third-round steal who has become one of the better defensive linemen in all of football ... Everyone knows what Brandon Jacobs brings to the table, and New York managed to snag him in the fourth round ... Corey Webster (2nd round) isn't a starter, but he stepped up his game when it mattered most.

 

The only pick of New York's that I didn't like was Eric Moore (6th round). Moore played sparingly with the Rams last year.

 

Potential 2005 Starters: None.

 

 

 

 

[hlb37]

 

 

good stuff. I love looking back at expert commentary 3 - 5 years later. Shows what an inexact science drafting is.

 

 

[Lubeck]

good stuff. I love looking back at expert commentary 3 - 5 years later. Shows what an inexact science drafting is.

 

I wouldn't say drafting as much as media infatuation. Front offices know they are gambling with every pick. Some are better than others at getting good players.

[gateb]

Accorsi deserves a lot of credit for putting this team together.

[BIGBLUE01]

I still dont understand how we didnt win a championship when we had Wayne Lucier?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BlueInCanada]

"Osi Youdidwhatwithmymama?....why the fuck did we take this kid"- Me on us taking Osi.... I'm glad I'm not a GM.