Mr. P Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Michigan offensive tackle Taylor Lewan and North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron won't be available to the New York Giants in the 2014 NFL Draft because both will be off the board long before the Giants select at No. 12. That is the opinion of Greg Gabriel, who spent 29 years as a college scout for NFL teams, including the Giants from 1985-2001 and nine seasons as Director of College Scouting for the Chicago Bears after that. Gabriel recently shared opinions on Lewan, Ebron and several other topics concerning the upcoming draft with me. Highlights of our discussion are below. Must Reads Is Taylor Lewan On Or Off Your Draft Board? Ed Valentine On Michigan offensive tackle Taylor Lewan ... "He won't get to the Giants," Gabriel said. "The guy is a top 10 tackle. He's better than the guy who went first in the draft last year [Eric Fisher], so why is he gonna go below 10 in the draft this year? It's not gonna happen." What about those charges Lewan faces from a December fight? Gabriel seemed unconcerned: "If there was something really to it he would have been charged in December. It was a thing that teams knew about. Many teams already addressed it in interviews at the Combine and I'm sure they have decided one way or the other." Must Reads Playing For Giants Is Ebron's Dream Ed Valentine On North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron ... "Realistic [that the Giants would select him] if he gets there. I don't think he gets there." In the past two decades only four tight ends have been selected higher than 12th overall, and the average for the first tight end off the board is pick No. 25. "The game has changed, so you've gotta almost throw that stat out. People are looking for the big, athletic tight end that's a difference-maker as far as being able to play in space," Gabriel said. "They're big wide receivers and they create mismatch problems. That's what Ebron does, but on top of that he can block at the ‘enough' level. He's not a great blocker, but he's not a push. He's gonna give you something. He's not a conventional ‘Y' tight end blocker, but he's good enough to get the job done." So, what will the Giants do at No. 12? ... "I've known Jerry [Reese] since the day he came into the league. I worked with him for a long time. Jerry's philosophy is best guy available. The Giants have needs. They can go wide receiver. They can go offensive line. They can go defensive line. They can go a lot of places," Gabriel said. "It's gonna be the best player." In a mock draft published Thursday morning, Gabriel selected Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans for the Giants. "Who knows if I'm right about that," Gabriel told me. On the job Jerry Reese has done ... "He's done a good job. They've gone to two Super Bowls since he's been the GM." "It's not like they're picking in the top 10. They're picking in the bottom 10. There's a little bit of luck involved there." "Yeah there's picks they haven't hit on. The Marvin Austin pick they didn't hit on, a couple others, but you go to every team in the league and you're going to find that. "It's what have you done for me lately? They didn't win last year or the year before, so now everybody's a bum. But everybody who's a bum now was a superstar two years ago. "Guess what? They don't change. They're the same people." On the Giants and drafting linebackers ... Gabriel pointed out that Giants' defensive coordinator Perry Fewell was in Chicago when Gabriel was there and Lovie Smith was head coach, and that he runs a very similar defensive scheme to what Smith employed. Gabriel said the key linebacker for Fewell's defense is the WILL, followed by the MIKE and that the SAM is "almost an afterthought." "Guys like [Anthony] Barr and [Khalil] Mack ... those are 3-4 outside linebackers who are going to be used to rush the passer. You're wasting max talent if you're going to make them a SAM linebacker in a 4-3. "Based on the scheme they're playing now I don't see him [barr] as a fit." Must Reads Aaron Donald Prospect Profile Invictus XI On Pitt defensive tackle Aaron Donald ... "I think Aaron Donald is a fit, but I'm gonna just have a little pause on that. Perry uses bigger guys inside than Lovie ever used. "A guy who is an excellent 3 technique type player that fits a one-gap scheme is Aaron Donald. He could be a possibility there, but you look at him and he's not 6-1, so does he fit your profile?" On Draft philosophy ... "When I started with the Giants in 1985 it was about taking the best player available, but you didn't lose players in free agency because there was no such thing. Now you take the best player, but you take the best player that more or less fits a need. You're always going to have three or four needs. Your best player can fit one of those needs. "You could find ways to stash players when I started out. "You've gotta draft according to fit. You've still got to have players that fit the profile that you've got written out for each position." http://www.bigblueview.com/2014/3/27/5551192/2014-nfl-draft-giants-taylor-lewan-eric-ebron-aaron-donald Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herc Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 wow, lewan i get but this ebron guy must be pretty good if he's not going to be there at 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmenroc Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 wow, lewan i get but this ebron guy must be pretty good if he's not going to be there at 12 That, or one guy's opinion of Ebron is too high. I agree with the draft philosophy though...best player available at a position of need...for the first 3 rounds...and best player available after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueInCanada Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 I agree with this guy. Everyone is having these mocks where 2 or 3 QBs go in the top five, to the Texans/Jags/Raiders or the Browns. I hoenstly only see maybe the Texans drafting a QB at number one, from what I read all of these QBs in this years draft are pretty average no Andrew Luck among them. I can see the Texans drafting a QB just for nessesity but at the same time if they pulled another Mario Williams I wouldnt be surprised either. So I see a lot of these guys like Lewan and Ebron being gone before the Giant's pick but at the same time that's a good thing, by the time the Giant's are on the board the best WR, CB, DT, and even the best O-line will still be on the board. All positions of need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedinBlue Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 If there's anything I've learned over the years - is that the front end of the draft in round one always surprises people - especially the high paid analysts. There's 20-25 players this year that would be top 10 in any other year. Teams rarely do what people expect them to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sephiroth Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 I honestly don't understand the Ebron love. He's a pass-catching TE with bad hands. I heard on the radio he dropped 11% of the passes thrown his way last year. It doesn't matter how fucking fast you run or how high you can jump... if you can't catch, and you're a pass-catching TE, then you're useless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sephiroth Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 I also heard on Giants.com that Lewan has been taken completely off some teams' draft boards. It's not just that "he's had a brush with the law," but apparently there are a lot of people in the NFL that think he's an all-around shitty guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigblue25 Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I honestly don't understand the Ebron love. He's a pass-catching TE with bad hands. I heard on the radio he dropped 11% of the passes thrown his way last year. It doesn't matter how fucking fast you run or how high you can jump... if you can't catch, and you're a pass-catching TE, then you're useless. 8 dropped passes on 70 targets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigblue25 Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I also heard on Giants.com that Lewan has been taken completely off some teams' draft boards. It's not just that "he's had a brush with the law," but apparently there are a lot of people in the NFL that think he's an all-around shitty guy. This is what I've heard. Even before the bar fight the talk was he's a real douchebag, even to teammates. Sounds like the next Incognito. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigblue25 Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 If there's anything I've learned over the years - is that the front end of the draft in round one always surprises people - especially the high paid analysts. There's 20-25 players this year that would be top 10 in any other year. Teams rarely do what people expect them to do. This a deep draft and it makes it hard to mock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pizan Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Buffalo could desperately use a playmaker like Ebron or Evans to help out EJ. And I don't think Lewan gets passed Detroit. They really need a tackle. So It's definitely possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMFP Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I honestly don't understand the Ebron love. He's a pass-catching TE with bad hands. I heard on the radio he dropped 11% of the passes thrown his way last year. It doesn't matter how fucking fast you run or how high you can jump... if you can't catch, and you're a pass-catching TE, then you're useless. I really hope he's gone because unless he's a very good blocker it's a wasted pick.. Didn't we learn anything from the Meyers experience ? This is what continues to piss me off about the black unicorn situation ..... We had a perfectly capable pass catching tight end who was a read zone threat and a very good blocker and Reese bargain bins that away....and now we are talking about burning a 1st round pick to address that on a guy who isn't nearly as good a blocker . And now I have to assume that Adrien Robinson is a complete bust. Taylor Lewan would be an absolute steal but it won't happen. Giants need to get the best offensive lineman available ..... Anything else would be disappointing to me. Really interesting article, though .....especially how "best available" has been impacted by the salary cap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nas Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I'll just say this... If Lewan is available at 12, and I believe he will be, the Giants need to pick him. I cannot stress enough the need for at least 2 very solid OLs in this draft and I can totally see us going for that in one and 2... now the only exception is if a stud DE/DT is also available... and even then... he needs to be clearly better than the OL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedinBlue Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 If we grab Zack Martin in the first - even with our 12th overall - I'd be very happy. I really want Martin on our team next year. I'm hoping we can drop down a few picks and still get him, but that might be a pipe dream. Either way, I want him on our team....more than Ebron for sure and even more than Lewan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigblue25 Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I'll just say this... If Lewan is available at 12, and I believe he will be, the Giants need to pick him. I cannot stress enough the need for at least 2 very solid OLs in this draft and I can totally see us going for that in one and 2... now the only exception is if a stud DE/DT is also available... and even then... he needs to be clearly better than the OL. Don't think there will be a stud DT/DE. I'm not huge on Donald at 6' 285 pds. I wouldn't take him at 12 personally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nas Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Don't think there will be a stud DT/DE. I'm not huge on Donald at 6' 285 pds. I wouldn't take him at 12 personally. I meant in the 2nd round... I still want to go OT but the BPA available trumps that and it has to be clear cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. P Posted March 28, 2014 Author Share Posted March 28, 2014 I'd love Donald. Again, I think I'll be happy with whoever we draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMFP Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I'll just say this... If Lewan is available at 12, and I believe he will be, the Giants need to pick him. I cannot stress enough the need for at least 2 very solid OLs in this draft and I can totally see us going for that in one and 2... now the only exception is if a stud DE/DT is also available... and even then... he needs to be clearly better than the OL. If we grab Zack Martin in the first - even with our 12th overall - I'd be very happy. I really want Martin on our team next year. I'm hoping we can drop down a few picks and still get him, but that might be a pipe dream. Either way, I want him on our team....more than Ebron for sure and even more than Lewan. I'd need to check back to find the links, but I've read where Lewan and Martin are both highly regarded.....some people don't believe there is much gap between the two. I think Martin is more realistic chance than Lewan. Watching Lewan at Michigan, he was impressive. At the Combine, he looked like a giant wide receiver.....physically, this guy can get downfield after his initial block. Like BB said, if we could pick up an extra pick by trading down to get Martin, that would be killer. Either way, as much as WR's and TE's are exciting, they need to rebuild from the trenches out. Eli already has multiple weapons, even without Nicks.....he needs the time to hit those weapons, and a pass-catching TE (that drops passes) is not my idea of rebuilding toughness on offense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMFP Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Another interesting comment from Gabriel were his remarks on the Bears and Giants defenses. The Bears system has run off Urlacher and Briggs for years.....losing Urlacher has been a huge hole, and the rookies got a baptism of fire last season as a result. 4-3 defenses require good linebackers, period. That's how Tom Landry originally built the 4-3.....around Sam Huff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigblue25 Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 My first two picks are either Ebron and Moncrief or Evans and Niklas. We can build Oline and Dline depth after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigblue25 Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I'd love Donald. Again, I think I'll be happy with whoever we draft. I like Donald I don't love him and I like options later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 hmm Giants taking the best available player at 12, yeah we know that already. Ebron & Lewan not being around is definitely a possibility, shit happens. With a number of player possibilities at 12, seems like we can't miss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sephiroth Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 And now I have to assume that Adrien Robinson is a complete bust. Adrien Robinson is the JPP of Tight Ends. Minus the one good season, of course. I'd love Donald. Again, I think I'll be happy with whoever we draft. I like Donald I don't love him and I like options later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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