POD Community Mock Draft: Pick No. 29
by Sean Yuille on Apr 13, 2009 6:00 PM EDT
in NFL Draft
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With the 29th pick of the 2009 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the New York Giants select Connecticut running back Donald Brown.
Here is NorthLeft12's reasoning for the pick:
When I reviewed the Giants' roster and their needs for the future, I was bombarded with information regarding their gaping hole at wide receiver with the release of both Plaxico Buress and Amani Toomer. However, a more serious loss was the departure of running back Derrick Ward. This Giants team has been built on the ability to run the ball on anyone with a three-headed running back by committee and a great offensive line. Brandon Jacobs is the key person in this group, but his punishing style leads to him missing games -- three last year and five in 2007. While Ahmad Bradshaw is a fine change of pace (fast) runner, he cannot shoulder the load, and his problems hanging on to the ball are a major concern. They do have Danny Ware on the team, but I don't have enough information to believe that he can be considered a reliable back up.
Donald Brown is a great all around back who has all the tools and has shown a well-rounded game at UConn while leading all Div. 1 rushers with over 2,000 yards in 2008. He doesn't fumble and can carry a heavy workload. He worked effectively in a committee situation in his sophomore year and is considered an outstanding person and team player. He would be an instant upgrade over Derrick Ward to keep the Giants at the top of the league in rushing.
I did consider two other running backs for the Giants. First, Chris Wells of Ohio State. He has the same strengths (power) and weaknesses (injuries) as Brandon Jacobs, so I did not consider him a good long-term fit. The other back was Andre Brown of NC State. He is a real possibility for the Giants in the second- or third- round. He is a fast, big, powerful, runner and a great receiver. He has broken his foot twice, so he is a bit of a risk. I would not pick Andre in the first-round but would not be surprised if the Giants picked him up later in the draft.
I did look at the wide receivers available (Kenny Britt was tempting) but decided that a high-quality receiver would be there at the Giants' #45 pick. Donald Brown will be long gone before that pick, and the alternates are not in the same class. The bottom line for me is that the Giants are about running and stopping the run. They took care of their defensive front seven in free agency; now they will reinforce their running game in the draft.
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Sorry,
can’t agree.
Much like the WR position, too much is made of us losing guys there. The WR position and RB have long been busts when drafted in round 1 by the Giants.
WHile I think both positions are gonna be addressed in the actualy draft, I think its really unlikely they grab a RB in round 1. Donald Brown is a good choice. But the Giants like to find later round running backs, even practice squad guys like Ryan Grant and Derrick Ward were options.
WR may be the obvious choice, but I think this is gonna eventually be defense with the first round pick (or probably a trade up for DHB.)
Sounds like the Detroit QB Syndrome
FB, Most mocks seem to favour the Giants taking Britt, but I really don’t think that will happen. The Giants are full of young receivers right now. Tyree is the elder statesman coming off of the IR. I feel like the Giants are going to pick up a veteran WR after the draft [Torry Holt?] and let their young WRs develop.
As for defence, I think that might be more likely at #45, say William Moore if Sean Smith is gone.
I thought Andre Brown of NC State was a great fit for the Giants, but as I said I would need to know more about his medical condition than I get off the scouting reports. I have seen him projected in the third or fourth rounds.
As I said, I was looking for a complimentary player to the current Giants RBs and felt that Donald Brown was a great fit.
Brown is gonna be a fine player
but the thing with Ward was he was a pretty good receiver. I haven’t heard that much of Brown in that regard. As for Andre Brown he may actually indeed be a Giant when all is said and done, but no earlier than round 4. He isn’t even ahead of Javon Ringer on most boards.
The WR is probably on the roster already. Torry Holt has consistently been my favorite choice, but Reese has said they aren’t interested.
As for the Syndrome thing, Joe Montgomery, Ron Dayne, Tyrone Wheatly, Jared Bunch, were all first rounders or 2nd rounders. All sucked balls (and all were from the Big 10 BTW.) I personally would rather see Moreno if anyone of the RB’s in round one. He is explosive and can catch the ball, he’ll be just like Tiki Barber or maybe better considering how good our line is now.
I’ve been saying about the WR that Hixon and Steve Smith remind me a whole lot of Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell, 2 receivers Coughlin had in Jacksonville. Manningham is an unknown, but he was the man at Michigan for the most part was he not?
All in all, I think the giants trade up for DHB. He is the type of talent we’ve been looking for.
by FreeBradshaw on Apr 13, 2009 7:05 PM EDT up reply actions
I like your reasoning
It is important for the Giants to maintain that balance they’ve had at RB. I think this is a solid pick. As you say, WR can wait until #45 or later. You may want to think about OLB there, though, depending on who’s available.
Theres no way
they take a RB in round one.
They let ward go because they knew Bradshaw is a good change of pace to Jacobs. They don’t need 3 RBs they need some more WRs. So what if they are reaching for a pick if it is a need why not. Hakeem Nicks would be a good pick here along with Britt.
I just don’t agree with your reasoning in why they need another RB. Two good RBs is serviceable for a team they should go after other needs.
Check my reasoning.
Jacobs will miss probably four games. Bradshaw is a speed back who fumbles…a lot. The Giants will draft a running back to take a fair bit of the load. They may wait until the third round, although I doubt it, but they will take an RB relatively early. They are a rushing team. They need to have three capable backs to be successful. Especially because of the limits of the two who are on the roster now.
Bradshaw
fumbling is not gonna be a concern. The Giants last 2 star RB in Tiki and Jacobs had fumbling problems much worse than Bradshaw.
The Giant will not spend a pick higher than their compensatory in the 3rd round on a RB.
As much as i like Donald Brown, Moreno or even McCoy and think of how they can be stars behind the Giants O-Line, I just can’t see it.
The name to look out for is Ian Johnson. He may be the RB in the draft and they can get him with one of the 5th rounders.
by FreeBradshaw on Apr 14, 2009 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions
None of the Giants previous RBs
were first round draft choices. I dont see them using their 1st round pick on a position they have successfully drafted in much latter rounds. That would be like Belichick and the pats using their 1st rounder on a QB, just not the organization draft strategy.
exacltly
and as I stated, our previous RB in round one dating back to Rodney Hampton haven’t exaclty been a picture of succes.
But that’s not a good way to think tho. Jeremy Shockey was an exceptional TE talent, and guys like Derrick Brown were 1st round TE’s and they sucked absolute balls.
The RB’s we have selected like jarrob Bunch, Ron Dayne Tyrone Wheatley were the kind of guys that I guess you’d think would be NY Giants and were thought of as the second coming of Rodney hampton. But they were all fat and slow.
If the Giants did indeed draft Donald Brown or Knowshown Moreno or Leshawn McCoy, these guys are explosive and fast, much different than the previous 1st rounders (not to mention not Big 10 fat RB’s).
by FreeBradshaw on Apr 13, 2009 7:09 PM EDT up reply actions
About those Pat QBs.......
You can afford to pick QBs in the last few rounds and slowly develop them when you have an elite starting QB. The Pats drafted Drew Bledsoe first overall in 1993. With him as a starter they picked QBs late and hit on Brady in 2000. They then continued that practice and hit again with Cassel in 2005.
No team can rely on late picks to build their team. They can do this only from a position of strength. If Brady goes down with another severe injury the Pats will pick a QB early faster than you can spell Belichick.
This talk about a “team strategy” for certain positions is nonsense. The Giants could draft RBs late was because they had Tiki Barber at the top of his game from 2002 through 2006. Then had Jacobs and Ward.
Doesn't NY have enough RB's
Jacobs, Bradshaw, and a couple other young backs?
The Giants live and die on their Rushing Offence
Ward was a 1,000 yard rusher and an excellent receiver. They let him leave because he is turning 29 and wanted more money than they were prepared to offer. Jacobs will miss at least three games a year and it is imperative that they keep him relatively fresh and healthy for the playoffs. Bradshaw in two years has carried the ball 90 times with 7 receptions. He has fumbled the ball five times. I think it is quite a leap to think that he could step in and carry the ball over 150 times. Since the other young backs have basically done nothing, its hard for me to judge if they can step in. I don’t think the Giants want to take that chance.
For a team that rushes as much as they do, they need three solid backs. Donald Brown can pick up Ward’s load and then some.
Having said that, I can easily see the Giants waiting for the third or fourth round to get a running back like Andre Brown. But if I was running the Giants, I would take Donald Brown.
Well
When Tiki left, we had Jacobs who’s only playing time was goal line back and then we had derrick Ward who was a practice squad guy who played college at Ottawa (in Kansas).
Bradshaw may have fumbled at a high percentage of his carries, but again its nothing Coughlin hasn’t cured in the past. Danny Ware is also faster and bigger than Derrick Ward.
Ward was good, but he came from the practice squad. From what I saw from danny ware he is gonna be just as good as Ward.
The only thing they’ll miss with Ward is his pass catching. Bradshaw has shown good hands when thrown the ball.
I know Andre Brown or even Donald Brown would be good 2nd – 4th round picks, but I can’t see the Giants drafting anything earlier than a 5th on a RB (and who knows, maybe Andre Brown drops that far.
The thing is, the rook is gonna be 4th on the depth chart. He is not gonna get much playing time.
by FreeBradshaw on Apr 13, 2009 9:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Time will tell
Just like all our discussions, this is all speculation. We will see what transpires in two weeks.
I like Brown, I think he'll be good
which is why I voted yes. This mock draft has been highly unpredictable and I don’t think the real draft will turn out this way, which is why I think this selection may be easier for the Giants in 2 weeks time.
2009 = The start of the Lions Golden Age (We hope).
I agree with you.
My philosophy with being GM of the Giant was to pick a player that I felt would be true to their character and would help them be a better team.
I did not approach it to try and predict what the Giants would actually do. Or present the consensus view of the draft gurus.
Even though I disagreed with a number of picks, and said so, I appreciated the different take that some of our “GMs” have provided.
by NorthLeft12 on Apr 13, 2009 10:21 PM EDT up reply actions
I think everyone has been really smart with their picks
There hasn’t been any random picks for the fun of it, which was what I was expecting for some of them, It’s been fun and I hope we can do it again next year.
2009 = The start of the Lions Golden Age (We hope).
by Hyperion Ecta on Apr 13, 2009 11:02 PM EDT up reply actions
This may be a dead horse
But you can get a change of pace/backup back somewhere that isn’t the first round, like free agency for instance and maybe a later round.
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