Meet the New York Giants 2008 Draft Class
After a rather smooth running 2008 NFL draft, the New York Giants met several goals heading into the draft. The had several needs, and while they did not address all of them, they did handle the most glaring needs: safety, cornerback, linebacker depth, and wide receiver.
GM Jerry Reese has preached to Giant faithful the importance of finding value and need, and while I felt he did do that for the most part, I also believe Jerry reached a bit on some picks. However, I will get to that a bit later in the article. Without further ado, let us meet the newest members of the Super Bowl Champion New Football Giants.
Kenny Phillips - Safety - University of Miami
I think we all knew that this was the consensus pick for the Giants. In the media briefing, Reese hinted at the fact that many of the war room combatants did not feel as though Phillips would be available at #31, and they felt fortunate that he was. The did have a contingency plan of about 4-5 players, with one of those players already taken in an earlier slot. True to form, Reese did not elaborate on who those other players were, or what positions they play, but we can assume safety and cornerback were among the list.
What the Giants like about Phillips is he plays fast, long, and is versatile. He has a great combination of size (6′2”, 213 lbs), speed, and ability and that is what earned him the right to be the first safety taken in the 2008 draft.  Reese has also emphasized how “clean” Phillips is, on and off the field, and that should bode very well for the legacy of the New York Giants. What I love about this guy is his ability to close in on the ball quickly, avoid unnecessary contact in the secondary, and deliver big hits at big moments int he game. These are attributes that are hard to teach, and for a player to come in and already possess these talents only strengthens the value of this pick.
Terrell Thomas - Cornerback - University of Southern Cal
I was not surprised of the positional pick, but I was rather surprised over the player chosen. Terrell Thomas was a phenomenal player at USC, however, he never seemed to stay off of the operating table. He has underwent several surgeries including both shoulders and a knee. Reese has stressed the need to rid the locker room of injuries and Coughlin has also spoke injuries as a “cancer.” So what gives in this pick? Simply put, Reese believed in his medical staff, and trusted their opinion in whether or not Thomas would be able to endure the excruciating 16 game regular season as a nickel back/special teamer. Thomas carries a lot of versatility, as he can play the slot, outside, and even safety. He is a big (6′1”, 198 lbs), strong corner who can tackle, cover, read, and catch. Bottom line, even despite his health shortcomings, Terrell Thomas is a playmaker and will leave a mark in this league. Hopefully, his mark won’t be a imprint of his body on the turf at Giants Stadium.
Mario Manningham - Wide Receiver - University of Michigan
I love this pick for several reasons, and I would love to hear your reactions to Manningham being a New York Giant. Manningham is the full deal. He can catch in traffic, has great hands, sharp route runner, and knows what a big stage is and how to perform on one. Also, he is a smart football player, physical off the break, and he can make great adjustments on the ball without much separation from defenders. He does come with character red flags, but most athletes do, so this is a low risk liability. Manningham was a steal in Round 3, and Reese & Co. had to be ecstatic that he landed in their lap. I was getting restless in the Round 2, because I wanted to see Malcolm Kelly or Limas Sweed fall in Reese’s lap, but I will take Manningham/Terrell Thomas with no regrets or second guessing. Mario has said he is a low risk guy, and has reiterated that the past is the past and his problems are long behind him. Reese also added that he will meet with Mario and make sure he knows what is expected of him, similarly to the conversation Reese had with troubled 2007 pick, Ahmad Bradshaw. Manningham should be fine and will keep his nose clean. The WR corps is a proud unit and former Michigan standout, Amani Toomer, will certainly bring him in as his own, and set him straight. Giants fans, do not worry about Mario Manningham. He will produce on and off the field!
Bryan Kehl - Linebacker - BYU
The Giants must have thought pretty highly of Kehl because they traded up in the 4th round to nab him. They traded picks 130 and and 194 to move to 123 and I believe this was a bit of a reach. There was quality left on the board for linebacker at this time, and I would have liked to see Erin Henderson chosen at this spot. Although, seeing as though he went undrafted, perhaps either 31 GMs will kick themselves over the next 10 years for not selecting Henderson, or they know something we do not. If the Giants were hellbent on trading up, I would have liked to see the Giants make a play for Xavier Adibi. However, perhaps they did, and Houston was unwilling to trade down. Either way, Kehl is on the roster and should provide good, smart depth on special teams as well as linebacker depth. He is a high character player, and was pretty productive during his tenure at BYU. He has pretty good speed vertically, but lacks lateral speed. His tackling is sound however, and what he lacks in lateral speed, he should be able to compensate in football intelligence and tackling. I just wonder if this could have been a 5th-6th round pick.
Jonathan Goff - Linebacker - Vanderbilt
I really like this pick, because he was a value and a need pick at 165 overall. Goff is an extremely intelligent player on and off the field, and has tremendous speed. He can penetrate into the backfield and get after the running back or the quarterback. He uses his speed and adequate strength to shed blocks and get to where he needs to be. Most importantly, he seems to always be around the ball has he led Vandy in tackles in two consecutive years. Goff will make the roster and add depth to the linebacker corps and may make a push for a starting role once Kiwanuka moves back to defensive end (which will happen, folks).
Andre’ Woodson - Quarterback - Kentucky
This was a great pick, and at the spot they got him, the draft grade has to be an “A”. Woodson threw the ball all over the place, against top-notch competition in the SEC. He withstood unrelenting pass rushes, and tough, physical corners to allow his vertical playmakers make catches. He can make every throw on the field, and do it under durress. Woodson will not be challenging Manning for the starting job, but he will challenge David Carr. He had a disappointing offseason in preparation for the NFL Draft, but while examining his entire body of work, it is difficult to say that Woodson is not deserving of being drafted in the 3rd round. Chris Palmer will develop him more, and fix his erratic throwing delivery, and he will project nicely as a career back-up/spot starter. Coughlin is old school so expect Woodson to be #3 on the depth chart, but that will change in 2009. The writing is on the wall for “Battleship Lorenzen” and Anthony “Can’t do no” Wright. The time is now to put those jerseys one eBay.
Robert Henderson - Defensive End - Southern Mississippi
I know one thing about Henderson and that is he is a product of hard work and great coaching. If he can make the roster, I think he certainly has the physical tools to be a depth player on the defensive line. He can play outside or inside, and he has a pretty hard running motor. I watched exactly two Southern Miss games this year, and he showed up several times with stops in the backfield. He plays the run extremely well, and can penetrate with ease. Obviously, he was not playing against top-notch talent, so it will be interesting to see how he will shake down the roster. As the Giants adage goes, “you can never have too many pass rushers” but do not be surprised if he is used in run stopping situations, because he can certainly hold his own.
In summation, this draft may not seem as romantic as the afterglow of the 2007 draft, but keep in mind, many fans were not jumping for joy when Aaron Ross and Steve Smith’s names were called. I think this was a relatively weak draft class as a whole, but Reese found two or three future starters out of the rubble, and found key depth contributers. The 2008 Draft Class will leave a mark next year, and it will be very fun watching them all develop. Here’s to another successful Jerry Reese draft!
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23 Responses to “Meet the New York Giants 2008 Draft Class”
April 27th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
I dont like the Goff of the Kehl pick … i HATE those picks… adibi, henderson, erza butler would have been better picks…
1. Philips A++++
2. Thomas A
3. manningham A++++++
4. Kehl D- traded up for him? D-
5. Goff C we have pierce blackburn and deossie
6. Woodson B.. BPA not bad
6. Henderson, the one i didnt want if it was Erin it would be an A +++ but its not its some no name DE…so basically a D
April 27th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
It couldve looked like this
1. Philips S
2. Thomas CB
3. Manningham WR
4. Adibi OLB
5. Letroy Guion DT
6. Josh Barrett S
6. Andre Woodson QB
wouldve made me more happy
April 27th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
who do i have more faith in… Jerry Reese or brandon buchanon… hmmm thats a tough one.
April 27th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
on second thought yeah you’re right BB. how dare this prick Jerry Reese, GM of the NFL Superbowl Champion New York Giants, trade away are our coveted 194TH pick. that was a reach. we could have used that pick to draft Deez Nuts from Shutdahellupinreesewetrustbecausewejusthad7rookieshelpuswinaring University.
and yeah teams are relly going to be kicking themselves over not drafting erin henderson. he’s plays just like his older brother except he SUCKS lol
April 27th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
lil guito - goff is a high IQ football player with good upside. i have a hard time believing chase blackburn will retain that middle linebacker roster spot over him. can u say upgrade?
i don’t know much about kehl but as always, in reese we trust. sorry he didn’t make u “happier”. maybe you should try a woman. perhaps a man if that’s how u roll. i hear some tranny named ezra is single.
April 27th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
Brandon nice little write-up.
I don’t think I would call the Giants decision to move up a couple spots to draft the linebacker a reach in terms of value but perhaps a reach in that if we didn’t move up he’d be gone as the Titans picked Keglar at 134, who knows it might of been Kehl that they were targeting, but thats all opinion though.
Myself I loved the way the draft unfolded for us. Already looking forward to seeing this team, and I mean TEAM back on the field.
As for the E. Henderson note, doesn’t he come with a giant medical history? Another Carlos Emmons, which is why I think every single team in the league passed on him.
April 28th, 2008 at 2:40 am
I’m wondering what we are going to do reciever wise this next year. According to J.R, Moss isn’t done, but there’s no way in hell we cut Plax, Smith, Toomer, Tyree or Mannigham… I wonder if we’re planning on carrying six wideouts this year, and I don’t know where the extra spot will be coming from, because we now have 4 QB’s and Three HB’s… and even if we cut Lorenz we’ll still be short one spot.
April 28th, 2008 at 5:46 am
Reese is a genius. There is no way I could bring myself to question a single pick. This draft class looks great and our roster appears to be in good shape for a few years. Isn’t Michael Jennings coming back as well? I really like him but I don’t see any room for him now.
April 28th, 2008 at 7:07 am
I like the picks. Mario Manningham has been making plays since his freshman year. His ‘off the field’ issues have been a little overblown. Goff can make plays. He looks like a solid back up mlb. Andre Woodson was a round 2 pick until the combine. All of a sudden Joe Flacco is a stud. I saw a lot of Flacco in college. Wow, he really lit up James Madison. Woodson set records in the SEC. Great back up in case Eli gets hurt. I do not know much about Henderson but I didn’t know much about Ahmad Bradshaw either.
We are going to have a great year!
April 28th, 2008 at 7:09 am
Great analysis. However, Kehl wasn’t a reach. In fact, Gil Brandt had him rated as one of his top 75 players in the draft. And it’s obvious that Henderson was one of the players crossed off the Giants board for medical reasons (his knee problems) and it appears the Giants weren’t the only team to eliminate him from their board.
April 28th, 2008 at 9:38 am
As a big BYU fans, I don’t think you guy’s know what you got with Bryan Kehl. I’m guessing none of you have even seen him play the past few seasons. Because of BYU’s tv deal, he lacked exposure which hurt him in the draft. He basically finished in the top five of just about every category at the combine for linebacker. This guy is a physical speciman. He’s mature beyond his years, a great team player, and helped BYU finish in the top 15 the past few seasons. For an outside linebacker, he has amazing speed. I’ve watched him hunt down receivers and quarterbacks numerous times. He is a relentless pass rusher and can lay the wood to some pretty big boys. His frame will allow him to add some weight, if needed. After reading all your comments I would just like to know why you wanted Henderson or any other of the mentioned linebackers. Just reserve judgement on Kehl, I promise you will be very excited come football season. Penn State may be known as linebacker university but BYU is known for its linebackers and d lineman in the NFL, I promise you won’t be dissapointed.
April 28th, 2008 at 10:20 am
After I heard the name Kenny Phillips I was mostly satisfied with this draft. Though I must admit that I was surprised to hear Thomas’ name called in round 2. And that is based primarily on the fact that I hadn’t much about him leading up to the draft, but after reading up on him I can see why they selected him. Another physical corner is a plus, but I have my fingers crossed that he will remain healthy.
I hope Phillips is just what this defense sorely needs, and that’s a ballhawking, playmaking safety.
The one thing that I hope doesn’t occur in Spags’ system is the deemphasis on the importance of stellar LB play. In Philly, it seemed that they tended to not prioritize the need for high caliber LBs. I am hoping that Kiwi and GW are just that for Big Blue, but for the second year in a row the LB spot isn’t addressed until the middle rounds.
But in the end, in JR I trust! Again I am pumped about our first pick.
April 28th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Per Thomas, I wouldn’t be surprised one bit if he’s used more as a safety then CB in his career. 2 safety guys who can cover will add a lot to the Spagnolo blitz schemes.
April 28th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
1. Philips A+ - We needed a saftey and this guy was the best out there.
2. Thomas B+ - Injury issues but could be a nice fit.
3. manningham B+ Heard him on the radio, I think he is too cocky and needs a year riding the pine to bring him down a notch. Giants staff spent a lot of time with him so they know better than me.
4. Kehl C - Would have been there without the trade. Good player, has better pash rushing moves than Connor.
5. Goff C+ We have a lot of linebackers now. H
6. Woodson C- Not a fan at all. I do not believe that you can fix a QBs throwing motion after college. Too inaccurate. The saving grace is that we could develop him and trade him in three years. When would we showcase him though? Outside of the preseason I never want to see him on the field.
6. Henderson B- WHAT?, WHO? Jay Alford seemed like a bad idea last year to and he almost snapped tom brady in half during the SB. I like flexible DE/DT prospects.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
how do u know kehl would have been there without the trade? shut up with that nonsense
April 28th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
I’m pretty happy with the way the draft turned out. I REALLY wanted the Giants to draft Antoine Cason, Mayo, or Sam Baker, and I have to say the other team’s GMs didn’t go to sleep and all of them got drafted earlier than I expected.
If Phillips can match Wilson’s production that’ll be great, but the guy I’m really going to keep my eye on is Mario. Toomer isn’t going to play for much longer, and I love the idea of a great #2 being developed in either Steve Smith or Mario…and we can’t forget about Moss yet either.
April 28th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
I don’t know how you can call Woodson inaccurate…didn’t he throw just 11 picks to 40 TDs, and had a 63% completion percentage?
I’ve only heard good things about the guy, except he’s got some hitch that needs to be fixed or he’ll be killed.
April 28th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Woodson is a great pick. Aston mar…do you have any intelligent remarks to make, or do you just dissent for the hell of it?
I fyou critique, please include an analysis…otherwise you just sound like a bonehead cowgirls fan. WHAMMY! (lol, can’t get enough of Anchorman, BTW)
April 28th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
WR next season will be intersting. I do not see us carrying more than 6, with Tyree devoted to gunnery duties…
plax
toomer (unless Reese knows something we don’t know regarding retirement)
smith
manningham
jennings? don’t think so…just wait and see
moss
Perhaps Kehl wasn’t a reach. thanks to Dave Holt for the heads up of what we have in Kehl. I have done a bit morereseaerch on the guy, and he sounds like quite the stud. Perhaps late second - mid 3rd talent, which would make him quit the steal in the 4th. my only point was, perhaps he could have been had without the trade. of course known of us know that, but it is fun to speculate. there is def. value in the lower rounds, however, some posters such as Aston Mar, disagree with that…
April 29th, 2008 at 12:26 am
Thanks Dave Holt…that post got me even more pumped for all the competition we are going to see in training camps pre-season and next year!! Some of the battles I am looking forward to are:
WR
PLAX, TOOMER, S. SMITH, MANNINGHAM, MOSS, TYREE, Hixon, Brandon London and Michael Jennings (I think this guy could be productive..he seemed to have a little chemistry with eli last preseason before he got hurt)
OLB
All these guys are making the team I dont know which one will start opposite ‘NUKA. Its either gonna be Wilkinson, Kehl, DeOssie, or Aston Mars boy….Danny Clark
CB
MADISON, ROSS, WEBSTER, THOMAS, Dockery, McQuarters
S
KENNY PHILLIPS, SAMMY KNIGHT, Michael Johnson, and Im hoping that Peter Warricks bro can beat out Butler cause I think hes awful
QB
ELI, Andre Woodson, David Carr, Anthony Wright, Jared Lorenzen
later Wright and Lorenzen have fun showing off them rings
I think alot of these battles may come down to who can be most valuable on special teams. I think Coughlin should give Sinorice Moss a shot to return punts or even kicks….maybe it would be a good idea to retire McQuarters from punt return duty after the Super Bowl victory.
We are going to be a pretty deep team next year….looking forward to the next couple weeks.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:29 am
Mario was a great pick. He produced in big games, which I think is more important than his measurables. Toomer is getting older, Moss isnt gonna amount to anything. Cant wait to see plax, smith, and mario out there tearing D’s up!!
April 29th, 2008 at 10:55 am
ONLY PICKS I GOT BEEF WITH ARE THE VERY LAST, AND ONE OF THE LINEBACKERS, I THOUGHT WE REALLY REACHED FOR KUEHL, BUT LOOKIN BACK AT THE COMBINE, HE MIGHT END UP BEING A GOOD PLAYER……….BUT WHO IS THIS HENDERSON WE SELECTED, AND WHY WASN’T HIS FIRST NAME ERIN
April 29th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Anyone notice Jerry R keeps mentioning the players they missed on by a few picks, I wonder who he’s referring to? Perhaps Antoine cason, Patrick Lee, Xavier Adibi?
BTW I’m not sure why everyone is so high on Phillips.
I can’t find anyone that projects him as anything more than a serviceable starter. Most people seem to project the kid from AS as a potential star.
Also, why are the Giants always satisfied with just average LB’s? I know we don’t have any glaring holes at LB in terms of depth, but I think we’ve past due on a talent upgrade. Not to knock AP, but he’s our best LB, and even he shows weakness in coverage and overall speed. We could have at least upgraded the spots around him. Notice how there are always LB’s that everyone passes on that have tremendous impact right away (i.e. Jon beason, Demeco Ryans, David Harris, Ray Lewis, Posluzsny,even Patrick Willis was underdrafted.) I say C Lofton will be that guy. I would have liked to see the G-men take him or Brandon Flowers, or perhaps Merling for the value.
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