played with horrible QB's and in a weird offense at LSU. He's better than he even showed in college. He'll be one of those guys that you watch 3 years from now and wonder how he wasn't an all american in college.
Nicks is just stronger with better hands. But Randle looks like he is the type of receiver who can challenge all three levels of the field and run routes effectively. He looks like he could play slot if needed to. Very versatile receiver.
I love the first 2 rounds. Our offensive skill position players are young, talented, and ready to dominate.
Positives -- Solid combination of size and speed, has an ideal frame for an NFL receiver... Smooth runner who glides across the field... Natural instincts as a pass catcher, does a good job of tracking the deep ball and has great body control to adjust to the ball in the air... At his best when running vertical routes, elite down the field receiver... Has some wiggle to him in the open field, can make a man miss... Does a good job of catching the ball with his hands, rarely lets the ball get into his frame so he's a reliable target who doesn't drop many balls... Played against elite competition in the SEC, battled against some of the top
cornerbacks in the country... Solid run blocker who was asked to block a lot in LSU's run heavy offense... Great big play ability, had eight games with receptions of 30 yards or more... Overall production is misleading because LSU lacked consistent quarterback play and relied more on their running game, he's better than his stats would indicate... Has a high ceiling, his combination of size, speed, and hands are all things that should translate well and has real potential to be a number one target in the NFL.
Negatives -- Needs to refine some his route running, he's not bad, but he's mostly been utilized down the field and he could improve his underneath routes... For a guy who can go get the deep ball, he disappointed at the combine with only a 31" vertical... Long strider, can get behind the defense, but it takes him a bit to get up to full speed... The long strides also make him a step slow off the line of scrimmage and he may have some trouble with press coverage... Can disappear in games, had five receptions for 31 yards in LSU's two games against Alabama combined and had seven games with three or less receptions as a junior... There were seven of his 39 games in his collegiate career where he failed to record a reception.
Randle will be an impact rookie. The kid is better than advertised. Watch for him to be a favorite of eli instantly...he works hard and just makes plays!
2nd best WR is the draft. As much as I wanted Massie I wanted Randle more. He is outstanding on the deep ball, fights for position and good hands and accomplished route runner. He won't out jump anyone but catches everything. As good a pick as I've seen in years.
He's more like a bigger Manningham. Smooth, good at tracking the ball deep, good after the catch. Not great at going up and competeting for the ball despite his height.
I like it a lot. I also like that he was the last kid out of the room
Surprised he lasted until pick 63 but pumped about it...Eli gets another big weapon and the offense gets more expolosive
He will have a bit of a chip on his shoulder because of being the last guy in the green room drafted and with Nicks and Cruz he's going to see a lot of single coverage against smaller guys
He is smooth, he is polished. He has good hands. He may have only run 4.5 but he does not lose speed over distance. He really reminds me a lot of Nicks.
Much is made of his lack of production, but LSU is a run first team with mediocre QB play. His numbers don't concern me at all.
He looks ready to play on day 1.
What I don't like
Not a lot after the catch. Looks like he can stand to play bigger ( he is 6-2).
Not a threat to Cruz or Nicks in terms of needing to extend both of them. My guess is that Randle will have a productive four years with the Giants and then leave in free agency.
From Boylhart...
Quote:
There are a lot of receivers in this draft that have the talent Rueben has. Personally, I wouldn't be jumping up and down like a kid on a trampoline thinking you got the steal of the draft if your team selects him. He will be a solid receiver and he should be very good inside the red zone receiver. For you fantasy league guys, on the right team and in the right system, he could score a lot of touchdowns but all of that just means (for the draft) that Rueben is a situational receiver and not a #1 WR around whom you build your passing game. I like his potential to be effective in the red zone and I believe that's why some teams will rate him higher than other teams will. He does have some decent run after the catch abilities, but seems to be more of a run the route, catch the ball, go to the ground type of receiver. Rueben fits a play action, vertical passing game offensive system better than most other systems, but he lacks the true speed or quickness to impact consistently in that style of offense. Then again, pair him up with a great QB and who knows what can happen!
He just said, I hope I can make the team. A second round pick, is taking it like he's owed nothing. He hopes he can make the team! That's driven. I have a good feeling about this kid.
If he's like any Giants receiver in recent memory, it's Amani
thats fine, and he actually might be the BPA, but this was an obvious need and you always want a blend of both. The idea that any team is a BPA team is a myth. Not with the NFL roster turnover, you have to field a team, you lose guys and you have to replace them
We all seem to forget the Giants had to develop Manningham, and he made as many bone head plays (the firs SF game) as big plays. Turned into a great player though
I think Randle can be every bit as productive for the Giants. He is also bigger than Manningham. Some question his speed, but he routinely blows right by defenders.
Well, reports are the the Giants considered him in the first round
Is not a down field threat. He is fantastic down the field and on sideline out routes. This is a great pick. I don't think Barden sniffs the field now.
Like I said I'm totally with you on the topic. Just saying there was word we almost took Randle or Jon Martin at 32 so it's pretty clear at 63 they took him because they really, really like him vs. simply wanting a WR
and said he ran two low 4.4's at his pro day (combine was 4.5). He as good size, 6'3" 210. I wouldn't necessarily think he goes outside, he could in the slot and Cruz could stay outside. We will see, but I really like the pick.
a great highlight reel. But he was rated highly by the Giants. They almost took him in the first, how could they pass on him here? He's our 3rd WR. Love it.
Randle looks like the type of player who just gets it done. He isn't going to wow you by being the fastest guy on the field or having some crazy vert.. but he knows how to play and he's versatile. He's going to produce.
for a guy on a team that mainly ran the ball, his production was outstanding...50 catches for 900 yards. To me, this is a great, great pick and just adds another thoroughbred to our stable.
in our windows were Jeffery, Randle and Sanu. We got one of them. AWESOME. He can still be coached up, and has come to the right team for that. It's gonna be sick.
I would have been ok with Randle in round 1. What a steal in round 2!
He's only 20 years old. Almost led the SEC in ypc despite horrible QB play. Will absolutely abuse the 2nd or 3rd corner if that's who he's matched up against. The perfect complement to Nicks and Cruz. Allows Cruz to be the slot in 3 WR formations. Shows the potential to be a very good route runner, 6'3/210, good speed, pretty good hands and he has some upside being only 20 year old. Production was impressive given his QB play.
When weighing need versus value, the Giants went with Wilson ahead of players such as Stanford offensive tackle Jonathan Martin and LSU wide receiver Rueben Randle both of whom were high on their draft board.
In case anyone wanted proof they almost took him at 32 Link - ( New Window )
because it is true we considered him in round 1, thats not after the fact stuff, we heard about that earlier today. We didn't even have to deal up.
Loading up on skill players now. Hope this kid is the goods. I saw 2 LSU games this year (both Bama games) and the QB play was unwatchable. He now has Eli
at LSU was less than what would be acceptable at most high schools. Horrendous. Randall is a big strong receiver, faster I think than most people realize, and a good blocker.
We needed a WR badly, the 3rd WR is a starter here. Hes going to play from day 1. Jernigan is not the outside type, Randle is, hes a better fit to play right away with the surrounding talent.
This was need. It might also turn out to be the BPA. But it was definite need. So was round 1. You always want to blend both
playing in that system. I can understand getting on him for his poor combine numbers (which is silly IMO) but those who actually watch him play. How many times did Randle have to wait with the DB to finally catch the ball. And the positive thing was that he was able to grab the ball.
Randle has been a draft favorite of mine this year
He's going to be a better pro than college player. His skillset translates extremely well to the next level. His physical gifts were almost wasted in Les Miles run offense at LSU and even when they did go to the air the QB play was horrendous. Size, speed, length, hands, catching radius, body control. He has it all. Good in the open field after the catch as well. Has really advanced his route running this past season and did a nice job setting up DB's. Eli has another ELIte weapon to go along with David Wilson. Our offense is going to be SICK. It's a steal and just a great pick anyway you slice it.
part of the reason I think all of these guys are projects, a gimmick player like Hilton may have more of an effect off the bat if that's what you're looking for.
A big wide receiver who I believe can align on the outside and run the complete route tree is LSUs Rueben Randle (6-3, 210). The more games I watch, the more I like Randle. He is smooth and athletic, with better acceleration off the ball than either Jeffery or Sanu. In some ways, he reminds me of the New York Giants Hakeem Nicks, who was not drafted until the 29th pick in the first round in 2009. Nicks was the fifth wide receiver selected that year (after Darrius Heyward-Bey, Michael Crabtree, Jeremy Maclin and Percy Harvin), but hes clearly been the most productive of the bunch. Where Nicks has been very effective and I project Randle playing a similar role is at x iso, the single receiver to one side of the formation. When youre aligned at x, you must be able to win versus man coverage.
The larger point is this: With the increased emphasis on multiplicity of formations and personnel utilization, the framework for evaluating wide receivers has been amended and expanded. We will see in a few weeks how that impacts where players like Randle, Sanu and Jeffery are chosen in the 2012 NFL Draft.
at 32. Randle is the end of deep balls being dropped.Keep giving Eli weapons. This must mean they like Brewer and petrus with massie and Brooks out there. If they can get Brooks in 3rd it is wet dream time.
Yeah I hope the overwhelming number of experts are right
Teams can focus on Cruz and Nicks, but not all 3. The SB is proof of that. With those three, with Bennet at TE, and Wilson splitting time with AB, we are more explosive this year than last (IMO).
Link below has a helluva lot of excellent detailed info on Randle. Young & very coachable taboot. Seems very little not to like about this pick. draft report - ( New Window )
I'm telling you, it shouldn't weigh on the evaluation, but if Randle played with RG3 as his QB, in the pass happy Big 12..I can guarantee you he'd have gone higher. He plays in a defensive, run first, pass second offense with unstable QB play..and is not viewed in quite the same light as a guy playing in an aerial assault.
I think this was a fantastic pick, and that he'll be an upgrade over Mario Manningham..and I love Manningham.
That if the Giants took a WR, it would not be a "separation" and speed guy- it would be a guy big and strong enough to break a tackle and get big YAC.
The point I made was that Eli no longer needs the WR to get open- he just needs the guy to run the route and he will put the ball where only the receiver can get it.
IMO, this pick is perfect- big guy who can break free from a lesser DB, as the best ones will be on Cruz and Nicks.
But you could take a pick from just about any position
and say it was a need. Its just ridiculous. WR is not a huge need for this team. What's Randle, our 4th WR right now? Might compete for 3rd. We used a 2nd round pick to fill that need?? No fucking way. He was the best player out there at a position we value.
At no other position could we have taken a kid who would have played more snaps than Randle this year in all likelihood. Hes going to be our 3rd WR and hes going to play a lot
The 3rd WR is a starter here, and a way bigger part of the offense than the 2nd TE.
Here's the full Ross quote on Randle/LSU QBs: "The way LSU plays, they run the ball and those two quarterbacks, to be quite honest, are not very good. So he didn't get a lot of chances. When the ball cane to him, he was productive. But he just didn't get a ton of chances to catch. But when it went his way, he made plays."
is no higher than 3rd on our decision making priorities. We like best value and certain positions above need. We like DE's, WR's, CB's etc. He's highly ranked at a position we place a high value on. That's why we took him.
ask yourself entering this draft, what 2 positions had an opportunity in front of them to play the most this year
The answer is WR and RB, and those were the 2 directions we went in. Either we keep getting lucky and BPA keeps meeting with need, or we're more logical and like to blend both
In a salary cap and FA league you cannot go BPA all the time. You're gonna have holes and if you don't fill them you're gonna be in trouble
Here is what Greg Cosell had to say about him in the same article:
A big wide receiver who I believe can align on the outside and run the complete route tree is LSUs Rueben Randle (6-3, 210). The more games I watch, the more I like Randle. He is smooth and athletic, with better acceleration off the ball than either Jeffery or Sanu. In some ways, he reminds me of the New York Giants Hakeem Nicks, who was not drafted until the 29th pick in the first round in 2009. Nicks was the fifth wide receiver selected that year (after Darrius Heyward-Bey, Michael Crabtree, Jeremy Maclin and Percy Harvin), but hes clearly been the most productive of the bunch. Where Nicks has been very effective and I project Randle playing a similar role is at x iso, the single receiver to one side of the formation. When youre aligned at x, you must be able to win versus man coverage.
by Top of the Muffin to You on Apr 27, 2012 9:28 PM EDT via mobile reply
He had to sit in the green room for two complete rounds and he will have a chip on his shoulder to show his talents over all the receivers taken in front of him. Welcome to the Giants.
3 cone drill under 7 seconds for a guy his size is VERY good. And regarding his vertical being weak, he posted a very solid 10'1" broad jump at the combine.
we have clearly gone BPA on some picks in the Reese era where we didn't have much of a need at all. You can do that sometimes. You can't make a habit of it though
Combine these picks with Bennett, and the offense looks like it is on track to be the next Greatest Show on Turf. There is a lot of synergy in what has been added. Bennett will make Wilson better with the edge blocking. Randle will give Eli two outside deep threats to make Cruz and Bennett bigger receiving threats in the middle of the field. Wilson may not be great at blitz pickup, but does he beat the blitz a different way -- by being a home run threat on the draw, screen, or hot read dumpoff? Maybe Bradshaw and Jacobs had to become excellent picking up the blitz because they sucked catching the ball. This kid will leak out, catch it and make people miss.
I am a Cavalier and hate the Hokies as much as the next man, but once I saw the highlight film I became a fan. I think he runs like Tiki Barber. He makes people miss, makes them take bad angles, has a burst, and initiates contact intelligently. If he picks up that little trick of Tiki's of leaving his feet when about to get hit, he'll be impossible to bring down, because he does seem to have an amazing gyroscope in his body that not even Tiki had. This kid is explosive.
Nicks and Randle on the outside, Cruz and Jernigan inside, Wilson in the backfield. If I am a DC having to defend that alignment in third and long situations, I'm not getting much sleep the week of the Giants game.
Mario ran a 4.59 at the combine/RR a 4.55
Mario ran a 7.34 three-cone/RR ran a 6.99
Mario had a 32" vertical/RR a 31"
Mario had a 4.27 short shuttle/ RR a 4.36
They both improved their 4o times to the low 4s at pro day.
So, they basically have similar numbers but Randle is a way bigger man. And has much bigger hands 9.5"
in spite of everything else. Every game, watching that turd Jordan Jefferson pretend to be an option QB, Randle continually bailed them out on 3rd downs with big plays. He played against SEC competition and was good enough to get enough separation for Jefferson to throw to, and Jefferson didn't throw the ball unless he thought someone was wide open.
I don't know what tape you watched, but I loved him at LSU, and I am going to love him on the Giants.
was also heavily involved in this and the track record he has with WRs in his career is spectacular. Former WR coach here, in Jax he saw something in Jimmy Smith and mcCardel when others didn't. Over here we've been great with WRs since hes been head coach
I like this pick because Coughlin probably stamped the kid too
while Randle didn't bother to redo the drill. By and large Randle isn't great at going up and getting the ball and he isn't a burner. It's a very different skill set. Not bad, but different.
Handcuffed by poor quarterback play. "Kind of like a James Lofton type," one scout said. "Long strider. Vertical guy. Very good hands." Third-year junior with 97 receptions for 1,634 yards (16.9) and 13 TDs. "He didn't have Matt Flynn or JaMarcus Russell throwing to him," another scout said. "He had Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee. Other than a hitch, screen or occasional takeoff or dig, the consistency of their passing game just wasn't there for him to show what he could do." Out of Bastrop, La. Scored 18 on the Wonderlic, same as Wright. "Good player but not a real good worker," a third scout said. "That's the biggest concern about him. He's pretty immature that way. In terms of size, ability to catch the ball and run routes, that's all real good."
alot of teams passed on him and maybe I didn't factor in the QB play as strongly as I should have and got caught up in some of the sub par peripheral combine numbers.
But I have to trust the staff their eye for talent is great. And if they wanted him at 32....that means they didn't just like him...they LOVED him.
Can't wait to see him in preseason....so I can eat some serious crow on this guy.
No way in Hell the Defending Super Bowl Champs should add talent
how many times in a season does a WR have a chance to jump 34" in the air to make a play that he couldn't make if he only had a 31" leap? And lets not forget he's 6'3", so its not like he presents a tiny target because he can't jump great.
Full quote from Ross on Randle being "NFL-ready": "With receivers a lot it gets overblown with 40 times and this and that, you get guys that are NFL-ready. And what I mean by that is this guy is strong, he can catch the ball, hes a good route runner and hes position-savvy, he knows how to get open. To me, those are the successful receivers in the NFL."
and not enough in the process. From what I've heard of this guy he is a big, strong receiver with good hands who is a good route runner....it would appear that those statements would confirmed when jerry and crew watched the film.
This front office has brought us Nick, Cruz, Manningham and Smith in the draft. Signed Hixon as a free agent. Can we please give them the benefit of the doubt that they know how to draft a wide receiver?
it was the lowest of the major prospects and it is more or less supported by what he does on film. But there are other things he does very well and at that point I think he is very good value.
Randle, a junior who came out early for the 2012 Draft, has tremendous foot quickness, speed and athleticism for a big receiver. These traits
combined with his hands and competitiveness are why Randle is going to be a first round pick. He is able to consistently close the cushion on
cornerback who lines up in off coverage because of his rare acceleration for a 6-3 receiver. He has the elite playing speed to run by cornerbacks
to consistently create separation on deep routes. As was evidenced by his 17.3 yards per catch average in 2011 in an offense that did
not pass the ball particularly well. On deep passes he has consistently shown the ability to make the tough over-the-shoulder catch or the
catch along the sideline where he has to work to get his feet down in bounds. Often overlooked when evaluating receivers is the quality of their
hands and this is where Randle separates himself from many tall receivers as he has outstanding hands to make tough catches seem routine.
In order to create space on short quick hitting routes, Randle uses hands and strength to push-off slightly. He runs routes aggressively heading
into traffic, catches pass without peeking at defense and gets the ball tucked away fast so that he can hold onto it when he gets hit right
after the catch. Randle is quick getting started up the field after the catch and is consistently able to run through initial tackle of defender. He
has the size, playing strength and balance to easily run through grab tackles to gain yards after contact. It is very impressive how well Randle
continues route and works to get open after initial route. He really helps out his quarterback by working back to quarterback when he is flushed
from pocket. Randles effort, size and strength enable him to be a consistently productive blocker and eliminate man from the play.
to be the third WR on a regular basis, I see him spelling Cruz in the slot and playing the 4th WR across from him in 4-wideout packages. He just seems cut out to be a slot threat. Barden and Randle will probably be fighting for reps.
I don't know much about him, but I'm encouraged by all the enthusiasm here. But before we get too carried away, remember that the Giants have a complicated passing attack, and Eli will not throw to a guy unless the guy run the right routes.
On another note, do you think there might be any advantage to be gained in terms of Randle's knowledge of Claiborne as his teammate? I know it can go both ways, but maybe Randle can dish some insights on Claiborne that Nicks/Cruz can use right away.
So why didn't the Giants trade up for Rueben Randle if they liked him so much and considered him a first-round talent? "We still had a group of guys we liked that were still there, we dont panic,'' said Marc Ross, the Giants director of college scouting. "He was definitely our highest guy we had on the board, by far, and we were hoping.'' #nyg
2 minutes ago
With the 7th pick in the first round, it was a big debate over Hilliard or Tiki. Very heated. And yet the Giants still just waited and waited until their pick in the second round to take Tiki (even though Fassel was nudging Young to trade up for him). When they finally selected Tiki, one of the scouts who was fighting for him was still bummed. Accorsi asked, "why are you still upset, we got him anyway." And the scout responded, "Yeah well the wrong guy is gonna get the big money."
This is still a Cruz and Nicks game. I mean I know were right on them, its tight. But those are still the guys. Make them go to Randle ...But lets make sure we get Cruz and Nicks.
Given that WR was a need, I would rather the Giants have taken Jeffery in the first and whatever RB was left in the second, rather than the preferred RB in the first and whatever WR was left over in the second. Despite the PR, maybe the Giants felt RB was a bigger need and that they could live with a lesser receiver. We'll see how the respective players do. When I looked at the clips on these guys, Jeffery appeared to have sensational hands (the true #1 skill for a receiver), much better separation than many claimed, and frequently ran around or over the first 2 defenders before being tackled by a crowd of 3 others. Randle appeared ordinary in every respect, maybe not a body-catcher but caught most balls around waist-level (didn't appear to go get the ball much), rarely more than one defender around him, didn't appear really exceptional in any way. As for the Toomer comparison, Toomer had some of the best hands around throughout his career, made catches in extraordinary body positions, and was fast when he was younger - explosive punt returner before he hurt his knee. If this guy is as good a deep receiver as Toomer we'll end up being ecstatic about this pick. Let's remember that the young Toomer regularly got deep when double-teamed, and I'd be surprised if Randle sees many of those. But to me he doesn't look like Toomer in any way except for the size and weight.
Hey, what do I know. I only see limited amounts of these players in clips. Reese and company just won the Super Bowl. Two in five years. If they never win again in our lifetimes there's not much reason to complain. Not knowing how the players will work out is part of what makes it fun.
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Sounds like Giants see Rueben Randle as the No. 3 WR right away. "We think he's going to be a quick fit into our offense," Jerry Reese said.
Hold on a second... sure the defense is going to be different, but RR will definitely be able to provide some insight on Claybourn's tendencies. Different defense same player. If there are weaknesses in his game to be exposed or things that he excels at that we can try to take away from his game strategically, Randle will be a great source for that info.
Well, by definition Randle fell to the bottom of the second round, the Giants didn't feel strongly enough to trade up for the player with the first round grade, 31 other teams passed on Randle in round 2 (the Giants aren't the only team with a great draft record) etc. We hear this stuff a lot from every team - "we had a grade on him 1/2/3 rounds higher" etc., it's really very difficult to know whether it's true or PR. (I think it's usually PR.) It just seems obvious that the Giants prioritized a game-breaking RB over a game-breaking WR, because that's the order they chose to draft. We don't know where they ranked other WRs. They could very well be right on the players, and Randle will probaly be "ready" sooner - and by drafting a RB in round 1, it seems like the Giants are very much in "win now" mode for this year. I was just more interested in thinking about the skills of the players based on what I saw, the sentence you are arguing with is really just a restatement of the order in which the Giants chose to draft.
all it means is more competition and depth. People get hurt. And some prospects never develop. You draft good players when you can let the competition sort it out.
We didn't know Cruz was going to be an all pro when we took Jernigan, if we did, who knows if we still take him or a WR with a different skillset. Its still good insurance though to have someone who can play there
We certainly have a number of young guys competing for that #3 spot. Should be a fun training camp/pre-season battle. I'm sure Randle will win it. I love the pick.
What don't you understand about the Jernigan pick?
But if Randle walks in as the #3 WR (which is fine by me), Jernigan is the 4th option at best, possibly 5th when you consider Bennett is a good pass catching TE. Add to that Jernigan barely played at all last year, and he most likely won't be the #3 WR this year, and that's not exactly a great sign for a guy who was just a 3rd round pick last year. Throw Barden and Hixon in there too. Lots of guys. Excited to see where it leads.
Reuben randle will be a way better receiver then MM
Isn't that what I just said myself, about watching clips? Do I really have to write here for the millionth time that this is a football opinion site, and I read it in order see other people's opinions? Of course, now that he's a Giant I hope Randle is a great player. Reese drafting him can only give confidence. I just have to wonder if, in this case, they drafted these players in this order because of how well he fits in as a 3rd receiver as opposed to who will be the better player in a year or two, or because they prioritized RB over WR. It's perfectly, fine, and I can't wait to see what the Giants do on offense this year - but it does seem to go against what lots of people argued about the Giants draft strategy over the last few years - the ability to take the long view.
Could Randle be of use right away? Sure. it's possible. It's also possible, as has happened before with Giants-drafted WRs that he needs time to learn to fit to the offense. Jernigan has a year of play book time up on him, and he's a talent they liked well enough to draft 3rd. It was expected that Jernigan would need time to adjust to the pro game because he only played in the Spread offense in college. I don't count him not playing last season as a strike against his talent.
He's wide open on both plays. If he's that wide open in the NFL, catching ability and run-after-the-catch ability just won't make that much difference. But how often do receivers get that wide open in the NFL? You may not remember this, but before Eli posters here used to complain all the time that receivers were not open. The experienced posters here (not me) pointed out that this wasn't a great excuse for the QBs, that receivers just don't get wide open very often in the NFL and the elite QBs throw the ball into tight spaces with great timing and precision and that our receivers just weren't that bad. We just didn't have an elite QB. That's what Eli does as a QB. Similarly, to me, the elite receivers are the ones that make catches in tight and narrow spaces when they don't "appear" to be open, and then can run with the ball after the catch.
I hope Randle will do those things - I'm rooting for him, and hoping that bad QB play was part of the issue. Just didn't see a lot of it in the clips, that's all. Reese has made a lot of posters here look very, very, bad, odds are good that he's right and I'm wrong. I'm just writing about what I see, that's all I can really do.
Against other opponents, including Alabama in 2010, he displayed a knack for getting open behind zone coverage, hauling in the ball and hitting an extra gear on the way to the end zone. He was also effective at catching short slants (they had to be short, because Tigers quarterbacks could not throw with both distance and accuracy), making a move and generating a big play.
Randle does not have the leaping catch ability of Alshon Jeffery, the production of Justin Blackmon, the size of Michael Floyd or the speed of Kendall Wright. But he does possess a little bit of everything, no pressing character issues, and the potential to get better once passes start reaching him with more regularity.
kind of forgot about Randle...we would need 2-3 years to develop Hill into a semi-decent route-runner. Randle is already polished enough to run the right routes.
At 63, we got a better WR than the Jets, who traded away two picks on the back end of their draft to move up 4 measly spots when they could have had Randle at 47
Compares extremely favorably statistically to the junior seasons of recent LSU WR draftees Dwayne Bowe, Devery Henderson, Craig Davis, Early Doucet and others. Better years than all those guys as a junior at LSU
In looking through this though and the case of Michael Clayton continues to baffle me. Immensely productive in college, more than any of these guys. AWESOME rookie year in the NFL, then he just basically fell off the map. No major injury, he appears to have good character and isn't a headcase. Coughlin likes him personally. Its just weird.
Interesting reading, but that's a self-contradictory report. Is he the receiver who has "a little bit of everything" but no exceptional strengths? Or is he a receiver with a "knack for hauling the ball in" and "generating a big play"? Because those last two things are way more than "a little bit of everything" - those are things that define elite receiver, in my opinion. It's sort of like an article about a QB who has no exceptional skills, but has a knack for reading defenses, making accurate throws down the field under pressure, and throwing for 4th quarter TDs. The latter statements contradict the former.
line is it's really tough to judge a player at a position that totally relies on another player (the QB) for production. It's tough to say "Randle can do xyz" because his QB play was absolutely awful. That sounds like an excuse but in his case it's not. Also in LeFell's case his numbers aren't gaudy but the Panthers offense was basically Newton dancing around and either throwing 60 yard bombs or running. Year 2 of Newton will likely result in a lot more catches for LeFell.
But the more I watch Randle, the more I see a guy who can just flat out play. He's not the guy who you see on film and get blown away by but he seems to be one of those guys who just produces. I wasn't crazy about him as a 1st rounder but I'll take him where we got him at the end of the 2nd every day. He's versatile and he's going to fit right into what we do.. and having Eli is a huge plus for any guy catching passes on this roster. Definitely happy with this pick.
but at 63 he appears to be an awesome pick. A legitimate half-step above Sanu because of his deep speed. He effortlessly runs by DBs on deep routes because he's a long strider. He looks faster than a 4.55 guy, just like Nicks does. He looks a bit faster than Nicks, though not a slick at catching the ball over the shoulder. Of course with the lame QBs he played with, he didn't get many balls delivered over the shoulder in stride. That will shortly change.
He can probably replace Jacobs effectively with the Louisiana style cooking, too, at Giants' pot lucks.
He plays big, he can post guys up. People mentioned Hakeem Nicks when we talked about him in our room, the Giants general manager said. Hes not blazing fast and I dont think Hakeem is blazing fast either, but hes game fast. And hes bigger than Hakeem. Very good hands, ball skills. Talented, talented football player.
Randle didnt test extremely well (4.55-second 40-yard dash) and neither did Nicks. But like Nicks, the Giants see Randle as a good route runner who plays fast on game days.
We think hes NFL-ready, Reese said, echoing a phrase Ross used. He runs the entire route tree. This day and age in college football, its all about the spread offense and guys dont run the full tree. This kid runs the full route tree and he looks like a big pro wide receiver out there the way he moves around and we think hes going to be a quick fit into the offense.
Coach Tom Coughlin said Randle got a good endorsement from LSU assistant coach Thomas McGaughey, a former assistant on Coughlins staff. Coughlin also said Reese has a trusted source on LSUs staff.
Reese said the team discussed drafting Randle in the first round on Thursday night.
Really a little bit surprised about him still being there because we thought he couldve gone early in the second (round), Reese said. But he was still there and we were fortunate to get a guy of his caliber.
like the part about his NFL readiness, this isnt a Barden or JJ project having to acclimate from a small school. This guy has strength and route running under his belt already
Q: Do you think the quarterback play of LSU hurt him?
A: Definitely. The way LSU plays, they run the ball, they play defense and those two quarterbacks, to be quite honest, are not very good. So he didnt get a lot of chances. When the ball came to him he was productive, but he just didnt get a ton of chances to win games, to catch, but when they went his way he made plays.
Q: So how do you evaluate him?
A: There was enough to see his skill set and see his physical tools. Then you go from there. You see the practice, combine stuff.
Q: Did you think about trading up?
A: No, because we still had a group of guys that we liked that were still there. We dont panic. We were hoping. He was definitely the highest guy that we had on the board, by far, and we were hoping, but definitely not thinking about trading up to get him.
Q: Did you have a first-round grade him?
A: Yeah, he was in our stack there. Actually we talked about him a little bit yesterday at our pick. So he was in the discussion yesterday.
Q: What is it about his skill set that specifically impressed you?
A: Rueben is an NFL-ready receiver. I think with receivers a lot of it gets overblown with 40 times and speed and this and that. You need guys that are NFL-ready and what I mean by that is this guy is strong, he can catch the ball, hes a good route runner and hes position savvy he knows how to get open. To me those are the successful receivers in the NFL. I think our guys who we have now Hakeem and Victor if you put them at the combine you wont notice them, but you put them on the football field and they just take their game to another level and this is how Rueben is in our eyes.
Q: How can you measure that?
A: Again, you can study the physical skill set, the speed, the strength, the quickness, the change of direction, his body control. You look at him running down the field wide open and then not being able to get the ball to him. But you just look at his individual gifts as a player, his physical gifts.
Q: Rueben was the ninth receiver selected. Where did you have him on the receiver list?
A: He wasnt ninth. He wasnt ninth.
Q: Former quarterback, does that help those guys?
A: Yeah and he plays that way. When they see the field and then they go to another position they have a great understanding for whats going on. He fits into that mold.
Q: His games against Alabama five catches, 32 yards.
A: Did you watch the National Championship game? The quarterbacks couldnt even get from under center and get the ball off. Of course youre not going to be able to get it down field. Just watch that game. It was impossible for them to run the ball, throw the ball, do anything. He just got smothered. Theres nothing the receiver can do if everything else isnt going his way. Hes pretty much a byproduct of everything thats going on.
Q: Can you get a feel for how quickly he can contribute?
A: Yeah, but I think his game will transfer well up here because of the way he plays. He plays like an NFL receiver big, strong, physical, catch the ball as opposed to a raw guy who needs a lot of development on routes and techniques or drops a lot of balls needs to work on his hands. This guy pretty much has a skill set that fits in, will transfer pretty quickly.
Randle will quietly and consistently put up great #'s
We should know to not even talk about Jernigan right now. Two years ago our receiveing corp was depleted. I'll take having too many guys. Our coaches always refer our receivers as a core and the personnel is dependent on the defense. I think they'll be plenty of snaps for all our receivers.
but as stated Shciano <sp> passed on him
thats telling . What I do like is he played against
top level competition he is not a thug and looks
like he will have something to prove .
It will be one hell of a battle when camp comes around .
Imagine if both Barden and Jerrigan round into
form . I friggen love David Wilson when we first started to evaluate RB's his tapes wowed me the most .
Screw the combine numbers he is about the size of Jerry Rice
who was not considered a burner either . Mario had
some slick moves but was not the brightest guy ever
I loved Mario but at times he drove you nuts .
I like the Toomer comparisons if he develops into
that type of player this offense will be as good as any .
What an awesome addition to the team. What did Nicks have coming out that he was "exceptional" in, I can't recall. I seem to remember him being an exceptional WR that just makes plays. Sure seems exactly what we got in this guy.
I am loving our draft. Like the Wilson pick 10x more now that I know we got Reuben in the 2nd. Unbelievable.
I trust the staffs scouting ability a lot more than my own. Part of it was the man love for Jeffery and Fleener. But if Randle is good in his own right he may be the best fit with our current personell.
Cruz when he first flashed in preseason vs NFl comp. you could see something special there. I can't wait to see him in preseason and see if he flashes quickly like others have . If he doesn't it doesn't mean he'll stink but if he does quickly that usually is a very very good sign.
I expect this guy to step in and start right away, it will hopefully be like MM never left (only taller and more physical). At 6'4" he can also be good in the red zone. Some people had this guy in the 1st round, and as high as the number 4 or 5 WR. Nicks, Cruz, Randle, Bennet, with JJ coming in at 4. Hixon can return kicks again.
Too. That turned out pretty well I'd say. I don't think RR will ever be Nicks level good but I do think he could be pretty darn good in his own right and a good X receiver to complement this offense quite well
I like this quote from Pro Football Weekly about Randle
"Is a better football player than athlete who showed improvement every season."
I don't care if this kid can jump or whatever as long as he can do the job on the field and it sounds like he can.
Especially when Hill could end up being a much better athlete than football player. Wouldn't that be a treat for our cross town rivals who selected him BEFORE Randle and traded up to boot.
seem off to me. This guy is a much more polished route runner according to the scouts. Also plays bigger as far as using anticipation and positioning to get the ball. Toomer did not come in near as ready as this guy.
My concern is his ability to read and select the correct routes.
He is not a 4.55 guy, closer to a 4.4, and you can see that on the tape the way he runs away from the DB. The good thing about being somewhere like LSU is you know this guy has great skills or he wouldn't be on the field. You don't know that on the guys from small schools, you are guessing.
I couldn't read all these threads and it probably has been noted already, but, in his highlights, I was most impressed with how he handled some really bad throws and made catches with guys hanging on him.
A lot of the high ranked receivers make highlight plays when they have 2 steps or more on the DB.
Gee, I hope that doesn't mean Randle can't get separation.
Many ways to create separation from the defender and create space. He gets behind coverage and looks like a solid route runner. From video, it sure likes he creates a lot more space that Jeffery. I really like this pick.
his ability to create separation a lot. And he's creating this separation vs. SEC Corners who are by far the best of the bunch, and he did it this past season with a poor QB to say the least. Phil in LA has been the one who kept on repeating it over and over again, Randle has great feet and balance. He might not be the raw physical overpowering player in traffic like a Jeffery or Sanu, but I think he has more versatility because of his football quickness and smoothness down the field (I think the combine didn't show his true quickness). I don't see great hands but he does seem to have reliable hands good enough to snatch balls in traffic.
I think he has potential Mario didn't have because of his ability to be a threat in all areas of the field. Mario was a game changer over the top, he knew how to get open and connect with Eli for big plays. But he wasn't the toughest receiver and not a guy you expected to own the intermediate and short game. Randle has more potential as an all fields receiver, greate route runner who can take the short pass and make a play or get open deep and make a play. That versatility will allow Gilbride some more flexibility in the passing game I think.
And I hate to bring it up because he might be my favorite player on the team, but Nicks is kind of injury prone. The Randle pick isn't just to create a great 3 Wide group, but it's a pick for a guy who can help replace Nicks or Cruz in case they have to sit out a game or two. Without Randle, our WR corps would be in deep shit if Nicks got hurt. Cruz/Jernigan/Barden? Eli's good but that's not a situation you want. Randle gives them some insurance to their Top 2 studs and when all are healthy that gives us one of the best WR groups in the league.
I was a hater throughout the whole process, but I love where Sanu went. I think it's hilarious that the comparison that the doubters like me kept on making were the TJ Housh possession receiver comps. Now that's where he goes, perfect skillset to pair with AJ Green. Green might have the best downfield ball skills of anyone outside of Megatron, he's awesome. But Green is pretty skinny and you can see he lacks some toughness, he needs to gain some more muscle imo. Sanu is a guy who can get those yards underneath and pile up the receptions with AJ Green taking the attention from the secondary. I think the Bengals just found themselves a younger and potentially better version of the Ocho/Housh duo that was so good for them.
I like Randle a lot better for the Giants though. Hopefully it turns out to be the right move.
should allay your fears about Randle's ability to select routes.
Chicago Marty - that same answer from Ross is, rather obviously, a statement about Stephen Hill and why he wasn't a target for the Giants with a high pick.
Jersey Joe quoted it above once, but here again it is from Ross:
Quote:
A: Rueben is an NFL-ready receiver. I think with receivers a lot of it gets overblown with 40 times and speed and this and that. You need guys that are NFL-ready and what I mean by that is this guy is strong, he can catch the ball, hes a good route runner and hes position savvy he knows how to get open. To me those are the successful receivers in the NFL. I think our guys who we have now Hakeem and Victor if you put them at the combine you wont notice them, but you put them on the football field and they just take their game to another level and this is how Rueben is in our eyes.
As far as "position savvy" and "knows how to get open" you see it in Randle's tape with things like subtle gear changes and feints that help him blow by guys on deep routes - it's not raw speed but how he uses his arsenal. Mike from Warwick - isn't that type of stuff right up your alley? (I mean stuff you look for in a WR?)
Mike from Warwick - Marc Ross's response to 1 question
should allay your fears about Randle's ability to select routes.
Chicago Marty - that same answer from Ross is, rather obviously, a statement about Stephen Hill and why he wasn't a target for the Giants with a high pick.
Jersey Joe quoted it above once, but here again it is from Ross:
Quote:
A: Rueben is an NFL-ready receiver. I think with receivers a lot of it gets overblown with 40 times and speed and this and that. You need guys that are NFL-ready and what I mean by that is this guy is strong, he can catch the ball, hes a good route runner and hes position savvy he knows how to get open. To me those are the successful receivers in the NFL. I think our guys who we have now Hakeem and Victor if you put them at the combine you wont notice them, but you put them on the football field and they just take their game to another level and this is how Rueben is in our eyes.
As far as "position savvy" and "knows how to get open" you see it in Randle's tape with things like subtle gear changes and feints that help him blow by guys on deep routes - it's not raw speed but how he uses his arsenal. Mike from Warwick - isn't that type of stuff right up your alley? (I mean stuff you look for in a WR?)
More Marc Ross on Rueben Randle: I think his game will transfer well up here because of the way he plays. He plays like an NFL receiver big, strong, physical, catch the ball as opposed to a raw guy who needs a lot of development on routes and techniques or drops a lot of balls needs to work on his hands. This guy pretty much has a skill set that fits in, will transfer pretty quickly. #NYG
he talked about ONLY Reuben Randle as the other WR we would have considered at 32. THis was obviously with Hill,Jeffery,Jenkins etc. were still on the board
of his ability on the field, much like Kendall Wright and Mario Manningham..routinely made vertical plays in college and then had the "bad" forty. 4.55 isn't really bad at all, but he definitely plays faster than that time, and it shows in his highlights where he consistently gets deep behind corners and safeties.
Quote:
One NFL scout compared LSU WR Rueben Randle to James Lofton as a smooth vertical receiver with sure hands.
Despite a 4.55 forty time at the Combine, ex-NFL scout Dave Razzano describes LSU WR Rueben Randle as a "vertical guy" who will stretch the field in the pros.
You guys are still trying to explain to him why the Giants wouldnt take him?
My goodness he was near obssessed. One of the most overrated players of the draft who doesnt play to his measurables on the field. Not surprised he went mid 2nd
Neverend: Randle is more football player than athlete, Hill could very well be more athlete than football player. Wouldn't that be a treat for Jets fans who took him before Randle AND they move up to get him.
So under the radar with LSU's crappy QB play. I was really focussed on the pasing attacks that had lit it up over the past few years. Jeffery against Alabama was a thing of beauty and Arkansas was a scary O in the SEC.
But Randle looks like he might be scary out there with Nicks and Cruz. Our passing game with the option routes is complex though. Hope he grasps it quick. Barden also looked like he was finally getting more comfortable last year. Hopes he continue to improve.
I haven't seen squat from JJ yet.
I'm probably gonna write a piece for my blog tomorrow
about how the Giants found so much value. But part of it was because both receivers they got, Randle and Robinson came from systems where the passing game was a problem, and thus held down the numbers players with their ability could have put up in college.
One other thing to remember about Randle is that he's a true junior and is probably not yet physically maxed. He's got the same natural WR savvy that Ike and Akeem have, he knows how to set people up, etc. Just a perfect fit for us, and as I mentioned a few times here and on my blog, he can run the full route tree. I laughed when Jerry Reese also said that this weekend.
They called this kid NFL ready in terms of body and route running . I wonder if they didn't think Alshon could run the full route tree and/or would struggle with grasping our offense. When we picked Wilson 32 , RR was the only other WR mentioned as a comsideration at 32. We did bring Alshon In so surely they quizzed him to gauge his route running knowledge. Maybe they weren't as impressed with the mental aspect of Jeffery's game as they were Reuben.
1. The Giants finding LSU wide receiver Rueben Randle at the bottom of the second round. College scouting director Marc Ross said people compared him to Hakeem Nicks when his name came up in pre-draft talks, one reason the club considered him with its first pick. But it chose running back David Wilson instead. Oh, well. Except Randle dropped like a lead balloon and fell to them anyway with the 63rd pick. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, and it's always good to be both.
I don't think the Wilson pick is a commentary on Randle or Jeffery, I think they just liked what they saw in Wilson and the role he could play more than either of the wideouts.
what I meant was the Giants were strongly considering taking Randle at 32. That's how much they liked him. No other Wr was mentioned besides him as an alternative to Wilson. Staples article the night before confirms what Reese said about considering Randle at 32 and staple only mentioned Randle as far as WRs go.
so my point is we had Randle more highly ranked than BOTH Alshon and Hill. The highest ranked Wr still on our board at 32 still made it to us.
They never said that they didn't consider Hill or other receivers at 32.
Ross said that Randle was a lot higher than the 9th reciever on their board, and claimed that he couldn't remember exactly where they had him ranked. Personally, I wish they'd gotten a real burner (like Hill), but it sounds like they got great value with Randle.
There's a good bit of speed on the roster now, but I'll take a Steve Smith over Tim Carter or Jamaar Taylor speed any day of the week.
What good is leaving guys in the dust if you can't track the ball, understand the offense, complete the catch, or make it through a season without your body failing. So often these track stars are one-trick ponies who aren't worth sinking the development time into.
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Outstanding pick!
Would have preferred Toon in the 3rd but that's because I'm a homer. Good pick.
I love the first 2 rounds. Our offensive skill position players are young, talented, and ready to dominate.
cornerbacks in the country... Solid run blocker who was asked to block a lot in LSU's run heavy offense... Great big play ability, had eight games with receptions of 30 yards or more... Overall production is misleading because LSU lacked consistent quarterback play and relied more on their running game, he's better than his stats would indicate... Has a high ceiling, his combination of size, speed, and hands are all things that should translate well and has real potential to be a number one target in the NFL.
Negatives -- Needs to refine some his route running, he's not bad, but he's mostly been utilized down the field and he could improve his underneath routes... For a guy who can go get the deep ball, he disappointed at the combine with only a 31" vertical... Long strider, can get behind the defense, but it takes him a bit to get up to full speed... The long strides also make him a step slow off the line of scrimmage and he may have some trouble with press coverage... Can disappear in games, had five receptions for 31 yards in LSU's two games against Alabama combined and had seven games with three or less receptions as a junior... There were seven of his 39 games in his collegiate career where he failed to record a reception.
Now...lets get some D and OL help!!!
This kid is a very talented player.
JR and company deliver again.
no vert, weak short shuttle doesnt look that explosive or quick in and out of breaks.
Was he hurt? Did the rumored minor knee issue affect his combine numbers?
We are stacked..
He's more like a bigger Manningham. Smooth, good at tracking the ball deep, good after the catch. Not great at going up and competeting for the ball despite his height.
Welcome to the defending Wold Fucking Champion New York Giants, Rueben Randle!
He will have a bit of a chip on his shoulder because of being the last guy in the green room drafted and with Nicks and Cruz he's going to see a lot of single coverage against smaller guys
Eli is a happy guy tonight
Much is made of his lack of production, but LSU is a run first team with mediocre QB play. His numbers don't concern me at all.
He looks ready to play on day 1.
What I don't like
Not a lot after the catch. Looks like he can stand to play bigger ( he is 6-2).
I was happy with the pick but that took the edge off?
From Boylhart...
Hope we go some defense in the upcoming rounds.....
"This is what the Giants do - both rookies will play this year"
Just repeating what I heard.
Was humbled, but showed some tenacity there.
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Marc Ross calls Rueben Randle an "NFL ready wide receiver." Cites strength and hands. #nyg
I think Randle can be every bit as productive for the Giants. He is also bigger than Manningham. Some question his speed, but he routinely blows right by defenders.
Randle - another piece of the puzzle
Eli will make him a great receiver.
He's only 20 years old. Almost led the SEC in ypc despite horrible QB play. Will absolutely abuse the 2nd or 3rd corner if that's who he's matched up against. The perfect complement to Nicks and Cruz. Allows Cruz to be the slot in 3 WR formations. Shows the potential to be a very good route runner, 6'3/210, good speed, pretty good hands and he has some upside being only 20 year old. Production was impressive given his QB play.
In case anyone wanted proof they almost took him at 32
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Loading up on skill players now. Hope this kid is the goods. I saw 2 LSU games this year (both Bama games) and the QB play was unwatchable. He now has Eli
http://nflfilms.nfl.com/2012/04/09/cosell-talks-the-wide-receiver-transformation/#more-8272
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This was need. It might also turn out to be the BPA. But it was definite need. So was round 1. You always want to blend both
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part of the reason I think all of these guys are projects, a gimmick player like Hilton may have more of an effect off the bat if that's what you're looking for.
Ross btw confirmed the Giants talked about Randle in the first round last night and had a first-round grade on him. #nyg
Plus, we just drafted Jernigan in 3 last year (not to mention 2 studs entrenched as starters that ar eboth just entering their prime).
If Giants were picking by need, Allen or Massie would have been the pick.
The larger point is this: With the increased emphasis on multiplicity of formations and personnel utilization, the framework for evaluating wide receivers has been amended and expanded. We will see in a few weeks how that impacts where players like Randle, Sanu and Jeffery are chosen in the 2012 NFL Draft.
To act like we didn't need a WR is silly
We'll have a full training camp this year too.
Measurables should not be a question.
6.99 3 cone
10.1 broad jump
4.55 40
Productive enough with 53 grabs for 917 yards and 8TDs
I never thought this kid would be available at 63- NEVER.
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I think this was a fantastic pick, and that he'll be an upgrade over Mario Manningham..and I love Manningham.
He may turn out to be the BPA though, lets hope he is
Hey I hope they are right on this guy. They do hit alot more than they miss.
Schiano passed on Sanu too.
I don't care because he PLAYS 4.4 regardless of what he ran at Indy. I think this is going to be a helluva pick!
The point I made was that Eli no longer needs the WR to get open- he just needs the guy to run the route and he will put the ball where only the receiver can get it.
IMO, this pick is perfect- big guy who can break free from a lesser DB, as the best ones will be on Cruz and Nicks.
Speed is not his problem.
The 3rd WR is a starter here, and a way bigger part of the offense than the 2nd TE.
Here's the full Ross quote on Randle/LSU QBs: "The way LSU plays, they run the ball and those two quarterbacks, to be quite honest, are not very good. So he didn't get a lot of chances. When the ball cane to him, he was productive. But he just didn't get a ton of chances to catch. But when it went his way, he made plays."
OK, it's not as fast as our first round pick, but it's plenty fast enough.
Love the size, strength, and technique.
I think this is absolutely outstanding pick.
Now let's go get us a TE.
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No WR in this draft as good as A. Johnson or C. Johnson when they came out. Blackmon/Floyd not in that category. Randle intrigues me most.
We've got the best starting WR pair in the league and their combine numbers are not very inspiring.
Loose BJ and MM and replace them with David Wilson and Ruben Randle - fucking amazing.
Don't know why you're hating JerseyJoe. It's a great value and a great pick.
The answer is WR and RB, and those were the 2 directions we went in. Either we keep getting lucky and BPA keeps meeting with need, or we're more logical and like to blend both
In a salary cap and FA league you cannot go BPA all the time. You're gonna have holes and if you don't fill them you're gonna be in trouble
Now you can go on youtube and find entire games worth of a guys plays and form your own opinion.
Meanwhile, the football guys who are actually knowledgeable love the pick, and call it a steal.
Well done Mr. Reese. Looks like the rope on Barden just got a LOT shorter, hahaha
Giants realize Eli is the cornerstone, and aren't going to to neglect giving him weapons......
Here is what Greg Cosell had to say about him in the same article:
A big wide receiver who I believe can align on the outside and run the complete route tree is LSUs Rueben Randle (6-3, 210). The more games I watch, the more I like Randle. He is smooth and athletic, with better acceleration off the ball than either Jeffery or Sanu. In some ways, he reminds me of the New York Giants Hakeem Nicks, who was not drafted until the 29th pick in the first round in 2009. Nicks was the fifth wide receiver selected that year (after Darrius Heyward-Bey, Michael Crabtree, Jeremy Maclin and Percy Harvin), but hes clearly been the most productive of the bunch. Where Nicks has been very effective and I project Randle playing a similar role is at x iso, the single receiver to one side of the formation. When youre aligned at x, you must be able to win versus man coverage.
by Top of the Muffin to You on Apr 27, 2012 9:28 PM EDT via mobile reply
Reese and the staff know a heck of alot more than I do.
Trying to get psyched up for Reuben. Hated the vert and short shuttle times and didnt love the film I saw.
Hearing he timed as fast as 4.4 at his size is a plus. But the vert was horrible and the short shuttle was really bad too.
But what do I know?!!!
It's like people here or read somewhere "reese is a BPA guy" and it's suddenly gospel.
I think in fact up and down the first round you look at the draft and every pick can be consider a merging of need and bpa.
This does not spell the end for Barden. 3 WR were lost to FA and 1 is coming off of 2 ACL injuries
I am a Cavalier and hate the Hokies as much as the next man, but once I saw the highlight film I became a fan. I think he runs like Tiki Barber. He makes people miss, makes them take bad angles, has a burst, and initiates contact intelligently. If he picks up that little trick of Tiki's of leaving his feet when about to get hit, he'll be impossible to bring down, because he does seem to have an amazing gyroscope in his body that not even Tiki had. This kid is explosive.
Nicks and Randle on the outside, Cruz and Jernigan inside, Wilson in the backfield. If I am a DC having to defend that alignment in third and long situations, I'm not getting much sleep the week of the Giants game.
Mario ran a 4.59 at the combine/RR a 4.55
Mario ran a 7.34 three-cone/RR ran a 6.99
Mario had a 32" vertical/RR a 31"
Mario had a 4.27 short shuttle/ RR a 4.36
They both improved their 4o times to the low 4s at pro day.
So, they basically have similar numbers but Randle is a way bigger man. And has much bigger hands 9.5"
Ross compared Randle to Nicks and Cruz because all three don't flash in workouts but "take their game to another level" on field. #nyg
I don't know what tape you watched, but I loved him at LSU, and I am going to love him on the Giants.
I like this pick because Coughlin probably stamped the kid too
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But I have to trust the staff their eye for talent is great. And if they wanted him at 32....that means they didn't just like him...they LOVED him.
Can't wait to see him in preseason....so I can eat some serious crow on this guy.
Without even a trade-up.
No. Way. In. Hell.
This was absolutely a need pick, and good value.
This front office has brought us Nick, Cruz, Manningham and Smith in the draft. Signed Hixon as a free agent. Can we please give them the benefit of the doubt that they know how to draft a wide receiver?
Randle, a junior who came out early for the 2012 Draft, has tremendous foot quickness, speed and athleticism for a big receiver. These traits
combined with his hands and competitiveness are why Randle is going to be a first round pick. He is able to consistently close the cushion on
cornerback who lines up in off coverage because of his rare acceleration for a 6-3 receiver. He has the elite playing speed to run by cornerbacks
to consistently create separation on deep routes. As was evidenced by his 17.3 yards per catch average in 2011 in an offense that did
not pass the ball particularly well. On deep passes he has consistently shown the ability to make the tough over-the-shoulder catch or the
catch along the sideline where he has to work to get his feet down in bounds. Often overlooked when evaluating receivers is the quality of their
hands and this is where Randle separates himself from many tall receivers as he has outstanding hands to make tough catches seem routine.
In order to create space on short quick hitting routes, Randle uses hands and strength to push-off slightly. He runs routes aggressively heading
into traffic, catches pass without peeking at defense and gets the ball tucked away fast so that he can hold onto it when he gets hit right
after the catch. Randle is quick getting started up the field after the catch and is consistently able to run through initial tackle of defender. He
has the size, playing strength and balance to easily run through grab tackles to gain yards after contact. It is very impressive how well Randle
continues route and works to get open after initial route. He really helps out his quarterback by working back to quarterback when he is flushed
from pocket. Randles effort, size and strength enable him to be a consistently productive blocker and eliminate man from the play.
Anyway, considering that many were supporting him at 32, I think this is a great value and need pick.
Cruz
Randle
JJ
Hixon
Barden
yeah...that looks nice
On another note, do you think there might be any advantage to be gained in terms of Randle's knowledge of Claiborne as his teammate? I know it can go both ways, but maybe Randle can dish some insights on Claiborne that Nicks/Cruz can use right away.
Also In New York Giants
So why didn't the Giants trade up for Rueben Randle if they liked him so much and considered him a first-round talent? "We still had a group of guys we liked that were still there, we dont panic,'' said Marc Ross, the Giants director of college scouting. "He was definitely our highest guy we had on the board, by far, and we were hoping.'' #nyg
2 minutes ago
Giants.com - ( New Window )
--Bill
Hey, what do I know. I only see limited amounts of these players in clips. Reese and company just won the Super Bowl. Two in five years. If they never win again in our lifetimes there's not much reason to complain. Not knowing how the players will work out is part of what makes it fun.
Reese just compared him with Hakeem!
You mean the WR with the 1st-round grade???
RR - ( New Window )
20s Tom Rock @TomRock_Newsday Reply Retweet Favorite Open
Sounds like Giants see Rueben Randle as the No. 3 WR right away. "We think he's going to be a quick fit into our offense," Jerry Reese said.
Jernigan- More of a slot guy and the need for a 3rd WR was more perimeter based
Barden- Hasn't shown us a damn thing to count on him, if he breaks out its gravy
Who says Jernigan doesn't contribute this year?
It's a good thing the Giants use more than youtube clips to judge prospects.
Regardless, he's a Giant now...here are a few of his "ordinary" plays against some other future NFL players.
Long TD v Bama
Lee to Randle ices win over Bama
I hope Randle will do those things - I'm rooting for him, and hoping that bad QB play was part of the issue. Just didn't see a lot of it in the clips, that's all. Reese has made a lot of posters here look very, very, bad, odds are good that he's right and I'm wrong. I'm just writing about what I see, that's all I can really do.
Randle does not have the leaping catch ability of Alshon Jeffery, the production of Justin Blackmon, the size of Michael Floyd or the speed of Kendall Wright. But he does possess a little bit of everything, no pressing character issues, and the potential to get better once passes start reaching him with more regularity.
Link - ( New Window )
At 63, we got a better WR than the Jets, who traded away two picks on the back end of their draft to move up 4 measly spots when they could have had Randle at 47
In looking through this though and the case of Michael Clayton continues to baffle me. Immensely productive in college, more than any of these guys. AWESOME rookie year in the NFL, then he just basically fell off the map. No major injury, he appears to have good character and isn't a headcase. Coughlin likes him personally. Its just weird.
Love the Pick - he runs like a giraffe ... long strides and graceful.
He can probably replace Jacobs effectively with the Louisiana style cooking, too, at Giants' pot lucks.
He plays big, he can post guys up. People mentioned Hakeem Nicks when we talked about him in our room, the Giants general manager said. Hes not blazing fast and I dont think Hakeem is blazing fast either, but hes game fast. And hes bigger than Hakeem. Very good hands, ball skills. Talented, talented football player.
Randle didnt test extremely well (4.55-second 40-yard dash) and neither did Nicks. But like Nicks, the Giants see Randle as a good route runner who plays fast on game days.
We think hes NFL-ready, Reese said, echoing a phrase Ross used. He runs the entire route tree. This day and age in college football, its all about the spread offense and guys dont run the full tree. This kid runs the full route tree and he looks like a big pro wide receiver out there the way he moves around and we think hes going to be a quick fit into the offense.
Coach Tom Coughlin said Randle got a good endorsement from LSU assistant coach Thomas McGaughey, a former assistant on Coughlins staff. Coughlin also said Reese has a trusted source on LSUs staff.
Reese said the team discussed drafting Randle in the first round on Thursday night.
Really a little bit surprised about him still being there because we thought he couldve gone early in the second (round), Reese said. But he was still there and we were fortunate to get a guy of his caliber.
like the part about his NFL readiness, this isnt a Barden or JJ project having to acclimate from a small school. This guy has strength and route running under his belt already
Q: Do you think the quarterback play of LSU hurt him?
A: Definitely. The way LSU plays, they run the ball, they play defense and those two quarterbacks, to be quite honest, are not very good. So he didnt get a lot of chances. When the ball came to him he was productive, but he just didnt get a ton of chances to win games, to catch, but when they went his way he made plays.
Q: So how do you evaluate him?
A: There was enough to see his skill set and see his physical tools. Then you go from there. You see the practice, combine stuff.
Q: Did you think about trading up?
A: No, because we still had a group of guys that we liked that were still there. We dont panic. We were hoping. He was definitely the highest guy that we had on the board, by far, and we were hoping, but definitely not thinking about trading up to get him.
Q: Did you have a first-round grade him?
A: Yeah, he was in our stack there. Actually we talked about him a little bit yesterday at our pick. So he was in the discussion yesterday.
Q: What is it about his skill set that specifically impressed you?
A: Rueben is an NFL-ready receiver. I think with receivers a lot of it gets overblown with 40 times and speed and this and that. You need guys that are NFL-ready and what I mean by that is this guy is strong, he can catch the ball, hes a good route runner and hes position savvy he knows how to get open. To me those are the successful receivers in the NFL. I think our guys who we have now Hakeem and Victor if you put them at the combine you wont notice them, but you put them on the football field and they just take their game to another level and this is how Rueben is in our eyes.
Q: How can you measure that?
A: Again, you can study the physical skill set, the speed, the strength, the quickness, the change of direction, his body control. You look at him running down the field wide open and then not being able to get the ball to him. But you just look at his individual gifts as a player, his physical gifts.
Q: Rueben was the ninth receiver selected. Where did you have him on the receiver list?
A: He wasnt ninth. He wasnt ninth.
Q: Former quarterback, does that help those guys?
A: Yeah and he plays that way. When they see the field and then they go to another position they have a great understanding for whats going on. He fits into that mold.
Q: His games against Alabama five catches, 32 yards.
A: Did you watch the National Championship game? The quarterbacks couldnt even get from under center and get the ball off. Of course youre not going to be able to get it down field. Just watch that game. It was impossible for them to run the ball, throw the ball, do anything. He just got smothered. Theres nothing the receiver can do if everything else isnt going his way. Hes pretty much a byproduct of everything thats going on.
Q: Can you get a feel for how quickly he can contribute?
A: Yeah, but I think his game will transfer well up here because of the way he plays. He plays like an NFL receiver big, strong, physical, catch the ball as opposed to a raw guy who needs a lot of development on routes and techniques or drops a lot of balls needs to work on his hands. This guy pretty much has a skill set that fits in, will transfer pretty quickly.
thats telling . What I do like is he played against
top level competition he is not a thug and looks
like he will have something to prove .
It will be one hell of a battle when camp comes around .
Imagine if both Barden and Jerrigan round into
form . I friggen love David Wilson when we first started to evaluate RB's his tapes wowed me the most .
Screw the combine numbers he is about the size of Jerry Rice
who was not considered a burner either . Mario had
some slick moves but was not the brightest guy ever
I loved Mario but at times he drove you nuts .
I like the Toomer comparisons if he develops into
that type of player this offense will be as good as any .
I am loving our draft. Like the Wilson pick 10x more now that I know we got Reuben in the 2nd. Unbelievable.
woo.
I don't care if this kid can jump or whatever as long as he can do the job on the field and it sounds like he can.
My concern is his ability to read and select the correct routes.
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A lot of the high ranked receivers make highlight plays when they have 2 steps or more on the DB.
Gee, I hope that doesn't mean Randle can't get separation.
I think he has potential Mario didn't have because of his ability to be a threat in all areas of the field. Mario was a game changer over the top, he knew how to get open and connect with Eli for big plays. But he wasn't the toughest receiver and not a guy you expected to own the intermediate and short game. Randle has more potential as an all fields receiver, greate route runner who can take the short pass and make a play or get open deep and make a play. That versatility will allow Gilbride some more flexibility in the passing game I think.
And I hate to bring it up because he might be my favorite player on the team, but Nicks is kind of injury prone. The Randle pick isn't just to create a great 3 Wide group, but it's a pick for a guy who can help replace Nicks or Cruz in case they have to sit out a game or two. Without Randle, our WR corps would be in deep shit if Nicks got hurt. Cruz/Jernigan/Barden? Eli's good but that's not a situation you want. Randle gives them some insurance to their Top 2 studs and when all are healthy that gives us one of the best WR groups in the league.
I was a hater throughout the whole process, but I love where Sanu went. I think it's hilarious that the comparison that the doubters like me kept on making were the TJ Housh possession receiver comps. Now that's where he goes, perfect skillset to pair with AJ Green. Green might have the best downfield ball skills of anyone outside of Megatron, he's awesome. But Green is pretty skinny and you can see he lacks some toughness, he needs to gain some more muscle imo. Sanu is a guy who can get those yards underneath and pile up the receptions with AJ Green taking the attention from the secondary. I think the Bengals just found themselves a younger and potentially better version of the Ocho/Housh duo that was so good for them.
I like Randle a lot better for the Giants though. Hopefully it turns out to be the right move.
Patrick Peterson, Morris Claiborne and the other dude they have now.
That bodes well.
Chicago Marty - that same answer from Ross is, rather obviously, a statement about Stephen Hill and why he wasn't a target for the Giants with a high pick.
Jersey Joe quoted it above once, but here again it is from Ross:
As far as "position savvy" and "knows how to get open" you see it in Randle's tape with things like subtle gear changes and feints that help him blow by guys on deep routes - it's not raw speed but how he uses his arsenal. Mike from Warwick - isn't that type of stuff right up your alley? (I mean stuff you look for in a WR?)
Chicago Marty - that same answer from Ross is, rather obviously, a statement about Stephen Hill and why he wasn't a target for the Giants with a high pick.
Jersey Joe quoted it above once, but here again it is from Ross:
As far as "position savvy" and "knows how to get open" you see it in Randle's tape with things like subtle gear changes and feints that help him blow by guys on deep routes - it's not raw speed but how he uses his arsenal. Mike from Warwick - isn't that type of stuff right up your alley? (I mean stuff you look for in a WR?)
Also In Football
More Marc Ross on Rueben Randle: I think his game will transfer well up here because of the way he plays. He plays like an NFL receiver big, strong, physical, catch the ball as opposed to a raw guy who needs a lot of development on routes and techniques or drops a lot of balls needs to work on his hands. This guy pretty much has a skill set that fits in, will transfer pretty quickly. #NYG
NFL Scout on Randle:a smooth vertical receiver
ex-NFL scout Dave Razzano describes LSU WR Rueben Randle as a "vertical guy"
My goodness he was near obssessed. One of the most overrated players of the draft who doesnt play to his measurables on the field. Not surprised he went mid 2nd
Neverend: Randle is more football player than athlete, Hill could very well be more athlete than football player. Wouldn't that be a treat for Jets fans who took him before Randle AND they move up to get him.
But Randle looks like he might be scary out there with Nicks and Cruz. Our passing game with the option routes is complex though. Hope he grasps it quick. Barden also looked like he was finally getting more comfortable last year. Hopes he continue to improve.
I haven't seen squat from JJ yet.
One other thing to remember about Randle is that he's a true junior and is probably not yet physically maxed. He's got the same natural WR savvy that Ike and Akeem have, he knows how to set people up, etc. Just a perfect fit for us, and as I mentioned a few times here and on my blog, he can run the full route tree. I laughed when Jerry Reese also said that this weekend.
They called this kid NFL ready in terms of body and route running . I wonder if they didn't think Alshon could run the full route tree and/or would struggle with grasping our offense. When we picked Wilson 32 , RR was the only other WR mentioned as a comsideration at 32. We did bring Alshon In so surely they quizzed him to gauge his route running knowledge. Maybe they weren't as impressed with the mental aspect of Jeffery's game as they were Reuben.
1. The Giants finding LSU wide receiver Rueben Randle at the bottom of the second round. College scouting director Marc Ross said people compared him to Hakeem Nicks when his name came up in pre-draft talks, one reason the club considered him with its first pick. But it chose running back David Wilson instead. Oh, well. Except Randle dropped like a lead balloon and fell to them anyway with the 63rd pick. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, and it's always good to be both.
so my point is we had Randle more highly ranked than BOTH Alshon and Hill. The highest ranked Wr still on our board at 32 still made it to us.
Ross said that Randle was a lot higher than the 9th reciever on their board, and claimed that he couldn't remember exactly where they had him ranked. Personally, I wish they'd gotten a real burner (like Hill), but it sounds like they got great value with Randle.
What good is leaving guys in the dust if you can't track the ball, understand the offense, complete the catch, or make it through a season without your body failing. So often these track stars are one-trick ponies who aren't worth sinking the development time into.