allowing him to draft as he sees fit as opposed to merely plugging holes. I'd love us to land an OG, DT, LB and S in FA.
Doing mock after mock, it becomes apparent that we'd have to reach at various times were we seeking to fill most of our holes in the draft (e.g., if we take an OL in Rd. 1 we'd likely have to reach for a DT, LB or S in Rd. 2, and vice versa) and STILL not accomplish all we need for next season.
So let's hope that Reese opens the checkbook and lands several starters during this FA period. We need starters and not merely backups if we are to contend next year.
I recognize I'm stating the obvious here, but it's remarkable to see time after time when doing mocks how often, even with the 9th pick, you'd either have to take a player at a position of lesser need when your selection comes up, or conversely ignore your Board/Tiers in order to address specific positions in the draft.
Suh will be massively expensive but we know NYG loved Paea in the draft (and I was on record saying we'd pick him when we outsmarted ourselves and gambled on Austin). Not sure a DT such as Paea is really worth the UFA dollars though.
If they let JPP go, they'll have some space to go after replacements, but it's difficult to replace a solid DE.
How much do you think Paea will cost? I don't think he's a top shelf signing at this point, and his arrow is pointing up, a bit like Ayers last year. IMO he's an upgrade over Patterson (certainly) and even Jenkins (prolly) at this point...
I could imagine JR grabbing a guy like DHB on the cheap, too, and an OL at a somewhat lower level than Franklin...
Rj, Hardy is a poor character risk, and Morgan has done very little in the NFL to warrant his draft status. Two significant risks.
The Giants roster problem is a 5 year run of poor drafts from 2008-2012. The last 2 look to have been solid. They need 2 more. You can then add a key piece or 2 in FA (like Kareem McKenzie, Burress, Rolle).
This March, positions to watch for clues about young players currently on roster will include:
S: How many eggs go in the Cooper Taylor/Nat Berhe basket?
3-technique DT - Is Bromley ready? (this one might remain unanswered if the team still regards Jenkins as a viable bridge);
TE - Will the Giants roll with Donnell and Robinson?
RB - Is Andre Williams still viewed as a potential #1 back?
DE - Damontre Moore: yes, no, maybe?
There are also glaring issues at LB and OL, but they mostly involve older vets and I doubt the answers will come in March. Even if Beason gets cut, we'll probably have to wait a few months to see the new plan.
That space can actually benefit them this year in FA as it allows them to be a little more creative. For example, if they want to go after Suh, they could structure it so a good chunk of his guaranteed money is his 2016 base salary. Or give him a two-tiered signing bonus so that a chunk of it doesn't affect this years cap.
That's one of the subtle differences between teams that manage their cap well and teams like the Cowboys and Saints that don't. You can almost always find someone to cut to free enough room for a couple splash signings, but it'll severely limit your options. Unfortunately the Cowboys have been better lately (ironically the cap penalty they paid which prevented them from making any huge signings that offseason helped here), but they are still likely to lose some combo of Murray, Carter, and Free this offseason due to cap mismanagement.
Don't think they bring in any starter quality players at TE/RB via FA. They might add a Fells type player (or re-sign Fells), but it's hard to imagine spending much on TE after the season Donnell had (blocking aside) when they have much bigger holes - I'm surprised S isn't talked about much more here.
Ditto RB. Jennings/Williams aren't going to set the world on fire, but the team would be better served using their FA money to upgrade LG/RT. That'll help keep Eli clean and give the two RBs a boost.
I do think they look at TE/RB in the draft though. Maybe even as early as round 2, but more likely round 3 and after.
At running back, there's a need for (at least) a third-down type. One option is to give Jennings that role and go with Williams as the plough-horse. RJ might not fit the Darren Sproles stereotype, but neither did Derrick Ward. Besides, Jennings might last longer as a complementary player.
They definitely need a Dan Campbell type blocking TE to complement him though.
RB - I agree they need to improve on 3rd downs there, but I think they envisioned Jennings carrying a lot of that load last year as he's a good receiving RB. He's not a shifty guy like Sproles/Vereen but he'll catch some dump-offs and make some plays there. And with Williams emergence (if you can call it that), they could give AW more carries early in games/series to reduce Jennings workload. Hard to see them bringing in a FA RB for much more than the vet min + small bonus, but I can absolutely see them grabbing a RB in rds 2-4 if the values there (supposedly a strong RB draft).
That said, they lack depth almost everywhere so I can see them going in just about any direction with the draft...