Since you have been paying attention to the draft, which 1st round pick surprised you the most? Why? Which one made you say "wow I never would have guessed they'd pick him"?
but Kiwanuka was pretty surprising for me, I think it was 2006. They came off an 11-5 year and had Strahan, Osi, and Tuck, and Reese threw need completely out the window. Didn't see them going pass rusher early that year
I'm gonna say Kiwi too...totally shocked we picked him
time, but neither surprised me. If fact I expected both and hated the picks before they made them. Both turned out to be much better players than I expected.
Kiwi was a big surprise to me as well, bith position and player.
The biggest surprise was Bunch to me. Of all the positions a FB, after drafting a RB the previous year. Bunch wasn't even remotely on my radar. Too bad his body couldn't hold up because he looked good when he played.
The other runner for this one was Thomas Lewis, but loses to Bunch because I expected them to get a WR, just not that one.
Fassel attended the Hula Bowl that year and was in love with Dayne. It was Fassel's pick. Somehow he convinced everyone Dayne was exactly what the Giants needed.
He wasn't on any of the 4 draft guides Except One had him as a 5th round pick. I wasn't as surprised about Cedric Jones but I had no idea which way the Giants wold go. I was hoping for Ray Lewis but the Giants don't use first round picks on linebackers LOL!
Have the Giants ever drafted a Big Ten running back who was productive with the Giants? Have the Giants ever had a Big Ten running back on the roster who was productive?
I don't remember one since 1960. I do remember Dayne, Wheatley, Woolfork and even some less memorable RBs.
Wilson was really surprising to me cause i just never thought the giants would value an RB as a first round pick. My wife kept telling me they should take an RB and i was like there is no way the giants take an RB that early, you can get great value on RB's later. Then boom "giants select David Wilson"
Kiwi - because we were loaded at DE and I'd never heard of him.
Pugh - b/c I'd never heard of him.
JPP - didn't think Giants would ever take someone in 1st round w/ so little experience and only upside. We needed DE but I could have sworn it would be Derrick Morgan - good, solid, dependable, no surprises - Giants written all over him.
but more because I was surprised he fell to us than us actually picking him. Since he fell to us, I would have been surprised if we didn't pick him.
JPP surprised me as well for 2 reasons. First, I didn't expect a DE to be selected in round 1. Second, Giants tend to like guys in the 1st round who have gotten results in NCAA play rather than "project" picks with a super high ceiling due to athleticism. He didn't fit the "mold" to me and truth be told, I hated the pick. Said something like "we just drafted a guy because he can do a bunch of back flips." Glad I was wrong.
Doomster LT was the #2 pick
gtt350 : 10:04 am : link : reply
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Yes, he was....at the time, we had some pretty good linebackers, too.....
Back in those days, you didn't have the internet like now, to research players.....you more or less, listened to the media.....he had to be good, he was the number 2 pick in the entire draft......that guarantees nothing.....
But think about it:
In 1980, the Giants were 4-12 and the defense gave up 425 points....
In 1981, with the draft of Taylor, the team was 9-7, and the defense only gave up 257 points, an improvement of 168 less points scored....not only that, the team made the playoffs for the first time in almost 20 years.....
Everyone that has seen Beason play this year, gets really excited....go to YouTube and watch highlights of Taylor in his rookie year......to see a rookie play at this level on defense and ST's his first year was unreal.....it was like the first time Superman came out of that telephone booth........
Strahan was year-to-year by that point. Tuck had one sack as a rookie, and wouldn't get another until 2007. Osi was a pure RDE, and I'm not even sure he had signed his big extension yet. (I think it came later that off-season.) Kiwanuka was was a top LDE prospect and he had the made-for-Coughlin BC pedigree.
The Giants had learned in 2004 how injuries at DE could gut their defense. Sure enough, Strahan, Tuck and Osi all got hurt in 2006. Kiwi played every game, started nine, and easily led the DEs in tackles, despite one soul-crushing encounter with Vince Young.
For a defense built around its DEs, Kiwanuka was a logical pick - and initially a great trade-down. The problem with that draft was what Ernie did next.
When we were rushing up to the podium I thought for sure that it was for L.J. Shelton or Aaron Gibson. I had to go scrambling through my draft mags to find out about Petitgout. As it turned out he ended up the best of the three
Bart Oates had just turned 30, and would start at center for four more years before moving on to San Francisco. 20-20 hindsight: Steve Atwater and Andre Rison were among the next four picks.
in all other cases, I was expecting a pick, but this one was weird. I wasn't paying attention and didn't think about the draft. This was before the internet kept me up on daily developments and even possible developments. I remember seeing it in the paper that we'd made a first round selection and thinking - what?
There have been many April days when the first pick was a head scratcher, but only one in June (was it June?)
The pick immediately after Brian Williams was pretty good too.
Over a four-year span from 1990 to 1993, he started two games. He wasn't a bad pick, and he was a good player during his very brief prime. But wouldn't you agree that picking him at #18 was a surprise, and an overreaction to Oates turning 30?
If the Giants wanted an interior lineman, they could have taken Steve Wisniewski, who lasted until #29. That would have been a great pick. By the time Williams finally displaced Oates in 1994, Wisniewski had gone to four Pro Bowls and been first-team All-Pro twice. He was arguably the best guard in the NFL for the first half of the 90s (After Matthews, before Allen), and may have been the best left guard of his generation. The only good thing about Wisniewski dropping to the Cowboys was that they didn't keep him - although they did wind up with Moose Johnston to show for it.
That happened in his ninth year, when he was already 31. A center who doesn't play until his sixth season isn't a great draft pick.
I understand that Williams was drafted in 1989, before unrestricted free agency, when it was still possible to draft for the future. But still - I think it's safe to say George Young expected the #18 pick to contribute before 1994.
Thought it happened much earlier in his career. He played on some crap teams so that limited his game too. But, yeah characterizing him as a "great pick - definitely exaggerated his value.
Kiwi was a big surprise to me as well, bith position and player.
The biggest surprise was Bunch to me. Of all the positions a FB, after drafting a RB the previous year. Bunch wasn't even remotely on my radar. Too bad his body couldn't hold up because he looked good when he played.
The other runner for this one was Thomas Lewis, but loses to Bunch because I expected them to get a WR, just not that one.
Fassel attended the Hula Bowl that year and was in love with Dayne. It was Fassel's pick. Somehow he convinced everyone Dayne was exactly what the Giants needed.
Kiwi was the big surprise to me.
I was disappointed we didn't take Faneca (sp?) and giving up a #1 for Brown as a supplemental was a real reach.
I don't remember one since 1960. I do remember Dayne, Wheatley, Woolfork and even some less memorable RBs.
Lost: Oates, Kratch, Moore, Jackson, Guyton, Simms
Added: Lewis in the first round. In fairness got Sehorn in round 2.
In the '50's there were some nearly equally terrible first round picks.
Wilson was really surprising to me cause i just never thought the giants would value an RB as a first round pick. My wife kept telling me they should take an RB and i was like there is no way the giants take an RB that early, you can get great value on RB's later. Then boom "giants select David Wilson"
Pugh - b/c I'd never heard of him.
JPP - didn't think Giants would ever take someone in 1st round w/ so little experience and only upside. We needed DE but I could have sworn it would be Derrick Morgan - good, solid, dependable, no surprises - Giants written all over him.
But to transform this defense overnight, and play at the level he did as a rookie? I don't think anyone could have foreseen that!
JPP surprised me as well for 2 reasons. First, I didn't expect a DE to be selected in round 1. Second, Giants tend to like guys in the 1st round who have gotten results in NCAA play rather than "project" picks with a super high ceiling due to athleticism. He didn't fit the "mold" to me and truth be told, I hated the pick. Said something like "we just drafted a guy because he can do a bunch of back flips." Glad I was wrong.
Thomas Lewis was also a surprise, and that didn't work out at all. Ugh!
gtt350 : 10:04 am : link : reply
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Yes, he was....at the time, we had some pretty good linebackers, too.....
Back in those days, you didn't have the internet like now, to research players.....you more or less, listened to the media.....he had to be good, he was the number 2 pick in the entire draft......that guarantees nothing.....
But think about it:
In 1980, the Giants were 4-12 and the defense gave up 425 points....
In 1981, with the draft of Taylor, the team was 9-7, and the defense only gave up 257 points, an improvement of 168 less points scored....not only that, the team made the playoffs for the first time in almost 20 years.....
Everyone that has seen Beason play this year, gets really excited....go to YouTube and watch highlights of Taylor in his rookie year......to see a rookie play at this level on defense and ST's his first year was unreal.....it was like the first time Superman came out of that telephone booth........
The Giants had learned in 2004 how injuries at DE could gut their defense. Sure enough, Strahan, Tuck and Osi all got hurt in 2006. Kiwi played every game, started nine, and easily led the DEs in tackles, despite one soul-crushing encounter with Vince Young.
For a defense built around its DEs, Kiwanuka was a logical pick - and initially a great trade-down. The problem with that draft was what Ernie did next.
There have been many April days when the first pick was a head scratcher, but only one in June (was it June?)
Quote:
both huge busts!
How was Derek Brown a surprise? Terrible pick for sure, but I think every draft publication mocked Brown to the Giants that year.
Why did Derek Brown suck? Was he just hyped up because of Notre Dame or did he get injured early?
If the Giants wanted an interior lineman, they could have taken Steve Wisniewski, who lasted until #29. That would have been a great pick. By the time Williams finally displaced Oates in 1994, Wisniewski had gone to four Pro Bowls and been first-team All-Pro twice. He was arguably the best guard in the NFL for the first half of the 90s (After Matthews, before Allen), and may have been the best left guard of his generation. The only good thing about Wisniewski dropping to the Cowboys was that they didn't keep him - although they did wind up with Moose Johnston to show for it.
I was also mad that we didn't get George Rogers and got the Taylor guy.
I understand that Williams was drafted in 1989, before unrestricted free agency, when it was still possible to draft for the future. But still - I think it's safe to say George Young expected the #18 pick to contribute before 1994.
Thought it happened much earlier in his career. He played on some crap teams so that limited his game too. But, yeah characterizing him as a "great pick - definitely exaggerated his value.