New York Giants 2011 NFL Draft Review

The Giants stayed with their board and selected Prince Amukamara at pick number 19. New York takes the highest graded available player instead of reaching to fill a thin position. Special teams coverage units were a major beneficiary of this draft where no less than six of eight selections could be on the field this fall. Team speed was also improved with players like first round pick Amukamara, return specialist Jerrel Jernigan, linebacker Jacquian Williams, and running back Da’Rel Scott. Prince Amukamara is a cover corner and upgrades the secondary immediately. Terrell Thomas and Corey Webster are solid starters but Aaron Ross has a hard time staying healthy. Amukamara has experience in both off and press man zone coverage plus man to man. Fluid in his movement and turns, he has good short area quickness. He is aggressive and confident in press coverage. He does not hesitate on run support but drives suddenly on the ball carrier on front of him. He is instinctive in his play. Marvin Austin appears to be a natural fit as a one gap disruptive penetrator. Austin fills a need position as Rocky Bernard and Barry Cofield may not be back. An underachiever at North Carolina, the Giants recognize that he is a good athlete who has the tools to perform on Sunday if he wants it badly enough. Jerrel Jernigan is an undersized but slippery wide receiver and kickoff return specialist. He can make the first tackler miss and fills a need slot as a return specialist as the Giants lacked consistency in the return game in 2010. Jernigan averaged 25.2 yards per kickoff return along with 13.3 yards per return on punts. He has good field vision and awareness. James Brewer fills another need for the Giants as injuries plus age and time are taking over the front five. Brewer may be the heir apparent to Kareem McKenzie at right tackle. He flashes NFL skills and uses his size to mirror and screen off edge pass rushers. He has a chance to play on Sunday because of measurables and natural physical assets. Greg Jones hopes to stop the revolving door at inside linebacker since Antonio Pierce retired. Jones will compete with Jonathan Goff and Philip Dillard as the starter. Jones was an instinctive tackling machine over his career. He played middle linebacker in the 4-3 scheme as a junior. He gets downhill in a hurry. A playmaker in the run game, he is always around the ball. He plays with intensity, is effective as a blitzer, and has the athletic ability to play in coverage. Tyler Sash is a traditional strong safety and strong run support player. He forces the point quickly. An aggressive and physical tackler he is instinctive and competitive. A developmental safety, he will contribute on all special teams. Jacquian Williams projects as a weakside linebacker. A developmental athlete, he has the speed to make a difference on special teams. At his pro day on 3/24/11 his numbers were: 6025, 231, 4.59/40, 1.59/10, 17/BP, 36.5/VJ, 9-8/BJ, 4.20/SS, and 6.93/3 cone. Da’Rel Scott is a big play back with rare speed, but has had a problem staying healthy. He runs with lower body power and strength. He gains yards after first contact and has an initial burst to hit the holes quickly. His strengths are speed, quickness, and the ability to catch the ball. Tough to tackle in space, he will also contribute as a kickoff return specialist. GRADE: ABOVE AVERAGE.