E-GIANTS
Dave Klein was the Giants' beat writer for The Star-Ledger from 1961 to 1995.
He is the author of 26 books and he was one of only three sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls until the past few. Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.

(Ok, let me get straight to the point with regard to this year's Giants NFL draft. I have been contributing to E-GIANTS since 2007, a glorious year in franchise history, and the year that David Tyree made his game-saving "helmet catch" in the Super Bowl against the undefeated New England Patriots to clinch winning a Lombardi Trophy that year as 17-point underdogs.
(And that point is as follows: Call me a "homer" if you must, call me non-objective if you wish, but I am here to tell you that this draft ("on paper", as all drafts must be judged before seeing how the kids perform with the pads on as we get to summer-camp) is simply the most PROMISING draft I have ever reviewed in those 17 years.)

By Scott Landstrom
So let's just jump into the selections, and you tell me if I am being non-objective, after being less than totally enthusiastic in the previous 17 drafts:

First Round, #3: Abdul Carter, DE-LB, Penn St., 6-3:
OK, let's start that I have not heard as many comparisons to the legendary Lawrence Taylor about a pass-rushing outside linebacker since Taylor was drafted second-overall in 1981 (44 years ago). Carter is the same height as Taylor was (6-3), but five pounds heavier at 250. He out-benches Taylor, 375 to 300 pounds, and outruns him in the 40-yard dash with an amazing 4.33 second clocking (unheard of for a 250- pound DE-LB) vs. 4.50 for Taylor.

Carter merely led the nation in "tackles for losses" with 24.5, and ESPN analyst Ryan Clark had a hilarious story about his son (who played for Notre Dame this season) meeting with the offensive line after they came off the field in a VICTORIOUS 27-24 National Playoff Semifinals win against Penn State, and having to console the offensive linemen, such was the abuse Carter inflicted on them during that game.

He is, according to all measurables, a bigger, faster, more dynamic pass rusher than the great LT, and all we need to hear is that he has the same "inner dog" that Taylor clearly had. So it appears that we are probably in possession of the best prospect in this entire draft.

(Note: He was rated as either the first or second prospect on all five of the ESPN draft experts' analyses). Put it this way: I have only heard of two other prospects in the last 20 years who were 250 pounds or more, and broke 4.40 seconds in the forty - not to mention his well-above-average strength, so GM Joe Schoen and HC Brian Daboll might have gotten the top talent in this entire draft with the third pick.

First Round trade-up: 25th, QB Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss: 6-2 1/4, 223:
There is a concept in the "draft-expert" circles called a "late climber." In the early stages of the draft, QBs listed above Dart were Cam Ward, Miami (overall No. 1 selection), and Shedeur Sanders of Colorado (who had the opposite of a late-draft "climb"), with the first being picked first, and the latter being picked third, so the story went at the time.

Then there was a "pack" of next-level signal callers like Dillon Gabriel of Oregon, Kyle McCord of Syracuse, Tyler Shough of Louisville, Quinn Ewers of Texas, and Will Howard of Ohio State - as well as Dart, from Ole Miss, obviously.

Then, Jaxson had two great workouts on campus in front of scouts, and the overall competitiveness and athleticism of the kid started getting attention. All of a sudden, he went from being the sixth-ranked prospect at the QB position to either third or second (which is where he ended up getting drafted by New York).

Backing up, in Dart's senior season at Corner Canyon High School in northern Utah, he threw for 4,691 yards, with 67 touchdown passes in 12 games, along with rushing for 1,195 running yards and 12 TDs.

For those of you math majors at home, that would be 79 total TDs the young man was responsible for in total, which equals an incredible total of 6.5 per game. As a result, he was named "Gatorade Player of the Year" after leading his undefeated team to an eighth place national ranking, as well as "MaxPreps Player of the Year" as well.

On top of that, he was selected as "First Team All-State third basemen" in the state of Utah his junior and senior seasons - so quite an athlete is Dart. While he may not be the rushing threat Daniel Jones was, the fact that he ran for almost 1,200 yards as a senior playing QUARTERBACK tells you this kid is not afraid and is more than willing to tuck the ball in and take off, which is something both Schoen and Daboll craved at that position.

And if we take a closer look at the metrics for Mr. Dart, we find that he was third in the nation in total passing yards (4,279), had the third best TD/interception ratio of all qualified QBs (over 200 passing attempts), led the nation in average gain per pass and finally, PFF gave him the No. 1 passer grade in the country, beating out Ward, the top draft choice.

Quite a resume, n'est pas?

When asked what his best attribute is, Dart replied "Being ultracompetitive, and playing with 'an edge'." Great answer, young man - welcome to the team!

Third Round: 65th, DT Darius Alexander, Toledo U., 6-4. 310 pounds:
Alexander did not play much against the top conferences in the nation, but when he did, he excelled. Moreover, he was a noticeable standout at the Senior Bowl where he abused some of the best offensive linemen in the nation.

Already a great run-defender, Darius had the fifth most "tackles for loss" over the past two combined seasons of any player, and to get that kind of penetration as a 300-pound-plus interior lineman is really making a statement.

ESPN analyst Field Yates had Alexander rated as the ninth best DT in the nation, saying "He already is one of the top-three run defenders playing his position in the country. If he can add (with the help of Giant coaches and veteran mentors like Dexter Lawrence) some "pass rush savvy" to his game, then his ceiling is extremely high, especially since he gets to line up shoulder-to-shoulder with the best defensive interior lineman on planet Earth in Lawrence.”

Fourth Round: 105th, RB Cam Skattebo, Arizona State: 5-9 1/2, 219:
Maybe my favorite selection in this pick, the Giants getting the first running back in almost a decade to reach 1,500 yards rushing as well as 500 yards receiving since Christian McCaffrey did it at Stanford in 2015. It has been many moons since the Giants had a "power back" like this who breaks tackles seemingly with ease and looks to run OVER people rather than around them.

(Brandon Jacobs is the last one we had like this).

Despite his "fireplug" body shape, carrying nearly 220 pounds on a 5-9 1/2 frame, Cam tied for the second best "vertical leap" of all running backs at the NFL Combine, with a leap of 39.5", only one inch from tying for the lead at his position. So you can safely assume that his legs are EXPLOSIVE!

So this is a kid who finished SECOND in rushing in the nation with 1,711 yards on the ground, only trailing Ashton Jeanty of Boise State. Moreover, with 625 yards receiving, he led the nation in receiving yardage for a running back. Once again, in "all-purpose yards", Cam finished second only to the superlative Jeanty.

So when you contemplate pairing him with Tyrone Tracy, who was a receiver in college until his senior season, the Giants could have as dangerous a pair of backs in the passing game as any team in the NFL.

Fifth Round, 154th, G Markus Mbow, Purdue: 6-4, 303:
I liked this selection as well, primarily because every scouting report that I read about him mentioned either "intensity" or "urgency," making it clear that Mbow plays with a high "motor" and is not shy about being violent with defenders. Mel Kiper published a list of "draft favorites" not saying they were the absolute BEST at their positions, but guys that would get drafted and yield surprising value to their new teams, and he picked Mbow as his guard nominee. Able to play both guard and tackle, Mbow figures to be a valuable "chess piece" who Daboll can deploy at either position.

Sixth round selection: No Pick

Seventh Round selections: 219th, Thomas Fidone II, TE, Nebraska: 6-6. 243:
Well, the first thing to know about Fidone is that he had a really bad injury in his college career. Not super serious, but enough to often keep him off the field. The second fact you need to know about Fidone is that he is a GIANT of a man, at 6-6, who can also "fly", as evidenced by only three tight ends at the Combine who ran faster than his 4.70 time in the forty.

Oh, and as an athlete - well, let's just put it this way. Coming out of high school as a three-sport star, Fidone II was rated by MaxPrep as the top tight end in the nation, just ahead of a star recruit named Brock Bowers (who just set the NFL rookie receptions record last season). Vinnie Iyers of USA Today said "I think the Giants got a 'steal' in the seventh round to get a receiving threat like Fidone who can also hold his own blocking."

Seventh Round (second), 246th: CB Korie Black, Oklahoma State: 6-0, 192:
Voted a "team captain" of the Cowboys, Black ended up starting as a true freshman and managed to get 38 starts overall, which led the team for his class. He has GOOD size, but ELITE sprinting speed - clocking a 4.33 forty at his Pro Day. An able and willing tackler, and also a three-year "punt gunner" on special teams, Black will have value in several roles.

So there you have it - it feels as though Schoen and Daboll went for "value" consistently throughout the Draft, never "reaching" for a positional need, but the personnel that came to them just happened to mirror their gaps by sheer luck. As mentioned, when considered "top-to-bottom," this is the most promising draft I have reviewed in the 17 years I have been writing for E-GIANTS. And THAT, my friends, is "saying something!!"

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