Jets, Giants Draft Grades

By all account, the Jets did well to get Dee Milliner (R) with the ninth overall pick in the draft. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

With the 2013 NFL draft now in the books, in time to make a way-too-early judgment on how the Jets and Giants fared. First up are the Jets.

Gang Green has many needs and it would have been very, very difficult to address all of them here. Having said that, they seemed to completely ignore a glaring need for playmakers—most notably a wide receiver. Here are their picks:

First round, pick 9: CB Dee Milliner—A pretty nice pickup here. Milliner was dynamite at Alabama at locking down receivers and the Jets have a glaring need at corner with Revis now in Tampa Bay. Grade: A.

First round, pick 13: DT Sheldon Richardson—The Jets used one of the picks they got from the Revis deal on Richardson—marking the third straight draft Rex Ryan got a defensive lineman in the first round. Hard to fault them on this pick, as Ryan knows what he wants on defense, but it would seem that linebacker was a bigger area of need and Jarvis Jones was still there for the taking. Grade: B.

Second round, pick 39: QB Geno Smith—This was quite a reach here—especially with prolific wideout Robert Woods still on the board. Quarterback may be the toughest position to scout but Smith was just part of an overall big-time offense at West Virginia and certainly benefited from having Tavon Austin to throw to. Besides, the team could have taken similarly graded quarterbacks Mike Glennon, Matt Barkley, or Ryan Nassib with their third round pick. Grade: D+

Third round, pick 72: G Brian Winters; fifth round, pick 141: G Oday Aboushi; sixth round, pick 178: G William Campbell—The Jets have a clear need on the offensive line and it was certainly addressed in the draft with these picks. Should the team get two starters out of these three, it will be considered a success. Grade: C+.

Seventh round, pick 215: FB Tommy Bohanon—Bohanon certainly fits another need here as the Jets, with a clear lack of a passing game will need to rely on a running game that Bohanon and the offensive line will have to open up. The last time the team had a seventh round pick pan out for them though was DT Jason Ferguson (lasted 13 years in the league) who they took in 1997. Grade: C.

The Giants, which normally take the best player available (with a lot of success) came into the draft with fewer needs. Here is an early look at how they did:

First round pick, 19: T Jusin Pugh—Whether it was based on need or not, Pugh should soon fill a void on an aging offensive line. Known more for his pass-blocking Pugh is also considered a high-character person. Grade: B.

Second round, pick 49: DT Johnathan Hankins—Hankins is known as a tremendous run-stuffer with limited pass-rushing skills that should translate into a good two-down defensive lineman. Grade: B+.

Third round, pick 81: DE Damontre Moore—Moore is thought to be more of a pass-rusher and should provide more depth on the line. Though Moore could turn into a valuable contributor, it would seem the Giants would have been better off trading around to find a linebacker of their liking. Grade: C.

Fourth round, pick 110: QB Ryan Nassib—This is really the guy the Jets should have taken. This is also where the Giants philosophy of taking the best player available could hurt them. Eli Manning, 32, hasn’t missed a start since 2004 and is in no danger of losing his job. If Nassib is a good quarterback no one will know for several years—at least—and the Giants will likely have gotten little use out of him. Maybe they can swing a trade with their fellow tenants. Grade: C-.

Fifth round, pick 152: S Cooper Taylor; seventh round, pick 225: G Eric Herman; seventh round, pick 253: RB Michael Cox—Although the likelihood of any of these last three picks panning out is pretty low, fans should remember that in 2007 the Giants did well at the end of the draft. The team snagged Ahmad Bradshaw in the seventh round (4,232 career rushing yards) and Kevin Boss (2,033 career receiving yards) in the fifth round, and both played important parts in winning the Super Bowl later that season. You never know. Grade: C.

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