Grading New York Giants' 2014 Draft Picks After The Preseason

By Kenneth Teape

Grading The New York Giants' 2014 Draft Picks After Preseason

Odell Beckham Jr. Giants Draft Pick
Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants philosophy for a long time was to build through the draft and develop younger players. It was the key to their Super Bowl-winning teams as the roster was full of homegrown talent. Recently, they have struggled finding pieces like that in the draft, leaving them with holes on their roster. How has the 2014 draft class looked through preseason? Here are grades for the Giants' 2014 draft class after the preseason.

WR Odell Beckham Jr. (Round 1, Pick 13)

Odell Beckham Jr. Giants
Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

WR Odell Beckham Jr. (Round 1, Pick 13)

Odell Beckham Jr. Giants
Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

It has been a disastrous preseason for the Giants' first overall pick. Beckham Jr. got injured the first time he stepped on the practice field, hurting his hamstring, and has participated very little since. He looked on track to play in the middle of the preseason, then re-aggravated his hamstring and has been out since. He is expected to miss at least another 2-3 weeks and is way behind the learning curve.

Grade: F

OL Weston Richburg (Round 2, Pick 43)

Weston Richburg Giants
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

OL Weston Richburg (Round 2, Pick 43)

Weston Richburg Giants
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Richburg was originally thought to challenge for the starting C spot with J.D. Walton. Instead, he will be the starting G on the offensive line as the Giants are already decimated by injuries there. Richburg has looked okay thus far, and if he can just hold down the fort for the time being, the Giants should take that as a win. This was not the plan, but Richburg looks ready to do what the team needs.

Grade: A

DT Jay Bromley (Round 3, Pick 74)

Jay Bromley Giants
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

DT Jay Bromley (Round 3, Pick 74)

Jay Bromley Giants
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Bromley has performed better than expected for the Giants throughout the preseason. Many people thought it was a reach to select him where the Giants did, but they liked his pass rushing skills from the DT spot. He was disruptive while on the field, getting penetration from the middle just like the Giants were hoping. He has a chance to carve out a role as a pass rushing option from the DT spot.

Grade: B

RB Andre Williams (Round 4, Pick 113)

Andre Williams Giants
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

RB Andre Williams (Round 4, Pick 113)

Andre Williams Giants
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

This was one of the biggest steals of the 2014 NFL Draft. The loss of David Wilson to retirement and Peyton Hillis’ injury makes this even that much more of an important pick for the Giants. Williams performed well in the preseason, even getting time in against first-team defenses as the backup RB, compiling 195 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries. If he improves in the passing game, he will be a dangerous player.

Grade: B+

S Nat Berhe (Round 5, Pick 152)

Nat Berhe Giants
Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

S Nat Berhe (Round 5, Pick 152)

Nat Berhe Giants
Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Berhe has played well throughout the preseason for the Giants. His role with the defense will be expanded because of the injury Cooper Taylor suffered, and he is a good special teams performer as well. The Giants envision a larger long-term role for Berhe, but the special teams unit is where he will make his mark early on. He is firmly entrenched on the depth chart behind Antrel Rolle, Stevie Brown and Quintin Demps.

Grade: C+

LB Devon Kennard (Round 5, Pick 174)

Devon Kennard Giants
Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

LB Devon Kennard (Round 5, Pick 174)

Devon Kennard Giants
Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

Kennard has been outstanding for the Giants since the second he stepped onto the field. He performed in OTAs and carried that through training camp and the preseason. He played his way onto the roster and into a big role on the defense and on special teams. He will push for playing time right away with the defense after playing as well as he did in preseason games, starting the first three.

Grade: A+

CB Bennett Jackson (Round 6, Pick 187)

Bennett Jackson Giants
Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports

CB Bennett Jackson (Round 6, Pick 187)

Bennett Jackson Giants
Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports

Jackson faced an uphill battle at CB as the Giants reloaded the position with multiple veteran free agents. Even having as little a chance to make the roster as he did, Jackson performed admirably. He actually beat out Charles James, a player the Giants had on their active roster in 2013. He will be a member of the Giants' practice squad, and should anyone falter or be injured on the 53-man roster, Jackson will be the first man up.

Grade: B

Kenneth Teape is a New York Giants writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @teapester725 or join his Google network

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