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The New York Giants entered the 2016 NFL Draft with a lot of question marks all over the field. They had holes at tackle, cornerback, linebacker, safety, wide receiver and needed depth at defensive end. The Giants were rumored to be interested in OLB Leonard Floyd and OT Jack Conklin, but both went before they picked. Instead they chose Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple which was a shock to many in the draft.
Apple was ranked the third best defensive back in the draft behind Jalen Ramsey and Vernon Hargreaves III by most experts. Despite bringing in Janoris Jenkins this offseason, cornerback was a major need for the Giants who lack depth at the position.
The Giants won’t ask Apple to step in right away, but that’s the problem. The Giants had needs where they could have used someone to step in right away. They passed on Myles Jack and his knee. They passed on Laremy Tunsil who was shown in his marijuana video post. They passed on several players who could have had an impact right away at several positions.
Maybe Apple turns out to be Josh Norman or Richard Sherman. Maybe he doesn’t. He has a lot of work to do to get there. There is talent to work with, but it will take time and he will have to seriously improve on his zone coverage which the Giants sometimes employ. This was a reach by the Giants no matter how you slice it. What’s even more puzzling is GM Jerry Reese’s job is supposedly on the line and he passed on a lot of talent to take a player most projected as a late first-round pick. Giants’ fans better hope this doesn’t come back to haunt them.
The fact is, the Giants drafted a third cornerback with starting linebackers, defensive ends and defensive tackles still available. The Giants better hope Apple turns out to be a shutdown corner or else Reese’s future as general manager is in serious doubt.
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