The New York Giants Selected Ereck Flowers Ninth Overall in the NFL Draft
New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese and the organization faced a lot of pressure going into the 2015 NFL draft. Finishing 6-10, the Giants are aware that their window to compete for a championship is closing. Their last Super Bowl victory (XLVI) is becoming a distant memory and incumbent quarterback Eli Manning isn’t getting any younger. The team knew it needed to draft an impact player this year. The New York Giants addressed the deficiencies along the team’s offensive line by selecting offensive lineman Ereck Flowers in the NFL draft. Flowers, who attended the University of Miami, was the ninth overall draft pick of the first round.
According to draft experts and NFL analysts, of the lineman expected to be drafted in the top ten, the Giants preferred Iowa’s, Brandon Scherff. However, the team from Washington drafted Scherff one pick ahead of the Giants at eight. F&TS hoped the New York Giants would try to add another offensive threat and select wide receiver from the University of Alabama, Amari Cooper. Cooper was the best-rated wideout of the first round, but the Oakland Raiders selected Cooper fourth overall in the draft.
Si.com’s report on Flowers said, “The problem with picking him this high is that Flowers’s pass protection is very much a work in progress.” They added, with some technique work, Flowers could be a complete tackle, but NFL teams don’t take linemen in the top 10 to let them develop. He’ll be starting right away, and he may struggle to keep Eli Manning protected early on.”
Giants Draft Round 2 Results
In the second round, Jerry Reese and the New York Giants may have gotten the steal of the draft. They selected safety from Alabama, Landon Collins with the 33rd pick overall. Big Blue may have reached in the first round. Flowers is most likely a project along the offensive line but got great value by selecting Collins. Collins was widely viewed as the best safety in the draft. His skills in pass coverage aren’t elite, which likely resulted in his slide out of the first round, but he’s vicious against the run. Being able to drop a safety into the box has great value in today’s NFL, though getting better in the secondary will determine his ultimate ceiling. He should start immediately and become the team’s best player in the secondary.
News & Notes
Starting tackle Will Beatty is expected to miss five to six months with an injury, so the Giants draft of Ereck Flowers was vital. Beatty tore his pectoral muscle working out. Rumors have begun that Jerry Reese may look to sign Jake Long, the former first-round pick of the Miami Dolphins. Long is currently recovering from knee surgery.