Friday, April 29, 2016

1st Round Pick... Eli Apple.

(Photo Credit NYPost)

As promised, the 1st round of the NFL Draft was absolutely ridiculous. Going into the night it was Goff and Wentz, and then everyone else would be kind of a toss up. 5 trades, a gas mask bong, and a reach.

Before I get to the Giants "pick," there was one thing that REALLY hurt me. Nope, it wasn't the Titans trading up to get Conklin. The Bears trading up to get Floyd? Absolutely not.

What pissed me off the most was Dallas drafting Zeke Elliott. "But dude he's a running back! They passed on the best player in the draft!" Well, to be honest, I don't think Ramsey is the best player, nor will he make the biggest immediate impact.

Ramsey's ball skills are average, meaning, he has a tough time when the ball is in the air. He can't seem to get his head around, which will lead to face guarding penalties 85% of the time. That is why most have said he may be a better safety than corner. Keep the ball in front of him. He is a freak athlete, and proved it at the combine, but is NOT the lock down corner some believe him to be.

Zeke Elliott will put up some of the best if not THE best rookie RB numbers in NFL history behind that Dallas line. No my friends, that is not a joke. The Giants now have to deal with him for the next 5 years at least. He's a "do it all" type guy. Catches the ball out of the backfield, and will lay a hit on a pass rusher. Complete 3 down back. It's a good thing the Giants got Snacks, who is known to be one of the best run stuffers in the league. Still need a middle linebacker, but hey, Jasper Brinkley.

Now to the newest Eli and the biggest Apple: 

If you follow me on twitter @RealtlkFB, you have seen my reaction video to the pick. ALL week long I was hoping for Hargreaves, but also stated that there was little chance he would still be there. Said Reese may shock the world and for all my followers to be prepared for anything.

But what had happened was... Jerry Reese got schooled. They had two guys they wanted to pick, Conklin and Floyd at 10, and I believe that to be true. Just like the Flowers news started leaking last year, Floyd's name was linked for the past month at least, and Conklin a little more recent. Titans moved up to grab Conklin and the Bears moved up 2 SPOTS to grab Floyd. To be honest I wanted Conklin more than Floyd just because I don't want to use a #10 pick on a guy who doesn't have a position.

So then I sat there and was like, "Gotta be Tunsil or Hargreaves." I mean why wouldn't it be? Would the bong really scare off the Giants who NEED a tackle for the team? This guy was projected to be a #1 pick at one point. Why not Hargreaves? Perfect size to be a slot corner while DRC and Jenkins man the outside. He is by far the best cover corner in the class. Can he get beat on a jump ball with an elite, taller wideout? Sure. But in the slot for a year, it teaches him the speed of the NFL game, different techniques, etc. The guy is a complete ball hawk. Watch a highlight tape. Tipped balls always seem to find him, he comes up and lays a hit on much bigger RBs. Just an overall Pit Bull of a player. He would be a perfect DRC replacement whenever he gets hurt, or is released (maybe next year).

Or you know, maybe they could have done this:



To be honest, still would have been pissed. I don't like Treadwell as much as some especially if Hargreaves and Tunsil were available.

But alas, the New York Giants selected... Eli Apple, THE Ohio State.

Eli Apple is a 6'1" corner. What is the most immediate need in the secondary? Free Safety? Na Berhe has that. The answer is SLOT CORNER. Are there many, if any 6'1" slot corners? Name me one, because I refuse to do the research. Jenkins isn't being paid all of that money to spend 60% of the game in the slot. Not a chance. So you are playing a guy that is best at press coverage. He was coached to grab and hold the wide receivers. Something you can do IN COLLEGE but not in the pros. Played press-man all game. NEVER asked to cover the slot. Wasn't off and back pedaling in college either. Needs to work on that. This is all coming from Chris Ash the former DC at Ohio State.

Bottom line with all of this is, I am okay with the pick, but not at 10. I feel like Reese&Co were in a mad scramble after getting absolutely played by the Bears and Titans. How they didn't have a better plan or just DRAFT THE TWO GUYS I MENTIONED is beyond me.

Oh, something nice about Apple, did okay at combine, check this catch: https://youtu.be/Y_ihKrFc3FU?t=59s

I'll tweet out who I want in the 2nd. Stay tuned.