Perhaps the most controversial draft pick by the New York Giants in a while was this years third round pick, Mario Manningham out of Michigan. Manningham was considered by many to be the top receiving prospect in the 2008 NFL draft. Then his stock dropped big time for a variety or reasons; poor showing at the combines, lying about drug use and the score of 6 on the Wonderlic test..(by the way, the max score is 50 and I believe you get five points for spelling your name correctly).
That aside, the Giants believe in Manningham and used the last pick in round three to snag him. It is a somewhat risky move, but with the players surrounding Manningham, I am not too concerned. The Giants have never been an organization to select a player without vetting him, and if Jerry Reese and Tom Coughlin are comfortable with the kid, then so am I.
No NFL scout denies his talent. If the "other" issues aren't a problem, I am very excited to see what he and Eli can accomplish together..maybe we can call the combo "Eli Manningham" if they click???
Anyhow, here is the scouting report:
Has adequate shoulder width and room on his frame to add more bulk, but
only if it won’t impact his quickness…Has exceptional speed and
acceleration to suddenly burst off the snap and get into his routes
(will struggle vs. a press)…Shows good sideline awareness and the
ability to make the touch catch with his back to the quarterback…Has a
set of head fakes to fool the defender and can also surprise a second
level defender with his suddenness coming out of his breaks…Sharp
pitter-patter pattern runner with a fluid change of direction...Plants
and drives well on his routes and is alert to the stationing of deep
coverage...Runs with very good agility and balance (fluid, natural
motion) and is able to get to top speed instantly, when he is not
facing a strong jam…Has the body control to get in and out of his
routes and is very elusive after the catch…Not the type that will go
over the middle for the ball, but he is slippery trying to avoid
tacklers…Very quick to see and adjust to the secondary’s moves and has
big play ability after the catch…His straight-line burst allows him to
consistently stretch the field…Creates a lot of separation on his own,
scheming to find space in the zone seams...Has that deep separation
burst and side-line body control to make acrobatic catches seem
routine...Has a sudden burst out of his cuts and is known for making
the off-balance grabs near the sidelines...Has the quickness to
consistently beat the defender on deep routes...Makes most of his
yardage after the catch, easily turning the defensive back on his
routes while kicking into second gear to run away from his man...While
he lacks the strength to escape the jam, he has the speed to elude…Able
to drop his weight and show good body control in his short area
patterns and can get open deep due to his quickness coming out of the
break…Has quick plant-&-cut ability and loves when the defenders
give him even the tiniest of cushions...Shows smooth and fluid body
adjustments while tracking the ball in flight...A liability when used
on inside routes, but has the speed and suddenness to separate on the
perimeter…Has good body flexibility to adjust to the ball in flight and
when he maintains concentration, he does a good job of looking the ball
in and catching it with hands extended away from his frame…Has
gazelle-like moves in the open field and while he lacks bulk to break
tackles, he has the vision and elusiveness to make big plays…Shows good
hip wiggle, shake and burst to take a defensive back out of his
backpedal earlier than desired and has that game-breaking ability to
stretch the field.
Next up, we look at the New York Giants fourth round selection of the 2008 NFL Draft, Bryan Kehl.
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