NEW YORK -- For the second consecutive year, the final player in the green room was taken with the final second-round pick at the NFL draft. Once again, it was a wide receiver.
The New York Giants will be thrilled if LSU wide receiver Rueben Randle can make a quick impact like Randall Cobb did last year for the Green Bay Packers.
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Plenty of talent still remained as teams kicked off the second day of drafting. Chad Reuter recaps who made out like bandits and who really whiffed. **More ...**
"I really didn't think there was a chance we were going to get him," Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross said in a conference call Friday. "He was one of those where at the end of the (first) night, you're saying he's going to be one of the first few guys taken in the top of the (second) round. Very surprising that he was still there."
Taking a wide receiver was a surprise on the part of the Giants, who say they always look for value over need. They added running back David Wilson on Thursday and went for another big playmaker with Randle. We love it.
Randle was one of NFL Films' favorite receivers in this draft, and that makes him one of our favorite receivers. He has a similar skill set to former Giants receiver Mario Manningham and should fit right into the vertical-strike offense run by quarterback Eli Manning and offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride.
"Rueben is an NFL-ready receiver," Ross said. "I think with receivers, a lot of it gets overblown with 40 times and speed and this and that. You need guys that are NFL-ready, and what I mean by that is this guy is strong, he can catch the ball, he's a good route runner and he's position savvy -- he knows how to get open. To me, those are the successful receivers in the NFL."
We can't help but think taking Randle is a statement about last year's third-round pick, Jerrel Jernigan. Randle and Jernigan have very different skill sets, but the Giants didn't draft Randle this high to sit. He seems likely to get snaps behind Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz.
The Giants' receiving corps has the potential to be the best in the league.
