Recently, I spoke to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News regarding the 2008 NFL Draft.  Ralph and I discuss the Giants draft as well as some other teams.

Jared Blank, GiantsFootballBlog:  What was your take on the Giants drafting S Kenny Phillips in the first round?

Ralph Vacchiano:  I thought it was a great pick — and not just because I predicted it. The truth is, we all knew they were targeting him for quite a while, and it always made a lot of sense. He was the best safety on the board and anytime you can get the best guy at one position with the 31st pick in the draft, it’s a great move. Plus, when is the last time the Giants had a top safety? Gibril Wilson never really lived up to what he showed as a rookie. Before that … Shaun Williams? He never really lived up to expectations either. Now think of what Brian Dawkins did in Philly’s defense all those years. That’s what Steve Spagnuolo envisions with Phillips. 
 
JB:  Was taking WR Mario Manningham a worthy risk in the third round?  What, if anything, have you heard from around the league with all the negative’s regarding him?

RV:  Yes, he was worth the risk. It is absolutely a risk, but it’s one the Super Bowl champs can afford to make. If he doesn’t work out, it’s not like the miss will ruin the team or one bad guy will ruin their chemistry. Plus, they have enough veterans in there that they might set him straight. And if he does work out, boy did they get a steal. He’s a first-round talent with the last pick of the third? You can’t pass up value like that in the draft.
 
Now, I did hear that many other teams had him off their board entirely. I haven’t heard good things about him and his character from people I know in and around the Michigan program either. A lot of people thought the way he lied at the combine about his failed drug tests was a big warning side. Either he was too stupid to know that the people asking him already knew the truth, or worse — he didn’t care. Whatever, it scared a lot of teams off. And so did what I’ve heard were not exactly all-positive recommendations from his old coaches.

Still, while I don’t want to diminish what he did off the field, this isn’t Pacman Jones we’re talking about. Or Christian Peter, for that matter. Guys have made it in the NFL with a lot worse and more offensive problems than Manningham had.

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Mike Garafolo of the Star-Ledger reports that the Giants have signed Cincinnati offensive lineman Glenn “Digger” Bujnoch. He is capable of playing everywhere on the line, including tight end. His father played for the Bengals and Bucs in thew late 1970s and early 80s.

The team also signed Alabama defensive end Wallace Gilberry. According to Scout, he possesses good height, bulk and toughness against the run. Scouts are down on his speed as a pass rusher and will get overpowered by bigger and stronger offensive tackles.

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Speaking with the media, Giants general manager Jerry Reese stated that he doubts the team will head into training camp with five quarterbacks on the roster.

One of Anthony Wright or Jared Lorenzen will likely be the odd man out.

He also stated that the team believes linebacker Jonathan Goff will be used on the inside, while Bryan Kehl is capable of playing either strongside linebacker or weakside linebacker. Kehl will contribute on special teams right away.

Finally, Reese stated that the team may not have to sign that many undrafted free agents.

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Here are some of the top undrafted free agents at each position:

Quarterback:
Paul Smith, Tulsa
Kyle Wright, Miami
T.C. Ostrander, Standford
Anthony Morelli, Penn State
Nick Hill, South Illinois
Sam Keller, Nebraska
Caleb Hanie, Colorado State
Bernard Morris, Marshall
Xavier Lee, Florida State
Omar Haugabook, Troy State

Running Back:
Anthony Alridge, Houston
Chad Simpson, Morgan State
Jehuu Caulcrick, Michigan State
Rafael Little, Kentucky
Benjarvus Green-Ellis, Ole Miss
Kalvin McRae, Ohio
Andre Callender, Boston College
Dantrell Savage, Oklahoma State
Kregg Lumpkin, Georgia
Calvin Dawson, LA Monroe

Read more…

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Here is the 2008 New York Giants draft class:

31 - Safety, Kenny Phillips, Miami
63 - Cornerback, Terrell Thomas, USC
95 - Wide Receiver, Mario Manningham, Michigan
123 - Linebacker, Bryan Kehl, BYU
165 - Linebacker, Jonathan Goff, Vanderbilt
198 - Quarterback, Andre Woodson, Kentucky
199 - Defensive End, Robert Henderson, Southern Miss

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The Giants will next select at No. 198 and No. 199, back to back near the end of the sixth-round.

Update 4:35 p.m. EST - The Giants took QB Andre Woodson out of Kentucky with their first selection and DE Robert Henderson out of Southern Mississippi with their second selection.

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With the 30th pick in the fifth-round, the Giants selected Vanderbilt linebacker, Jonathan Goff.

Goff, played in 47 games for Vanderbilt, recording 307 tackles and 6.5 sacks with three interceptions. Scouts have raved about his great instincts and field awareness. Known for being a hard worker and team leader in the locker room.

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The Oakland Raiders have traded 2005 first-round draft pick CB Fabian Washington to the Ravens for a fourth-round draft choice.

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The Detroit Lions have traded up from No. 66 overall to No. 64 overall with the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins grabbed an additional sixth-round pick in the deal.

Detroit moved up to No. 64 overall to grab running back Kevin Smith out of Central Florida.

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Here are some of the interesting names still available for teams to select in day two:

QB - John David Booty, USC
RB - Kevin Smith, Central Florida
WR - Early Doucet, LSU
WR - Mario Manningham, Michigan
TE - Brad Cottam, Tennessee
OT - Carl Nicks, Nebraska
DE - Kendall Langford, Hampton
DT - Frank Okam, Texas
LB - Dan Connor, Penn State
LB - Cliff Avril, Purdue
CB - Charles Godfrey, Iowa
CB - Justin King, Penn State
S - Reggie Smith, Oklahoma

By the way, also an interesting note, the Ravens, Bears, Chiefs, Eagles all have 9 picks on Day 2, the most of the 32 teams.

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