New York Giants Move Mathias Kiwanuka to Linebacker: The Giants publicly announced today that Mathias Kiwanuka, their top draft pick from the 2006 NFL Draft, will be shifted from defensive end to strongside linebacker. Recently signed unrestricted free agent LB Kawika Mitchell will compete with second-year LB Gerris Wilkinson on the weakside.
“There is no question (Mathias Kiwanuka) can make the transition to outside linebacker,” said General Manager Jerry Reese. “There is no question about it. He can play SAM linebacker He is athletic, he is long, he is tall. You want your SAM to have some height with him to play technique on the end of the line. So he can do all of this. He is athletic. Actually he zone-dropped a couple of times and had a couple of interceptions last year.”
“We have him penciled in as our SAM linebacker,” said Reese. “So linebacker wasn’t a pressing need for us. You guys (the press) probably thought it was but it wasn’t We have two very good defensive ends and this guy is a very good football player and we think he can make the transition very easily. And we want our best players on the field. So we penciled the guy in a long time ago.”
“(Kiwanuka) is definitely an option (at linebacker) that we are going to look at very strongly,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “Mathias from the defensive end position has been up and dropped a year ago. We think that our idea there is to try to get as many quality players on the field at the same time as best we can. I think he can play well in that position and as we move into the spring here we get an opportunity to spend more time on the field and in meetings where we will continue with that experiment We will look at Mathias in a first and second down capacity there. Obviously we are going to use his pass rush talents and skills, whether it be third down, second and long, or whatever. In what capacity, we are going to have to take a look at how all these pieces fit together.”
“Gerris Wilkinson’s development is very important for us without a doubt,” said Coughlin. “Kawika Mitchell is in that role and fits that position as well. When you look at (2007 4th rounder) Zak DeOssie, he can play a couple of spots. He can play inside and he can play on the outside. I think that we have helped ourselves with that spot.”
New York Giants Pleased with Whimper’s Progress: Both Head Coach Tom Coughlin and General Manager Jerry Reese had some nice things to say about second-year LT Guy Whimper today. Whimper is expected to compete with David Diehl for the starting left tackle spot vacated by the departure of Luke Petitgout this offseason.
“I have been real impressed with what has been going on with Guy Whimper here in the off-season,” said Coughlin. “We have done a lot of individual things with him. He is a very, very good athlete. Obviously he has the experience of one year here which is going to help him from having an opportunity to learn the system a little bit better. We will know more about that as we move along. I am not ready to say that (Diehl is the starter) at this time.”
“We won a game with David Diehl at left tackle,” said Reese. “And if we have to play him out there, we will be okay. Don’t forget Guy Whimper. I think Guy Whimper is a good football player. I think he is going to be a very good football player at left tackle. So don’t discount Guy Whimper as a left tackle.”
Day Two of the New York Giants 2007 NFL Draft: The second day of the 2007 NFL Draft concluded for the Giants today with the team selecting the following players:
- Fourth Round: LB Zak DeOssie (Brown University)
- Fifth Round: TE Kevin Boss (Western Oregon University)
- Sixth Round: LT Adam Koets, (Oregon State University)
- Seventh Round: S Michael Johnson (University of Arizona)
- Seventh Round: HB Ahmad Bradshaw (Marshall University)
To see our scouting reports on these five players as well as what General Manager Jerry Reese, Head Coach Tom Coughlin, and the players picked had to say, see our 2007 NFL Draft Review section of the website.
General Manager Jerry Reese’s Post-Draft Press Conference: The following is the transcript of General Manager Jerry Reese’s post-draft press conference from earlier today:
Q: Are you pleased at what you came away with?
A: I think we had a solid draft. We tried to pick players we got a bunch of value picks plus needs picks. So I think we helped ourselves.
Q: What was the theme of this draft? As you look back at it as a whole, what did the Giants do?
A: I think we got better in a lot of need positions. We had value picks. We got better because we picked guys with character; we picked guys that were team-oriented players. We picked guys with talent. Those were some of our goals.
Q: You plugged almost every hole. Was there anything you weren’t able to do that you wanted to do?
A: We didn’t pick Calvin Johnson. We did; we plugged some holes that we needed. The best part about that is that we plugged them with some value picks as well.
Q: You talked yesterday about the chance to maybe move up a little bit. Would you characterize it more as not a safe’ draft but a solid’ draft?
A: Yes. It was a solid draft. Our value chart what it would cost to trade up. The opportunities presented weren’t fair value. We are not overpaying for guys unless it was somebody that we really, really loved or couldn’t live without, we might give up some extra picks. But the picks that we would have given up, they didn’t match the correct value. We didn’t want to overextend ourselves.
Q: Is there a guy in the second half of your draft that really jumps out at you; a value guy?
A: Obviously the first pick in the second half; he should be the best guy because that is the guy we picked (Zak) DeOssie. I think he has a lot of value. Number one, he is big, he is fast, he is athletic. His gymnastic numbers at the Combine were off the charts. The low level of comp, you have to weigh that. But you evaluate everybody the same. So we weigh in that he played at Brown. So we also weigh in that he is big, he is fast, he plays hard, he has great character, he long snaps. Ryan Kuehl is going to be here for a couple more years, maybe, but after that, this kid could be your long snapper, save you a roster spot. So he had value in a lot of ways. He can actually run down the field and probably make a tackle. And he will play on all special teams.
Q: Tom was just talking about Mathias Kiwanuka possibly moving to linebacker. As a talent evaluator and what you see from him, is that a transition that he can make? And is it easy?
A: There is no question he can make the transition to outside linebacker. There is no question about it. He can play SAM linebacker.
Q: Why do you say that?
A: Because he is athletic, he is long, he is tall. You want your SAM to have some height with him to play……technique on the end of the line. So he can do all of this. He is athletic. Actually he zone-dropped a couple of times and had a couple of interceptions last year.
Q: We understand he can do that. As far as from a third-down, straight-ahead perspective. But he can do that first and second-down?
A: I don’t think there is any question about it.
Q: Before the draft maybe a lot of people looked at your linebackers and didn’t include him there.
A: I told you guys yesterday that we have linebackers.
Q: So did that play into your draft?
A: I didn’t tell you that Mathias was a linebacker. But I told you that we have linebackers.
Q: But coming into the draft was that a name you included and thought, “Well, maybe it’s not as much of a need as other people think?”
A: No question about it. We have him penciled in as our SAM linebacker. So linebacker wasn’t a pressing need for us. You guys probably thought it was but it wasn’t.
Q: Do you have him penciled in as your starting SAM?
A: We have him penciled in as our starting SAM linebacker right now.
Q: Did that happen when Steve Spagnuolo got here, was that when the conversation occurred, or did it start as far back as last year?
A: We have two very good defensive ends and this guy is a very good football player and we think he can make the transition very easily. And we want our best players on the field. So we penciled the guy in a long time ago.
Q: You also drafted DeOssie , he’s a SAM linebacker, there are a lot of SAM linebackers. Can one of those guys play on the weakside?
A: Both of those guys can play SAM. DeOssie is probably not going to come in and beat anybody out right now I don’t think. He may be able to beat someone out (in the future) but he can be a solid backup SAM linebacker and play on special teams.
Q: What about Kawika Mitchell?
A: He can play on the outside, he can play SAM. He can play all over the place. He can play the middle. He can play any of the spots.
Q: Who do you have penciled in on the weak side?
A: Right now it is going to between (Kawika) Mitchell and Gerris Wilkinson. Not necessarily in that order.
Q: If someone had told you a few days ago, “this is your draft,” these are the seven or eight guys you have. What would you have said?
A: I would have said that we made some real solid picks; some character guys. The last guy we picked (the compensatory pick) he has some (character concerns) on him. But he is going to be on a short leash. We are not going to have guys come in here and disrupt things. All of the background stuff we did on him we think he is a good kid. He needs a little bit of structure. But he was worth taking a shot on. He is very productive, change of pace; he can catch the ball out of the backfield. So we will give him a shot.
Q: The tight end that you drafted, he is basically more of a pass catcher right now?
A: He is a pass catcher right now more than he is a blocker. But I think he can develop as a blocker. He just has to get stronger, get in the weight room. He can develop. I think you can develop much easier as a blocker than you can a pass catcher. You can catch or you can’t, pretty much. It’s hard to develop guys that aren’t pass catchers. You can get stronger and develop.
RE: Realizing (Zak DeOssie) was a strong need, do you draft a player on his ability to be an outstanding long snapper?
A: Not necessarily. At some point he may be the starting SAM linebacker. So we thought he had value that way. He is always going to play on the core special teams. You want big, fast athletes on your core special teams. The long snap is something (that adds value). At some point in his career the guy is going to battle for a starting spot.
Q: Was Steve Smith, in part, drafted as insurance policy for Sinorice Moss?
A: Well, I don’t know if it was an insurance policy, but he gives us depth at that position. He is a polished receiver that can come in we don’t know how soon Amani is ahead of schedule and we are encouraged about that but you never know. And Sinorice was hurt some last year. So we thought we needed to make sure we had some people at that position.
Q: Is there an area of your team offense or defense that you are still shaky about?
A: That question is probably leading to, “What are you going to do at left tackle?” In all of the e-mails you talk about left tackle. There are still some things that we can do.
Q: Is there a left tackle available?
A: I’ve said this already, but again, we won a game I was told not to say games.’ We won a game with David Diehl at left tackle. And if we have to play him out there, we will be okay. Don’t forget Guy Whimper. I think Guy Whimper is a good football player. I think he is going to be a very good football player at left tackle. So don’t discount Guy Whimper as a left tackle.
Q: You said you would be the tie-breaker, if necessary, before the draft. Did you have to break any ties?
A: I don’t think I ever fought for the players. In the draft room I just say, “Guys, put the facts up. What are the facts? Can this guy do this? What can he do?” I want to know what the player does. You can put holes in anybody. You can put holes in Calvin Johnson. You could say that he is big, he ran fast, but he doesn’t play that fast. Or his legs are too long, or whatever. You can put holes in any of the guys if you want to. So I don’t think I was fighting for players. I just wanted to make sure that we knew what the facts were on the players. Why not this player? A lot of times you get into the rows. Why First row, second row, whatever. I will give you a perfect example. The defensive end, Osi (Umenyiora). We would have loved to have Osi in the third round. But if you want him you have to take him in the second row. You can’t pick him in the third row, because he is not going to be there when you pick in the third row. So the dynamics of the draft are if you want a guy that the value is probably in the second row, you probably have to pick him in the first row, because you are not getting him in the second. That’s really how it works.
Q: Were there guys that you took a calculated risk as being in the second row and they weren’t?
A: There are always guys you are hoping to be in the second row. But we are in the reality business, more than likely they are not going to be in the second row. We always are like, “Well maybe he will fall.” Sometimes they do fall. But more times than not, they are not there when you want to pick them.
Q: Did somebody surprise you by not being there?
A: Nothing surprises me in the draft. So I won’t say that I got surprised by anything that happened.
Q: Did you feel like you might have to pick DeOssie earlier than you did if you wanted to get him?
A: We did talk about DeOssie. We did talk about him in the third. But the defensive tackle had more value at that time for us. He was still there in the fourth and we were very pleased that he was still here. I think we got a real value pick right there.
Q: Are you taking tomorrow off?
A: Absolutely not. Tomorrow I have exit interviews with the scouts before they go home and then take them out to dinner tomorrow night. Then I have to try to find a replacement for Director of Player Personnel.
RE: Draft picks from West Coast Schools.
A: Look at their name, what their body of work is, Oregon State, or Arizona. Koets, obviously he has some strength issues. We think he is a really good athlete; a big kid. Everything with him is going to be strength related right now. But we do feel like he can get stronger and contribute at some point. Michael Johnson is a big safety and has played a lot out there in the PAC 10. He has a lot of range. He worked out pretty good at the Combine. He is a seventh-round pick. But again, when you get down in the seventh round you start, “What can the guy do; what does he have?” He is big, he has speed, you have to concentrate on what the people can do when you get down that far.
Q: A couple of weeks ago you said that you would make the decision if need be. Did you have to make any?
A: I think everybody was onboard pretty much with all of our picks. I think a couple of times we started nit-picking on some things down there. So I said, “Let’s not nit-pick on guys. If they are good enough and everybody likes him to a degree, let’s pick him; let’s not nit-pick.”
Q: Did you look around for Ernie at all?
A: No.
RE: Guy Whimper has he been talked about as a right tackle?
A: He practiced at both places. He does have that athletic skill to play left tackle. No question about that.
Q: Is the answer to left tackle either Diehl or Whimper right now?
A: Right now it is.
Q: McKenzie wouldn’t shift over?
A: No. But there are still some things that we can do at left tackle. But right now if we had to go we would go with who we have.
Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s Post-Draft Press Conference: The following is the transcript of Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s post-draft press conference from earlier today:
Opening statement: For the New York Giants, the 2007 draft has just been completed. We are aggressively going into the free agency market as soon as the draft ends. We’ve had our meetings and our thorough analysis of our numbers and who the coaches and scouts are working with to try to provide some of the needed additions to our numbers.
Let me go back with you to the third round pick yesterday, Jay Alford. I did not have an opportunity to speak with you. This is a guy who we were very, very impressed with. A real penetrating inside pass rusher who I think, and (Defensive Line Coach) Mike Waufle agrees, is going to be a very good football player for the New York Giants. A guy that can play the run as well. Just very, very quick and athletic, and not only that, a guy that really wants to be a Giant. That was pretty exciting for me, that he wants to be a Giant.
Zak DeOssie, our pick in the fourth round, Zak is a guy that brings multiple versatility to your football team. He is a long snapper much as his dad was. He is a big linebacker who runs extremely well. He has outstanding numbers when you think about the combine and the things that he was able to accomplish there. He will be an outstanding special teams performer. He will be a physical linebacker much as his dad was. He runs better and will cover. If he ever becomes the long snapper, he will cover and do a good job from that standpoint. We feel like in Zak DeOssie we have a guy who fits a need obviously as a linebacker, a big linebacker, a big physical linebacker. He will also help us on all special teams but has the ability also to contribute as a long snapper.
Kevin Boss is a kid that comes from Division II football that was extremely impressive as we studied the tape. We brought him in about a week ago and had an opportunity to sit and talk with him. Mike Pope did some real serious studying with regard to Kevin Boss. He is an athletic guy that is used in multiple capacities as a receiver, as a tight end, and as a blocker at Western Oregon. He is going to have to get stronger and become a better blocker. He does have some developmental aspects to him but I think this is a guy that will help us on special teams. He is a big kid. He is going to fill out. He is going to be able to play on the point, we know he can move, and we know he can catch the ball. He can be a strong contributor in a lot of ways.
Adam Koets is an individual who played at Oregon State that has been a left tackle and is an athletic guy. He is very quick and a good pass protector. I think he will have to do some work in the weight room as well to help in the run game but he is a guy that we were very happy to see last if you will until we had a chance to talk about him and eventually pick him in the sixth round.
Michael Johnson is a big, strong safety who will come down to the line of scrimmage. He does have range from the middle of the field and who will contribute in a special teams capacity as well. He was very attractive. We were able to match a need, if you will, with a strong value in the seventh round there and so we picked Michael Johnson.
Ahmad Bradshaw is a very, very productive running back at Marshall University who caught the ball coming out of the backfield, who ran the ball. He didn’t really return kicks because quite frankly he was a guy that was very busy with the other aspects of his game in terms of being a contributor in both the run and the pass aspect of the game. Again we felt that at this point in time here is a guy who was a style of runner that we perhaps do not have and his production really was like a magnet. We were attracted to that in the seventh round with the compensatory pick. We were happy that a player of his value was still there on the board.
Overall it was four offensive players and four defensive players. We tried very much to attack the needs that we had, keeping ever mindful of the contribution that the athlete would make on special teams, of how the individuals that we bring in here would be team oriented people that would understand that their primary role is to help us, the New York Giants, succeed in whatever capacity we can initially place them in. Most of these young kids are very hungry when they first come in to have direction, and to understand exactly what their role will be when they arrive here. I look forward to this group coming to our mini camp in two weeks and then being able to stay with us in mid May right through the OTAs and on into the mandatory camp.
Q: Do you feel better about the team now after the draft?
A: There is no doubt I feel better because some of these slots that we have been anticipating trying to solve we were able to go forth and do it with regard to the draft. The draft is a time for the individual to show some patience because there is so much time in between and you see so many players come off that board that you begin to wonder whether you are going to have an opportunity to accomplish what you need to. I do feel like we did have success filling our needs along with value picks. We are excited about seeing these guys come in. Now they obviously have to come in and go to work and prove to us how in fact they will fit. You have to take your hat off to our scouts, to our scouting department, to all the work that our coaches and scouts have done with regard to grading and being in position to feel good about each one of these players and we do.
Q: Is Mathias Kiwanuka an option next season as a linebacker?
A: He is definitely an option that we are going to look at very strongly. Mathias from the defensive end position has been up and dropped a year ago. We think that our idea there is to try to get as many quality players on the field at the same time as best we can. I think he can play well in that position and as we move into the spring here we get an opportunity to spend more time on the field and in meetings where we will continue with that experiment. Gerris Wilkinson’s development is very important for us without a doubt. Kawika Mitchell is in that role and fits that position as well. When you look at DeOssie, he can play a couple of spots. He can play inside and he can play on the outside. I think that we have helped ourselves with that spot.
Q: Would Kiwanuka be a full time linebacker next season?
A: We will get into that. Let’s just take it one step at a time now. We will look at Mathias in a first and second down capacity there. Obviously we are going to use his pass rush talents and skills, whether it be third down, second and long, or whatever. In what capacity, we are going to have to take a look at how all these pieces fit together.
Q: Is David Diehl more likely to be the starting left tackle now after the draft?
A: I am not ready to say that. I have been real impressed with what has been going on with Guy Whimper here in the off-season. We have done a lot of individual things with him. He is a very, very good athlete. Obviously he has the experience of one year here which is going to help him from having an opportunity to learn the system a little bit better. We will know more about that as we move along. I am not ready to say that at this time.
Q: Did you coach Steve DeOssie?
A: I was at Boston College as an assistant when Steve was a player and of course here in New York when Steve was with us for the Giants. A tough, hard-nosed football player.
Q: Did going to Brown University hurt Zak DeOssie?
A: It did not hurt him from my standpoint right now. He is where we want him to be. Of course you do have to take into consideration level of competition. This is a big strong, fast, physical, and healthy football player that has nothing but upside. From that standpoint I see nothing wrong with where he went to school. The fact that he is here with us right now worked out very well.
Q: Is Koets at a similar level of development to where Guy Whimper was last year?
A: I don’t know if similar is the right word. Whimper was a defensive end, he didn’t have a lot of time at offensive tackle when we drafted him. Koets has been an offensive left tackle. He is very athletic. He has been in a good scheme where an awful lot has been thrown at him. He, like Whimper, has a good test score so I think he will pick it up very fast. Hopefully he has advanced.
Q: Is there anything different with Jerry Reese as General Manager this year?
A: When Jerry came on board it was a very smooth transition. Jerry is a hands-on guy who incorporates everyone. Every facet of the team is included in every decision. The draft was conducted that way and all the meetings have been conducted that way. Jerry’s style is a very, very admirable style. He is upfront. I’ve always been impressed with the way Jerry has run the draft even before he became General Manager. That particular style of how the draft is run continued this year as well.
Q: Is Alford more of a three technique kind of guy rather than a nose tackle?
A: He has played over the center. He has a very, very quick move which is something that jumps right out at you. First of all his sack total for his career was very productive compared to some of the other guys at that position. He has played on the nose, or on the center, and he has played very effectively there, but he has also played in the three technique position. His versatility is something we will take advantage of. Certainly on third down he can play at either spot. I would say probably at this point in time in first and second down he would be a three technique. We are going to get him in here and get him on the weight program and he will come in at 304 or 305 right now and probably maybe when we go to camp 307 or 308 with that quickness which is really going to help.
Q: Are you going into the season looking for a veteran left tackle?
A: I don’t think you ever stop looking for anything. I just think you continue the process as best you can under any capacity. You never stop looking for better players. Just as I don’t think you are ever satisfied with the draft, you are never satisfied with free agency, and you are never satisfied with where you are, that attitude continues even after the draft.
Q: Are you nervous about the left tackle position?
A: We are going to certainly spend the next few weeks as we move on into the spring here and work at that position. Of course when Koets comes in here it will be even better. We are obviously going to continue to try to find the right combination for our front.
Q: Would you agree that you had a good draft in regard to player character?
A: I think so. As has been stated before that has always been a very strong consideration and I think that it continued to be that way in this year’s draft.
Q: Did you investigate the character issues with Ahmad Bradshaw?
A: We did and we interviewed him at the Combine. We talked to a lot of people. We talked to his Head Coach who gave him a strong endorsement as far as a young man. There were no problems for him.
Q: Can the first four guys you selected come in and look to start this season?
A: Well, hopefully they can. I think you always say that. It is going to be very competitive and very difficult for them. You certainly expect a lot out of your draft class and for these guys nothing less will be expected of them. They will come in and compete and then let the best man win. They are brought here for a reason and they certainly are going to make a strong contribution whether or not they are starters or however they fit. Eventually you have to use them all.