New York Giants Select OT Brandon Mosley in 4th Round

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With the 131^st overall pick, 36^th of the 4^th round in the 2012 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected Right Tackle Brandon Mosley out of Auburn University.  This is yet another need filled by the Giants with their second pick in the 4^th round.

Mosley is 6’5” and weighs 317 pounds.  He is a very versatile athlete, being a former tight end and defensive end in junior college at Coffeyville Junior College.  He actually recorded 12 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns on offense while recording 35 tackles and blocking a kick during his time there.  At Auburn he started 24 total games at right tackle, starting 13 games and being named to second-team all SEC this past season.  Mosley’s athleticism enables him to play all across the line, able to play at guard in addition to tackle and plays with the gritty, old-fashioned attitude that the Giants franchise covets in their offensive linemen. 

Scouts Inc. report on Mosley is, “Protects the edge well.  Arms are long enough to make it tough for edge rushers to turn the corner.  Powerful punch that knocks edge rushers off course.  Above-average athlete who flashes the ability to redirect quickly when footwork is sound but footwork is inconsistent.  Can give too much ground to power rushers.” 

They continue on saying, “Drivers legs and flashes the ability to move defenders off the ball.  Strong up top.  Locks on and controls defenders when he gets his hands on them.  However, pad level is a concern and can get stood up in the hole when doesn’t stay low.”

The Giants are looking for a new starter at right tackle with the departure of Kareem McKenzie.  David Diehl could potentially slide over from the left side, but the Giants have plenty of options in Sean Locklear and last years 4^th round pick James Brewer.  Mosley has a chance to compete for the right tackle job in camp, but seems more like a lineman the Giants will use for depth because of his versatility.  In all honesty, having a 4^th round selection starting on your offensive line to begin the season is not a position you want to be in.  Mosley has potential to be a starting tackle down the road for an NFL team though.

Jerry Reese adds, “Big, tough smart… just like we like in our offensive line room.  He reminds us somewhat of David Diehl.  This guy has a good concept.  He understands [and] knows how to play.  We think he is going to be a good addition.  We think he could go in there and play some guard as well if we needed him to play guard.  But he is an offensive tackle.”

New York Giants Draft Preview: Offensive Line

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This is the 5^th installment in the series of posts breaking down the Giants position by position for the upcoming NFL Draft.  The next position up is Offensive Line.

The Giants depth chart on the offensive line includes Guards Chris Snee, Chris White and Mitch Petrus, Tackles Will Beatty, James Brewer, Selvish Capers and Joel Reinders, Centers David Baas and Jim Cordle, and combo linemen David Diehl, Sean Locklear and Kevin Boothe.  The Giants also have free agents Kareem McKenzie, Stacy Andrews and Tony Ugoh on the market.

Last season the Giants underwent a huge overhaul across the offensive line.  They started the season with three positions not returning starters from the previous season.  Throughout the season the line was raved by injuries, causing more changes to be made.

This season will be no different, as longtime starter Kareem McKenzie was released and not expected to be retained.  That means Eli Manning will have a new right tackle at the very least. 

Brewer has been mentioned by Reese as a potential player in all of this.  He was selected last season in the fourth round and looked at as a project, but is expected to compete for the right tackle position throughout camp.  Beatty has been cleared to play and is expected to assume his role as the starting Left Tackle. 

Boothe was a valuable contributor all over the line last season.  Boothe ended up getting playing time at both Guard and Center last season and has a legitimate chance of being named the Left Guard this season.  Petrus filled in admirably in three games started last year at Left Guard.  Baas was the marquee free agent acquisition for the Giants last off-season, but did not exactly live up to expectations.  He had an up and down season fighting nagging injuries, but ended it with a Super Bowl victory.

Sean Locklear is the wild card here.  He was brought in with the potential to be an extra blocker for the team, but he has his sights set higher than that.  Locklear is looking to become the starting Right Tackle for the team.  The former Redskin and Seahawk is a grizzled veteran, playing in 105 regular season games and starting 82 of them.  Locklear was a main cog in the Seattle Seahawks run to the Super Bowl in 2005. 

The last offensive lineman the Giants drafted was James Brewer last season in the fourth round out of Indiana University.  Brewer was drafted as a project last season, and the Giants could potentially go in the same direction this year.  The only way the Giants take an offensive lineman with their first pick this year is if that player is the highest rated player remaining on the board.  Mike Adams of Ohio State University could potentially be there when the Giants draft at 32 in the first round.  Another option a little later in the draft is California University’s Mitchell Schwartz. 

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On a scale of 1-10, I would rate the necessity of adding an offensive lineman as a 5 for the Giants.  They have a lot of flexibility currently on the roster, but it never hurts adding more depth. 

New York Giants Start to Free Agency

There was a ton of euphoria surrounding the Giants following their rousing Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots for the 2nd time in 4 years. Eventually you have to move on and start focusing on next season. That time is now for the New York Giants. 


Tuesday, March 13, the free agency period will open up in the NFL and players will begin flooding the waiver wire and open market. But for certain teams, like the Giants, tough decisions and hard work are already being put in before free agency begins. 


The Giants have over 20 free agents, and it will be impossible to retain all of them, so they will have to pick and choose smartly which players are worthy of keeping, and which they will need to let go and eventually replace. The Giants have already re-signed Wide Receiver Domenick Hixon, who is coming off his second ACL tear in back-to-back years, Cornerback Bruce Johnson, who is coming off an ACL tear suffered in the pre-season, and Tight End Jake Ballard, who suffered an ACL tear during the Super Bowl. 


One player who may not be lucky enough to return is Wide Receiver Mario Manningham. After having a so-so season, dealing with multiple injuries, Manningham may have priced himself out of the Giants price range because of his performance in the Super Bowl and throughout the playoffs. There have been conflicting reports as to the percent chances that Manningham is leaving, but general consensus is that Manningham will leave because he believes he is worth top receiver money, and the Giants will need to find a way to pay Wide Receivers Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz in the next two off-seasons. 


To free up some cap space, the Giants and Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning agreed to a restructuring of his contract. They were $9 million over the cap at one point, according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter. But Reese the restructuring of Eli Manning's contract has given them some relief; approximately $6.75 million in cap space according to reports. Manning's base salary is now $1.75 million, down from $10.75 million, according to the NFL Players Association. The franchise quarterback will still get all of that money with $9 million of that $10.75 million being paid up front and guaranteed according to the Newark Star-Ledger. Manning's 2012 cap number counts for $9.6 million now, down from $16.35 million according to the New York Daily News. 


Restructuring Eli’s contract alone will not get the Giants the cap relief they need, so other tough decisions needed to be done. Some high profile moves the Giants made were releasing long-time Giants Brandon Jacobs and Kareem McKenzie. The Giants and Jacobs could not agree to a restructured contract, ending his seven year tenure with the team. The Giants were going to be on the hook for a 4.9 million dollar base salary and $500,000 roster bonus, so releasing Jacobs saved the Giants $5million in cap. Just like in years past, the Giants are taking the approach to add younger talent to the offensive line, telling Kareem McKenzie that he can go shopping to find a new team. McKenzie joined the Giants after 4 years with the New York Jets, and was a very important piece to both Super Bowl victories. Giant fans will miss McKenzie, who was both a warrior and mentor on the field for eight seasons.