The New York Giants come out of the NFL draft after taking Landon Collins and Ereck Flower in the first two rounds and those players fill major needs for Jerry Reese and this comes as the team could work out a contract extension with Eli Manning.
The Giants had the ninth overall pick in the draft this year and the team went with Flowers, an offensive lineman from the University of Miami. Reese started the second day of the draft with a trade, moving up with the Tennessee Titans to take Collins with the 33rd overall pick. The Giants gave up two draft picks in the deal and the selection filled a huge need at safety for New York.
Collins played at Alabama and he came into the draft as one of the top rated safeties by most draft experts. Reese said to the media after the pick that the team feels that Collins can play both safety positions, even though he was primarily a box safety in college.
Reese was asked about Eli Manning's contract situation and he said that he was not worried about Manning coming into the final year of his deal. Reese also was asked about JPP, who has been away from team activities while being hit with the franchise tag. Jason Pierre-Paul had a strong season last year and now he is looking to get a long term deal. If the two sides can't work out a deal by mid-July, JPP could hold out or sign the one year tender offer.
Reese could potentially more salary cap space to work with moving forward next year if the team signs Eli Manning to an extension. The Giants come in after going 6-10 last season and finishing third in the NFC East and now they need to find a way to bounce back. Coughlin could be fired if the team misses the playoffs again and that adds some pressure to Eli Manning and company.