The New York Giants have added two potential starters to the team in the NFL draft, as head coach Tom Coughlin said that both Ereck Flowers and Landon Collins would compete in offseason workouts and training camp to contribute as starters and this comes as Justin Pugh could move to guard on the offensive line, while the team is trying to sign Jason Pierre-Paul to a long term contract.
The Giants picked ninth in the first round this year and the team drafted Flowers out of Miami with their top pick. The team said after the draft that Flowers is projected as a tackle in the NFL and he comes in after a very solid career with the Hurricanes. According to Pro Football Talk, offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo said that Flowers would be in the mix to start and that the team would play the "five best" players on the line.
The Giants traded up in the second round to get Collins and he comes in as a potential starter out of Alabama. Collins was considered to be one of the best safeties in the draft and according to Mel Kiper at ESPN, he has the chance to start right away. The safety position was one of the biggest needs this year for the Giants and Collins now gives the team a solid option in the starting lineup even as a rookie.
Flowers has the chance to play tackle and after the draft, Reese said that the team was impressed with the versatility of Flowers, who played all over the line at Miami. According to Dan Graziano at ESPN, the team likely will use Flowers at right tackle with Will beatty playing on the left and that could push Justin Pugh to right guard. Richburg played multiple positions last season and he could end up as the center depending on how things shake out and if Geoff Schwartz stays healthy.
Dan Graziano writes that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo gave Collins praise after two days of minicamp, saying that the safety has already improved his work in the middle of the field and handling coverage. According to Pro Football Talk, Mykkele Thompson has already signed his contract after being a fifth round pick and he comes in as a free safety. The Texas safety started all games for the Longhorns last season and he has experience playing cornerback as well. The Giants see Thompson as a starter-type player, but some scouts were surprised that he was even drafted.
The Giants had hoped to get a deal done with Pierre-Paul before using the franchise tag earlier in the offseason, but the two sides did not get close. The Giants have said that they are comfortable using the tag on Pierre-Paul and that a one year deal would be a placeholder for hopefully a long term solution. The one year deal is for $14.8 million this year and while that is a lot, it's about what the team would pay for JPP on the market anyway, making the tag not a bad move for the Giants.
