Draft Trends: New York Giants

With just 41 days remaining until the start of the 2011 NFL draft, it’s time to take a deeper look at each team in order to see if we can spot any specific trends or habits that have developed over the past ten years.

The National Football Post’s Draft Trends series begins Friday with an in-depth look at the New York Giants. We’re going back ten years (2001) to see what the past will tell us about this organization’s approach to the NFL draft.

NEW YORK GIANTS (10-6, second in NFC East)

Head Coach: Tom Coughlin (8th season)
2011 Draft Picks: 6 (1.19, 2.20, 3.19, 4.20, 6.20, 7.18)
Total Selections Since 2001: 73 (35 on offense, 38 on defense)

Lets begin by discussing how the Giants approach the first round of the draft. Since Tom Coughlin took over in January of 2004, Big Blue has used four of their six first-round selections on defensive players. Take note that the Giants did not have a first round pick in 2005.

In addition, New York has favored players from the ACC in the first round. Of their nine first-round picks since 2001, the Giants have selected six players from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

”First-Round

Over the past ten years, the Giants have made a total of 73 picks during the NFL draft. Take note that only nine picks (12.3%) have been used on offensive linemen, while ten picks (13.7%) have been spent on linebackers.

Here’s how their selections break down by position:

”Positional

NOTEWORTHY

1. Despite targeting the position ten times since 2001, the highest the Giants have ever drafted a linebacker during that span came in 2009 when they landed Clint Sintim (Virginia) with the 45th overall pick (second round).

2. The Giants have only selected three running backs in the draft since 2001 and have never done so prior to the start of the fourth round. The earliest New York landed a running back in the last ten years came in 2005 when they drafted Brandon Jacobs (Southern Illinois) with the 110th overall pick (fourth round).

3. Over the last ten years, the Giants have selected just two offensive linemen during the first two rounds of the draft.

Ahmad BradshawICONAhmad Bradshaw--a seventh round pick in 2007--is one of only three running backs drafted by the Giants since 2001.

4. Over the last ten years, the Giants have selected more wide receivers (6) within the first 100 picks of the draft than any other position. Defensive end comes in second, with five.

5. Since 2001, Big Blue has drafted just as many tight ends (2) as they have offensive tackles (2) within the first 100 picks of the draft.

6. The Giants have not used a first-round pick on an offensive lineman since they drafted Luke Petitgout (OG, Notre Dame) 19th overall back in 1999.

7. Did you know that the Giants used a first-round pick on tight end Jeremy Shockey back in 2002 and then used a third-round pick the following year on tight end Visanthe Shiancoe? Shiancoe caught 11 touchdown passes with the Vikings in 2009 while Shockey has found the end zone just six times over the past three years.

8. After completing a draft day trade with the San Diego Chargers to acquire Eli Manning back in 2004, the New York Giants have since drafted just two quarterbacks (Andre Woodson, Rhett Bomar), with neither being selected prior to the fifth round.

9. As of the current moment, the Giants have only six picks in the 2011 draft. Since 2001, New York has averaged 7.3 draft picks per year. Outside of 2005 (four picks), the Giants have made seven or more selections in eight of the last nine years.

10. Since Tom Coughlin took over as head coach in 2004, the Giants have used at least two of their first three picks in each draft on the defensive side of the football. 2004 and 2009 were the only two years under the Coughlin regime in which the G-Men spent at least two of their first three selections on the offensive side of the football.

Notice any trends that I may have missed? Let me know about it in the comments section.

Hit me up on Twitter: @JoeFortenbaugh

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