The New York Jets began the day with six picks thanks to two trades made by GM Mike Maccagnan on Friday. The Jets needed volume and they got it. After taking safeties Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye back-to-back in Rounds One and Two, they addressed their depleted receiving corps in Round Three with Alabama’s ArDarius Stewart.
Saturday Maccagnan started the day by trading back again. This time with the Rams, swapping the 125th overall pick in the fourth round for the Rams’ fourth rounder (No. 141) and an additional sixth round pick (197). That gave Maccagnan the opportunity to fill the many holes on his roster and he did just that.
In the fourth round, with the pick, Maccagnan selected another wide receiver, Chad Hanson of Cal, a 6’2″, 202-pounder who compares to Jacksonville’s Allen Hurns and is considered an ascending player by many.
The New York Giants came into the final day of the draft under a cloud of scrutiny. Their first round pick, the explosive TE out of Ole Miss, Eric Engram, was said to be taken a round too early. They second rounder, Alabama DL Dalvin Tomlinson, is a solid, field-ready prospect who will jump right in to the team’s defensive line rotation.
In the third round, GM Jerry Reese decided it was time to bring in Eli Manning’s successor in Cal’s Davis Webb, a tall, strong-armed project that may not see the field until 2019, when Manning’s contract expires. Fans revolted on social media chiding Reese for not trading up to grab players at positions of need. But the Giants dance to their own beat and had plenty of good reasons for selecting the players they did.
On Saturday, Reese had one pick in each round and he began by taking Clemson RB Wayne Gallman with the 140th pick in Round Four. The Giants originally had the 130th pick but were penalized ten spots by the league for the Ben McAdoo “walkie-talkie” scandal.
Gallman is a banger who will bring much-needed physicality to the Giants’ running game. He has an excellent track record as a collegian, having played in a total of six bowl games including the past two BCS National Championship Games.