Official New York Giants Forum Thread

[Champ]

I thought there were better players on the board at more pressing needs that we could have taken. And if we were gonna take a receiver, I would have preferred it to be Mohamed Sanu or even to have waited and taken Juron Criner a couple rounds later. Personally, I wanted the Giants to take Josh Robinson in that spot, but I am happy that we ended up taking Jayron Hosley in the third round.

Like I said earlier. We considered Rueben Randle at 32. Reese or Ross said they taught he would get drafted early in the first 5 picks of the 2nd round and were excited when he dropped to 64. Reese knows what he is doing. BPA bro.

[G-men]

Like I said earlier. We considered Rueben Randle at 32. Reese or Ross said they taught he would get drafted early in the first 5 picks of the 2nd round and were excited when he dropped to 64. Reese knows what he is doing. BPA bro.

Which is why I understand the pick. IMO Sanu was BPA (at least for WRs). Reese thought Randle was BPA. I think it's clear who knows more about these players. Hopefully, he's right.

[Champ]

Which is why I understand the pick. IMO Sanu was BPA (at least for WRs). Reese thought Randle was BPA. I think it's clear who knows more about these players. Hopefully, he's right.

Sanu had 4 catches in his entire career that went for more than 20 yards. Plus him being your BPA at 64 shows why Jerry Reese has the job and not some tard from jersey.

[G-men]

Sanu had 4 catches in his entire career that went for more than 20 yards. Plus him being your BPA at 64 shows why Jerry Reese has the job and not some tard from jersey.

The Giants already have two of the best deep threats in the league in Nicks and Cruz. It wouldn't hurt to have a guy that is great a running those short routes to perfection a la Steve Smith.

[EmpireWF]

Cruz can run those short routes...plus get all that YAC after the fact.

You gotta be biased for Sanu, though it's understandable.

[Champ]

The Giants already have two of the best deep threats in the league in Nicks and Cruz. It wouldn't hurt to have a guy that is great a running those short routes to perfection a la Steve Smith.

Here

 

2nd Round – WR Rueben Randle, LSU, 6-3, 210lbs, 4.55

SCOUTING REPORT: Randle is a junior entry who started 25 games in college. Randle combines excellent size with fine athletic ability. While Randle is not a burner, he is a fluid and smooth receiver with good foot quickness and acceleration for a big receiver. Randle can get off press coverage and he runs good routes. He can threaten a defense down the field. Randle adjusts well to the football in the air and has very good hands. He runs well after the catch. Good blocker.

MEDIA Q&A WITH GENERAL MANAGER JERRY REESE: (Video)

(Saturday Remarks): Like we said the other day, he was in the conversation with respect to our first pick. I think we were fortunate that he was still there; terrific, big receiver; pro-ready kind of guy. We think he will really thrive in our offense.

(Friday Remarks) Q: What impressed you most about Rueben Randle?

A: He’s NFL-ready – he runs the entire route tree. In this day and age in college football, it’s all about the spread offense, and guys don’t run the full tree. This kid runs the full tree. He kind of looks like a big, pro wide receiver out there with how he runs routes. I think he’s going to be a quick fit into the offense with how he plays; he’s big, he can post guys up. People mentioned Hakeem Nicks when we talked about him in our room. He’s not blazing fast; I don’t think Hakeem is blazing fast either. He’s game fast and he’s bigger than Hakeem – very good hands, ball skills. A talented football player.

Q: How close were you at taking Randle with the No. 32 pick in the first round?

A: He was in the discussion. There were five guys in the discussion, and he was one of the guys who we spoke about as well. We were really surprised a little bit with him still being there because we thought he would’ve gone early in the second [round]. He was still there, and I think we’re fortunate to get a guy of his caliber.

Q: Are any of those five guys still available?

A: No. They’re all gone.

Q: Why not move up a couple of spots to ensure you get the player you want?

A: We like using all of our picks, and we’ve moved up to get guys before and it hasn’t worked out that great for us. We’re a little bit leery of moving up and taking guys. We’ve done that in the past and I don’t think our success has been very good.


MEDIA Q&A WITH DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE SCOUTING MARC ROSS: (Video)

Q: What were you thinking as he dropped and dropped?

A: I really didn’t think there was a chance we were going to get him. He was one of those where at the end of the [first] night you’re saying he’s going to be one of the first few guys taken in the top of the [second] round. Very surprising that he was still there. Just keep holding your breath, holding your breath. Nah, somebody will pick him. Until you start seeing some of these other receivers go. Alright there’s a chance and he was there.

Q: Do you think the quarterback play of LSU hurt him?

A: Definitely. The way LSU plays, they run the ball, they play defense and those two quarterbacks, to be quite honest, are not very good. So he didn’t get a lot of chances. When the ball came to him he was productive, but he just didn’t get a ton of chances to win games, to catch, but when they went his way he made plays.

Q: So how do you evaluate him?

A: There was enough to see his skill set and see his physical tools. Then you go from there. You see the practice, Combine stuff.

Q: Did you think about trading up?

A: No, because we still had a group of guys that we liked that were still there. We don’t panic. We were hoping. He was definitely the highest guy that we had on the board, by far, and we were hoping, but definitely not thinking about trading up to get him.

Q: Did you have a first-round grade him?

A: Yeah, he was in our stack there. Actually we talked about him a little bit yesterday at our pick. So he was in the discussion yesterday.

Q: What is it about his skill set that specifically impressed you?

A: Rueben is an NFL-ready receiver. I think with receivers a lot of it gets overblown with 40 times and speed and this and that. You need guys that are NFL-ready and what I mean by that is this guy is strong, he can catch the ball, he’s a good route runner and he’s position savvy – he knows how to get open. To me those are the successful receivers in the NFL. I think our guys who we have now – Hakeem and Victor – if you put them at the Combine you won’t notice them, but you put them on the football field and they just take their game to another level and this is how Rueben is in our eyes.

Q: How can you measure that?

A: Again, you can study the physical skill set, the speed, the strength, the quickness, the change of direction, his body control. You look at him running down the field wide open and then not being able to get the ball to him. But you just look at his individual gifts as a player, his physical gifts.

Q: Where do you see him fitting in?

A: That’s up to coach Gilbride and coach Coughlin. We just provide the players and then they coach them up.

Q: Rueben was the ninth receiver selected. Where did you have him on the receiver list?

A: He wasn’t ninth. He wasn’t ninth.

Q: Was he four or five?

A: That was so long ago I can’t even recall exactly, but he was up there.

Q: Former quarterback, does that help those guys?

A: Yeah and he plays that way. When they see the field and then they go to another position they have a great understanding for what’s going on. He fits into that mold.

Q: His games against Alabama – five catches, 32 yards.

A: Did you watch the National Championship game? The quarterbacks couldn’t even get from under center and get the ball off. Of course you’re not going to be able to get it down field. Just watch that game. It was impossible for them to run the ball, throw the ball, do anything. He just got smothered. There’s nothing the receiver can do if everything else isn’t going his way. He’s pretty much a byproduct of everything that’s going on.

Q: Can you get a feel for how quickly he can contribute?

A: Yeah, but I think his game will transfer well up here because of the way he plays. He plays like an NFL receiver – big, strong, physical, catch the ball – as opposed to a raw guy who needs a lot of development on routes and techniques or drops a lot of balls – needs to work on his hands. This guy pretty much has a skill set that fits in, will transfer pretty quickly.

Q: What have you done for your offense?

A: Hopefully made us better, more explosive. We just brought in two good football players, both of whom we really like. So hopefully we got better doing that.

Q: Does he have experience with Eli at the passing academies?

A: I’m not sure. I would think he would, being down there, but I’m not sure whether he has or not.

MEDIA Q&A WITH HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN: (Video)

Opening Remarks: [Rueben Randle is a] big receiver, outstanding athlete, very smooth, quote unquote pro-ready, 97 receptions in the course of his career for almost 17 yards per. Size, speed. People said, ‘Can he get deep? He can get behind?’ Yes, he can. He doesn’t have that Olympic type speed, but he has the size and the speed and the power. He’s a smooth athlete. Very, very athletic guy and I guess Marc told you that we rated him very highly and when it came time for us to make our pick he was without a doubt the guy that had the highest grade.

Q: What’s it say that you work for an organization that does not panic and trade up, whereas some other organizations get antsy and do that when they have a chance to get a guy rated as highly as you had Randle rated?

A: Having worked with this group of men who are in our personnel department, I think we take a lot of pride in getting the proper grade on the player. A lot of pride in ranking the players properly and then stacking the board and believing that there is going to be a good player for us to pick by virtue of showing patience and not doing a lot of maneuvering. As an organization, when we go into a draft we look at the number of picks we have and we certainly expect to come out of the draft with that many or, if we’re fortunate, more, but we don’t do a lot of trading. We don’t do a lot of maneuvering. We do have a number of calls that come into the room offering to maneuver, a lot of which are ‘Are you interested in?’ Of course, as you know, to move substantially, particularly if you’re going to move up substantially, is going to cost you some picks. So we believe that we’ll have an opportunity to draft a good football player, whether you’re talking third, fourth round or whether you’re talking even later in the draft.

Q: When you see a guy like Randle drop, do you second-guess yourself?

A: No because I think the homework has been done. I think there have been a lot of personal calls made into that particular school, talking with coaches who have worked with Randle. Thomas McGaughey was with us as a special teams coach here and he is currently on the LSU staff and gave Randle a very strong recommendation and we have a lot of faith in Thomas’ ability to judge. Also, I think Jerry Reese has an individual that he has known for a long time on that staff who verified and talked about this player and his ability. Nobody is perfect. You have some things you have to be able to work with, but he will respond to good, solid coaching and that’s what he’s going to get.

MEDIA Q&A WITH PLAYER:

Q: Were you surprised that you lasted as long as you did and were you aware of the Giants’ interest?

A: I guess it was pretty surprising. I knew that the Giants had a lot of interest in me. I got a few phone calls from the guys. A couple of people from LSU were giving me signs that they were interested, so I knew once they came up, they would draft me.

Q: Did you talk to any LSU players from the Giants who gave you a hint on their interest?

A: No, none of the players. I haven’t talked to any of the players.

Q: The Giants have described you as an NFL-ready receiver. Can you describe how you feel about that?

A: I’m sure there are a lot of things that I have to work on. I’m not sure I’m going to be quite as ready yet. I have to get adjusted to the timing and the speed of the game, so I’m just going to come in there and work hard and hopefully I’ll get my opportunity.

Q: How about going from the quarterbacks you had to play with at LSU to coming here playing with Eli Manning?

A: It’s going to be great. We had struggles at LSU. They weren’t bad quarterbacks, but we struggled there. But Eli is an elite quarterback in the league and it’s going to be great for me to come in and play with him.

Q: Did that play a part in you getting picked lower than projected—not having as many opportunities as you would’ve wished?

A: I don’t know what played into it. I’m happy to be a part of the New York Giants, a winning program, the Super Bowl champs, so I’m happy with that.

Q: What kind of receiver are you? How would you describe yourself?

A: I can make all those plays – deep, over-the-middle – it doesn’t really matter. Whatever they need me to do, I’ll do.

Q: Eli is a New Orleans guys. Have you been to his passing camps or met with him at all?

A: I missed his camps the past two years. I was supposed to go down there, but a situation came up where I had to miss them.

Q: Every year guys come to New York and fall further than expected. Can you describe how it feels to wait for your name to be called?

A: It was a little nerve wracking, but you have to stay calm. That’s why you have your family here to talk to you and keep you relaxed until your opportunity comes.

Q: You had to wait around all last night and tonight as well?

A: Right.

Q: What was last night like?

A: It was kind of frustrating. I just went home with my family, got something to eat. I went up to my room and relaxed. I waited for my opportunity, and that was here.

Q: Did you do anything fun last night?

A: No. I just went back to the hotel. My family bought me food. I went back to the room with my brothers and just kicked back and relaxed and watched TV.

Q: When you get disappointed like this, do you come into camp with a chip on your shoulder?

A: I think it adds a little chip—but not much. I was going to come in and work no matter what the situation. I think I have a lot to prove now since I dropped so far, and that’s what I’m willing to do.

Q: The Giants said you were in discussion to be drafted by them with the No. 32 pick. Did you think you would get drafted by them in the first round?

A: I heard it was an opportunity there, but I guess they didn’t take it. I fell into their hands here at the end of the second round, and I’m happy with that.

[Champ]

The Giants already have two of the best deep threats in the league in Nicks and Cruz. It wouldn't hurt to have a guy that is great a running those short routes to perfection a la Steve Smith.

Here

 

2nd Round – WR Rueben Randle, LSU, 6-3, 210lbs, 4.55

SCOUTING REPORT: Randle is a junior entry who started 25 games in college. Randle combines excellent size with fine athletic ability. While Randle is not a burner, he is a fluid and smooth receiver with good foot quickness and acceleration for a big receiver. Randle can get off press coverage and he runs good routes. He can threaten a defense down the field. Randle adjusts well to the football in the air and has very good hands. He runs well after the catch. Good blocker.

MEDIA Q&A WITH GENERAL MANAGER JERRY REESE: (Video)

(Saturday Remarks): Like we said the other day, he was in the conversation with respect to our first pick. I think we were fortunate that he was still there; terrific, big receiver; pro-ready kind of guy. We think he will really thrive in our offense.

(Friday Remarks) Q: What impressed you most about Rueben Randle?

A: He’s NFL-ready – he runs the entire route tree. In this day and age in college football, it’s all about the spread offense, and guys don’t run the full tree. This kid runs the full tree. He kind of looks like a big, pro wide receiver out there with how he runs routes. I think he’s going to be a quick fit into the offense with how he plays; he’s big, he can post guys up. People mentioned Hakeem Nicks when we talked about him in our room. He’s not blazing fast; I don’t think Hakeem is blazing fast either. He’s game fast and he’s bigger than Hakeem – very good hands, ball skills. A talented football player.

Q: How close were you at taking Randle with the No. 32 pick in the first round?

A: He was in the discussion. There were five guys in the discussion, and he was one of the guys who we spoke about as well. We were really surprised a little bit with him still being there because we thought he would’ve gone early in the second [round]. He was still there, and I think we’re fortunate to get a guy of his caliber.

Q: Are any of those five guys still available?

A: No. They’re all gone.

Q: Why not move up a couple of spots to ensure you get the player you want?

A: We like using all of our picks, and we’ve moved up to get guys before and it hasn’t worked out that great for us. We’re a little bit leery of moving up and taking guys. We’ve done that in the past and I don’t think our success has been very good.


MEDIA Q&A WITH DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE SCOUTING MARC ROSS: (Video)

Q: What were you thinking as he dropped and dropped?

A: I really didn’t think there was a chance we were going to get him. He was one of those where at the end of the [first] night you’re saying he’s going to be one of the first few guys taken in the top of the [second] round. Very surprising that he was still there. Just keep holding your breath, holding your breath. Nah, somebody will pick him. Until you start seeing some of these other receivers go. Alright there’s a chance and he was there.

Q: Do you think the quarterback play of LSU hurt him?

A: Definitely. The way LSU plays, they run the ball, they play defense and those two quarterbacks, to be quite honest, are not very good. So he didn’t get a lot of chances. When the ball came to him he was productive, but he just didn’t get a ton of chances to win games, to catch, but when they went his way he made plays.

Q: So how do you evaluate him?

A: There was enough to see his skill set and see his physical tools. Then you go from there. You see the practice, Combine stuff.

Q: Did you think about trading up?

A: No, because we still had a group of guys that we liked that were still there. We don’t panic. We were hoping. He was definitely the highest guy that we had on the board, by far, and we were hoping, but definitely not thinking about trading up to get him.

Q: Did you have a first-round grade him?

A: Yeah, he was in our stack there. Actually we talked about him a little bit yesterday at our pick. So he was in the discussion yesterday.

Q: What is it about his skill set that specifically impressed you?

A: Rueben is an NFL-ready receiver. I think with receivers a lot of it gets overblown with 40 times and speed and this and that. You need guys that are NFL-ready and what I mean by that is this guy is strong, he can catch the ball, he’s a good route runner and he’s position savvy – he knows how to get open. To me those are the successful receivers in the NFL. I think our guys who we have now – Hakeem and Victor – if you put them at the Combine you won’t notice them, but you put them on the football field and they just take their game to another level and this is how Rueben is in our eyes.

Q: How can you measure that?

A: Again, you can study the physical skill set, the speed, the strength, the quickness, the change of direction, his body control. You look at him running down the field wide open and then not being able to get the ball to him. But you just look at his individual gifts as a player, his physical gifts.

Q: Where do you see him fitting in?

A: That’s up to coach Gilbride and coach Coughlin. We just provide the players and then they coach them up.

Q: Rueben was the ninth receiver selected. Where did you have him on the receiver list?

A: He wasn’t ninth. He wasn’t ninth.

Q: Was he four or five?

A: That was so long ago I can’t even recall exactly, but he was up there.

Q: Former quarterback, does that help those guys?

A: Yeah and he plays that way. When they see the field and then they go to another position they have a great understanding for what’s going on. He fits into that mold.

Q: His games against Alabama – five catches, 32 yards.

A: Did you watch the National Championship game? The quarterbacks couldn’t even get from under center and get the ball off. Of course you’re not going to be able to get it down field. Just watch that game. It was impossible for them to run the ball, throw the ball, do anything. He just got smothered. There’s nothing the receiver can do if everything else isn’t going his way. He’s pretty much a byproduct of everything that’s going on.

Q: Can you get a feel for how quickly he can contribute?

A: Yeah, but I think his game will transfer well up here because of the way he plays. He plays like an NFL receiver – big, strong, physical, catch the ball – as opposed to a raw guy who needs a lot of development on routes and techniques or drops a lot of balls – needs to work on his hands. This guy pretty much has a skill set that fits in, will transfer pretty quickly.

Q: What have you done for your offense?

A: Hopefully made us better, more explosive. We just brought in two good football players, both of whom we really like. So hopefully we got better doing that.

Q: Does he have experience with Eli at the passing academies?

A: I’m not sure. I would think he would, being down there, but I’m not sure whether he has or not.

MEDIA Q&A WITH HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN: (Video)

Opening Remarks: [Rueben Randle is a] big receiver, outstanding athlete, very smooth, quote unquote pro-ready, 97 receptions in the course of his career for almost 17 yards per. Size, speed. People said, ‘Can he get deep? He can get behind?’ Yes, he can. He doesn’t have that Olympic type speed, but he has the size and the speed and the power. He’s a smooth athlete. Very, very athletic guy and I guess Marc told you that we rated him very highly and when it came time for us to make our pick he was without a doubt the guy that had the highest grade.

Q: What’s it say that you work for an organization that does not panic and trade up, whereas some other organizations get antsy and do that when they have a chance to get a guy rated as highly as you had Randle rated?

A: Having worked with this group of men who are in our personnel department, I think we take a lot of pride in getting the proper grade on the player. A lot of pride in ranking the players properly and then stacking the board and believing that there is going to be a good player for us to pick by virtue of showing patience and not doing a lot of maneuvering. As an organization, when we go into a draft we look at the number of picks we have and we certainly expect to come out of the draft with that many or, if we’re fortunate, more, but we don’t do a lot of trading. We don’t do a lot of maneuvering. We do have a number of calls that come into the room offering to maneuver, a lot of which are ‘Are you interested in?’ Of course, as you know, to move substantially, particularly if you’re going to move up substantially, is going to cost you some picks. So we believe that we’ll have an opportunity to draft a good football player, whether you’re talking third, fourth round or whether you’re talking even later in the draft.

Q: When you see a guy like Randle drop, do you second-guess yourself?

A: No because I think the homework has been done. I think there have been a lot of personal calls made into that particular school, talking with coaches who have worked with Randle. Thomas McGaughey was with us as a special teams coach here and he is currently on the LSU staff and gave Randle a very strong recommendation and we have a lot of faith in Thomas’ ability to judge. Also, I think Jerry Reese has an individual that he has known for a long time on that staff who verified and talked about this player and his ability. Nobody is perfect. You have some things you have to be able to work with, but he will respond to good, solid coaching and that’s what he’s going to get.

MEDIA Q&A WITH PLAYER:

Q: Were you surprised that you lasted as long as you did and were you aware of the Giants’ interest?

A: I guess it was pretty surprising. I knew that the Giants had a lot of interest in me. I got a few phone calls from the guys. A couple of people from LSU were giving me signs that they were interested, so I knew once they came up, they would draft me.

Q: Did you talk to any LSU players from the Giants who gave you a hint on their interest?

A: No, none of the players. I haven’t talked to any of the players.

Q: The Giants have described you as an NFL-ready receiver. Can you describe how you feel about that?

A: I’m sure there are a lot of things that I have to work on. I’m not sure I’m going to be quite as ready yet. I have to get adjusted to the timing and the speed of the game, so I’m just going to come in there and work hard and hopefully I’ll get my opportunity.

Q: How about going from the quarterbacks you had to play with at LSU to coming here playing with Eli Manning?

A: It’s going to be great. We had struggles at LSU. They weren’t bad quarterbacks, but we struggled there. But Eli is an elite quarterback in the league and it’s going to be great for me to come in and play with him.

Q: Did that play a part in you getting picked lower than projected—not having as many opportunities as you would’ve wished?

A: I don’t know what played into it. I’m happy to be a part of the New York Giants, a winning program, the Super Bowl champs, so I’m happy with that.

Q: What kind of receiver are you? How would you describe yourself?

A: I can make all those plays – deep, over-the-middle – it doesn’t really matter. Whatever they need me to do, I’ll do.

Q: Eli is a New Orleans guys. Have you been to his passing camps or met with him at all?

A: I missed his camps the past two years. I was supposed to go down there, but a situation came up where I had to miss them.

Q: Every year guys come to New York and fall further than expected. Can you describe how it feels to wait for your name to be called?

A: It was a little nerve wracking, but you have to stay calm. That’s why you have your family here to talk to you and keep you relaxed until your opportunity comes.

Q: You had to wait around all last night and tonight as well?

A: Right.

Q: What was last night like?

A: It was kind of frustrating. I just went home with my family, got something to eat. I went up to my room and relaxed. I waited for my opportunity, and that was here.

Q: Did you do anything fun last night?

A: No. I just went back to the hotel. My family bought me food. I went back to the room with my brothers and just kicked back and relaxed and watched TV.

Q: When you get disappointed like this, do you come into camp with a chip on your shoulder?

A: I think it adds a little chip—but not much. I was going to come in and work no matter what the situation. I think I have a lot to prove now since I dropped so far, and that’s what I’m willing to do.

Q: The Giants said you were in discussion to be drafted by them with the No. 32 pick. Did you think you would get drafted by them in the first round?

A: I heard it was an opportunity there, but I guess they didn’t take it. I fell into their hands here at the end of the second round, and I’m happy with that.

[Champ]

Giants GM Jerry Reese called No. 127 overall pick Adrien Robinson the "JPP of tight ends."
Robinson caught 29 balls in four years at Cincinnati, but is considered to be a late bloomer with significant upside and excellent athleticism. Standing 6'4/267, Robinson ran a 4.56 at his Pro Day, moving him up several draft boards. Robinson will be in developmental mode behind starter Martellus Bennett this season, but he's a name to consider late in deep dynasty leagues.

[CrimsonGhost56]

Giants signed UDFA Joe Martinek, who went to school right by me in Hopatcong, NJ. He is NJ's all-time leading high school rusher and played for Rutgers in college. Hope he makes the team.

HOPATCONG — New Jersey's all-time leading high school rusher has gone all the way.

Joe Martinek — the 2007 Hopatcong graduate, who rushed for a state-record of 7,589 yards and 80 touchdowns in high school — signed with the Super Bowl champion New York Giants Saturday shortly after the close of the 77th annual NFL draft, in which he went undrafted.

"It really hasn't set in yet," Martinek, 23, said Sunday."It feels really good to get the opportunity to continue to keep playing."

After rushing for 1,770 yards on 391 attempts and scoring 17 tochdowns during his collegiate career at Rutgers University, Martinek is well on his way to becoming the second Hopatcong graduate to play in the National Football League. The New York Jets drafted former borough resident and Temple lineman David Yovanovits in 2003's seventh round. Yovanovits also played with the New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions.

Martinek said signing with the Giants was an easy call.

"The feeling I got when I went there (Timex Performance Center), you could tell it was a winning organization," Martinek said. "I just got that comfortable feeling there. Everyone was real nice and supportive."

Martinek, who demanded the attention of scouts at Rutgers' pro day with a 4.4-second 40-yard dash, said he grew up watching the Giants. His friends and community are die-hard fans, he said, while the Hopatcong man said he and his family never had team loyalties.

"We're Giants fans now," said Martinek's father, Joe Martinek Sr.

Martinek said he had been in contact with the Giants, Jets, Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the weeks leading up to the draft. The official decision to sign with the Giants was made 20 minutes after the draft ended on Saturday. Martinek Sr. said his son's agent, Don Henderson, was not present at the family's borough home so negotiating was done back-and-forth over the telephone.

Martinek said he spent Saturday playing golf at the Farmstead golf course in Andover Township. He said he was able to focus on his game for the most part, but "towards the end when I wasn't getting any calls, it was getting late, and my phone was running out of batteries." Martinek said he just wanted to get home. He arrived at his house by the beginning of the seventh round.

"It was my dream, I would have loved to have been drafted, but towards the end of the seventh round, I was hoping no one would pick me up so I could pick and choose and have the options in my hand," Martinek said.

As far as his position expectations go, the 5-foot-11, 224-pound running back said he'll play wherever his coaches put him; he doesn't have a special teams priority.

"Just like at Rutgers, I'm willing to do anything to help the team and to make the team," Martinek said.

http://www.njherald.com/story/17927333/giants-sign-hopatcong-grad-as-free-agent

[Champ]

Ashmad Bradshaw on David Wilson:

“I plan on using him as my project. He’s a very talented running back and he’s from Virginia. Two Virginia guys in this running back corps is going to be dangerous. I expect to use him as my project to get him better, to get him smarter and just to mature him a little bit, just to help him understand the NFL.”

"When you first come in you see all of these guys and you know it’s strictly football. You don’t have to worry about school and grades and different things. Now it’s just straight football. You worry about this playbook and doing the right things, so when it comes time for you to make a play or come out to practice and be in the right position."

“This is something that I’ve always dreamed of. I plan on being the vet in the running back room. I look forward to the opportunity. I look forward to, like I say, being able to have him as my project and getting him better and just making everybody else better behind me. You’re only as good as your weakest link and I want the best out of all of our running backs, especially.”

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Nicks on Randle:

Hakeem Nicks' advice to new WR Rueben Randle is to focus on "grasping the whole idea of things and how we run things here, just making sure he’s accountable and able to take on everything that’s going to be thrown at him. It isn’t going to be a lot. We won’t throw too much at him, I’m sure, but just being a rookie, you know you have to come in and play the game the same way you’ve been playing it. Don’t put too much on yourself.” #NYG

Said Nicks, to Randle the second-round pick: "All eyes are going to be on you so you just want to come in and try to do everything right But in all likelihood you probably won’t. That’s just how your expectations have to be."

[EmpireWF]

Rumor is the Ravens are offering a 3rd round pick for Osi.

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Rookie Mini Camp Jersey numbers for draft picks - Wilson 34, Randle 82, Hosley 36, Robinson 81 Mosley 67, McCants 71, Kuhn 78

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Justin Tuck at the Rangers game bottom middle