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New York Giants: Ereck Flowers great pick despite red flags?

By Dan Salem

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The New York Giants drafted for need with the ninth pick, grabbing a lineman to protect Eli Manning. Yet what made Ereck Flowers stand out, and should fans worry about his late rise up draft boards? Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.

TODD:

Is it just me or is there reason to worry about the New York Giants’ number-one draft pick Ereck Flowers?

Neither of us are scouts, but there is enough information floating around about his strengths and weaknesses on the offensive line. However, those are not even what concerns me. My problem is with the timing of the pick.

Last week, we talked about the teams who grabbed value in the draft and how that’s the best way to judge these selections without having seen the guys play in the league yet. There is no better value on draft day than nabbing the late slider; the guy who was projected at a certain spot for nearly the whole process but slid down boards in just the final week for whatever reason.

On the opposite side of that spectrum exists the Flowers pick.

Is there anything scarier than a team reaching to grab a player who wasn’t considered worthy of a selection that high even a few days before the draft? Flowers was thought of in that second tier of offensive linemen nearly the entire draft process. Yet a week before, he began to creep up into the top 10 in mocks. I don’t know why. The only thing I could come up with was folks needed another OL to replace La’el Collins in their first half of the first round.

It is idiotic reasoning, but what else could Flowers have accomplished in the beginning of May to make him worthy of jumping from 20-30 in the first round to number nine overall?

Flowers may turn into a stellar left tackle, and this conversation will be forgotten. In fact, 95 percent of all draft conversations are forgotten within six months anyway. But you have to have a feeling at least on the overarching theme of drafting these late risers. I wish we had data on this from the past decade to see how they turned out.

Oct 17, 2013; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback

Stephen Morris

(17) passes the ball as North Carolina Tar Heels defensive tackle Shawn Underwood (97) is blocked by Miami Hurricanes offensive linesman Ereck Flowers (74) in the first quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

DAN:

Before I tackle the pros and cons of drafting a player who shot up draft boards in the final week, let me first address the New York Giants. When we debated their best option with the ninth pick, I easily came to the conclusion that New York must draft an offensive lineman. This is exactly what they did.

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I wrote they should take Brandon Scherff, but to the surprise of many including the Giants, he was gone by the time New York went on the clock. This left the G-men in a difficult spot, needing to improve their offensive line while weighing the value of drafting the position at this juncture of round one.

Multiple offensive tackles were selected after Flowers, but the next guard was not drafted until pick twenty-eight by the Saints. It seems the Giants could have traded back and still selected Flowers, but I can’t fault them for filling an obvious need on a team with a completely immobile quarterback.

I’d worry about Flowers if he wasn’t joining the Giants. Players shooting up draft boards in the final week or days before the event is a major red flag. The fact that Flowers attended the University of Miami is also a red flag for me. But of all the organizations in the league, the Giants consistently are a disciplined team with stellar line play.

New York currently has a seven-year veteran and a three-year veteran starting at guard. If Flowers is good enough to supplant either player, it’s a win win for this football team. Being a top ten pick, he better supplant one of them. Yet Flowers is currently listed as a tackle on the Giants’ depth chart. Now things get cloudy.

If the Giants drafted Flowers to be a tackle, then that opens the flood gates to their prior options for drafting in round one. NFL.com ranked two other lineman ahead of Flowers, both of whom were selected later in round one (Full Rankings via NFL.com). I’m with you. I don’t see what made Ereck stand out.

Ultimately this all comes back to the organization. I trust the New York Giants. They’ve been hit or miss in the draft, but the organization deserves credit for championing a winner on a regular basis. I’d like to add that Collins, although un-drafted, is still available to be signed by a team. The Giants are unlikely to venture down that road, but he remains an option.

Eli Manning can’t afford to get hit this season, but I believe Flowers is up to the task. I second your vote for data on players sliding up draft boards last minute, because when Flowers succeeds I can guarantee he’s the exception, not the rule.

Next: How does Landon Collins fit on the Giants?

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