The draft has always been Ernie Accorsi’s favorite event on the NFL calendar. The Giants general manager participated in his 35th and likely final selection meeting this weekend, and he enjoyed the process as much as ever: evaluating the players, meetings with the scouts, the discussions in the draft room as the Giants prepared to make a selection.

“I wish there were 12 rounds like there used to be, but there are not,” Accorsi said.

“We feel good about this group of young men.”
- Coach Tom Coughlin
Although no draft can be fully evaluated for several years, early indications are that Accorsi will look back on this one with pride and satisfaction. The Giants chose seven players over two days – five on defense and two on offense – and the G.M. and the rest of the team’s football decision-makers believe the defending NFC East champions are a better and deeper team because of the draftees.

“I think we got bigger and faster,” Accorsi said.

“We feel good about this group of young men,” head coach Tom Coughlin said. “You always wish you had more picks. As usual, when you make one selection, as elated as you might be, you start looking right toward the next selection. The way the group came together is probably what you would have expected going into this draft.”

The Giants selected four players as the draft concluded today:

*With their first pick in the round, the 124th overall, they took Barry Cofield, a 6-4, 304-pound defensive tackle from Northwestern. Cofield played in 49 games for the Wildcats, including 36 starts in his final three seasons. He finished his career with 197 tackles (88 solo), 15.5 tackles for losses, 6.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

*The Giants owned another fourth-round choice, the 129th pick, which was obtained yesterday in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers. They used it to select offensive tackle Guy Whimper, a 6-5, 305-pounder from East Carolina.

Whimper played five positions for three coaches in college. He was originally signed to the ECU program to be a 220-pound defensive lineman, but was moved to outside linebacker as a freshman. He then shifted to defensive end as a sophomore before moving to tight end midway through his junior year to help provide depth after season-ending injuries knocked out the two players on the season-opening depth chart.

Whimper then switched to offensive tackle during preseason camp prior to his senior campaign. He moved into the starting lineup on the left side, then shifted to right tackle early in the year.

Whimper played in 46 games with 25 starts. On defense he had 52 tackles ands two sacks. On offense he finished with seven receptions for 122 yards.

*With their fifth-round selection, the 158th overall choice, the Giants grabbed Charlie Peprah, a 5-11, 202-pound defensive back from Alabama. Peprah played right and then left cornerback in his first two seasons before switching to strong safety for his final two years. In 50 games with the Tide, Peprah started 45 times. He made 210 tackles (163 solo) with an assisted sack, 9.5 stops for losses of 20 yards, five fumble recoveries, four forced fumbles and 24 pass deflections. He also had nine interceptions for 224 yards in returns with two touchdowns.

*The Giants did not have sixth-round pick after sending it to Tampa Bay two years ago in the trade for offensive lineman Jason Whittle. In the seventh round, they chose Maryland defensive back Gerrick McPhearson with the 232nd overall selection. McPhearson played in 36 games with 15 starts and had 92 total tackles, an interception and a sack. His father, also named Gerrick, was a defensive back at Boston College from 1984-87.

Today’s draftees joined the three players the Giants chose yesterday: Boston College defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka on the first round, Miami wide receiver Sinorice Moss on the second round and Georgia Tech linebacker Gerris Wilkinson in the third round.

With his new personnel, defensive coordinator Tim Lewis has many deployment options.

“It will be an interesting development that will take place right away in the rookie mini-camp (May 13 and 15), followed by the work that we’ll have in May and June,” Coughlin said. “Hopefully, we’ll have a handle on the versatility and how we might be able to use some of these young guys, in order just to get it started in training camp. You’re obviously going to be doing some things in training camp to try to get some people in the right spots at the right time, whether it be a second-and-long or a third-down situation or short-yardage or goal-line. But we like it that way. That’s what these guys are here for. They’re run, they’re versatile, they play multiple positions. They’re intelligent, which I think will accelerate their learning as well.”

Like all teams, the Giants are extremely excited about their first selection. Kiwanuka had a school-record 37.5 sacks at Boston College. He is an athletic and fast defensive end. The Giants have two Pro Bowl starters at the position in Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora, but the Giants believed he was too good to pass up.

“When this guy gets stronger, he’s going to be a really, really good player,” director of player personnel Jerry Reese said. “I can’t express to you how good this player has a chance to be.”

Moss, whose brother Santana is a Pro Bowl receiver with the Washington Redskins, is a speedy receiver who can stretch defenses.

“I went back and looked at my Senior Bowl tapes and notes in order to put myself back into the Sinorice Moss thought process,” Coughlin said. “Gosh, he was so much quicker and so much faster and so much more electric in the practices. I think he will give us a nice jolt regardless of whether you talk about him on the outside or in the slot or whatever. He does have some return capabilities as well.”

The Giants have a pair of tall receivers in Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer, plus tight end Jeremy Shockey. Moss gives them another dimension and another target for Eli Manning.

It can be difficult for a 5-8 receiver to get noticed. But Reese said Moss had several attributes that caught the attention of the scouts.

“First of all, he has to be fast,” Reese said. “He has to be a guy that can take short pass or a reverse and make a big play out of it. That is what we have been lacking in our offense and we have kind of coveted that kind of guy, so he fills the bill for us. You would love for him to be taller, but he is not. He is a fast, explosive receiver that we feel can make some big plays for us. We have the big skyscraper guys. We just need a big hit underneath guy. I think he can do that for us.”

The versatile Wilkinson will get his first shot at weakside linebacker and on special teams.

“I think the coaches are probably more excited about that pick than any pick we have made,” Accorsi said. “He is just a good, solid, sound football player at a need position.”

“He was attractive to us because, first, he’s very, very smart,” Reese said. “He has size and speed and he can play all three (linebacker) positions. Actually, he can play four positions – he played defensive end for them. We felt like he was a very valuable pick for us, because he’s very versatile and he can play on special teams. We’re delighted to have him.”

The Giants had a hole at defensive tackle because of the free agency departure of last year’s starter, Kendrick Clancy. Cofield will get a chance to play that run-stuffing nose position, where the Giants also employ Damane Duckett and Jonas Seawright. William Joseph and Fred Robbins play the other tackle spot.

“Cofield is a run-stopper,” Accorsi said. “There were a couple of them there, but this is the one that we thought could play the nose the best. He is big. Obviously, that was a need position for us.”

“We believe this kid can come in and give us what we’re looking for in a physical nose tackle, a first and second-down guy,” Coughlin said. “(He is) a run defender who can anchor in there on the center and maintain leverage. He doesn’t get knocked back off the ball. He’ll let the linebackers and the other (players on) the front seven work with him holding his own.”

Whimper is an intriguing prospect. His frequent position shifts prevented him from establishing himself at any one spot. Whimper actually started just one game at left tackle, but the Giants believe he can play that challenging and vital position in the NFL.

“He is inexperienced,” Accorsi said. “He is a little raw but he is a great athlete. The reason we picked him was strictly because we think he can be a left tackle because of his athletic ability.”

“You project his character, then you project his athletic ability,” Reese said. “The guy played defensive end, so he is a really good athlete. He has played left tackle and right tackle. This is a guy that came into his senior year and had no snaps as an offensive lineman. He just out-athletes everybody right now. He really doesn’t know what is going on. He is big, he has long arms, he is fast and this guy can play on special teams. We just feel like after he learns the position and gets stronger, he is going to be a steal at left tackle for us in a year or so.”

Notes