Dan Graziano, senior NFL national reporter 8y

Giants just can't stop drafting safeties, take Boise State's Darian Thompson in third round

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Death, taxes and the New York Giants drafting a safety. In this world, it's nice to stop and appreciate the few things that are truly reliable.

The selection of Boise State safety Darian Thompson in the third round could finally give the Giants the answer they've been seeking at the free-safety position. Or it could simply add to a cumbersome collection of recently drafted safeties that includes Cooper Taylor (2013), Nat Berhe (2014), Bennett Jackson (2014), Landon Collins (2015) and Mykkele Thompson (2015). Considering it cost them two picks to acquire Collins, the Giants have now used four of their last nine draft picks on this one position.

At some point, they're going to get this figured out.

My take: At least they keep swinging, right? General manager Jerry Reese described Thompson as a "free safety" and a "center fielder" and said he's the kind of guy who makes the calls on the back end of the defense. This is what the Giants didn't have last season and what Steve Spagnuolo's defense needs. If Thompson is all the things they believe him to be, and he can step in and start right away, then this is a good pick. But those feel like big "if"s, and I think the Giants needed to come out of the first two nights of the draft with at least one new player who weighs more than 210 pounds. They went cornerback/receiver/safety and they still have needs on both lines.

Ball hawk: Thompson this past season broke Eric Weddle's Mountain West Conference record for career interceptions with 19. "I have a knack for finding the football," he said. "I feel like an interception is just as good as a touchdown, so that's what I'm going after." The ball skills obviously are a big part of what drew the Giants to Thompson, and they hope they translate at the next level. Giants coach Ben McAdoo said Thompson's "instincts and twitch" are the qualities that enable him to find the ball.

What's next: The Giants only have three more picks as of now -- one each in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds. They traded their seventh-round pick to the Steelers in September for punter Brad Wing. At this point, the players picked are more likely to be long-term projection guys than 2016 contributors, so don't assume they can fix right tackle or right guard with anybody they take Saturday. They could and should look to add at least one offensive lineman, but whoever it is won't be the kind of guy who gets handed a starting job.

^ Back to Top ^