New York Giants

(Round Drafted. Name - Position)

1. Kenny Phillips - S

2. Terrell Thomas - CB

3. Mario Manningham - WR

4. Brian Kehl - OLB

5. Jonathan Goff - LB

6. Andre Woodson - QB

6. Robert Henderson - DE

First Impressions - The defending Super Bowl champs won in the postseason, in no small part, because of great defense. But there were flaws and free agency created more. So the Giants did what all great teams do: they drafted the best available player on the board and, at the same time, managed to fill some holes.

The secondary was priority number one, and the Giants picked up players who can make year one impacts in the first two rounds. Kenny Phillips is a very versatile safety who can both cover and offer run support, making him a prototypical NFL safety.

Round two further added depth with the selection of Terrell Thomas. He too can tackle very well and has the potential to play safety if the Giants need him. He's not fast - at least not in a "timed" sense - which was one of the Giants' primary criticisms leading up to the Super Bowl in 2007, but he plays with football speed.

Then, in the third round, New York gave Eli Manning another target to throw the ball to. Mario Manningham is projected to start the season as the team's number three target and likely won't get past that, barring an injury to someone ahead of him on the depth chart. Still, he offers potential and gives the Giants some more depth at receiver.

The rest of the draft was devoted almost exlusively to defense, with the exception of quarterback Andre Woodson, who may not make the team. All things considered, this was a draft that makes the Giants a better team than they were last season and gives the franchise a bright future.

Fantasy Impact - Don't expect any big impacts from offensive rookies, though the draft may have made the team's fantasy defense stronger.

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