Why The Giants Selecting Ereck Flowers In The First Round Of The NFL Draft Was The Wrong Move

Ereck Flowers (Photo: Kim Klement, USA TODAY Sports)

Coming into the 2015 NFL Draft, the New York Giants were one of the teams that many were looking at. At the skill positions the team is set, but on the interior, there was work to be done on both the offensive and defensive lines. Throw in their need for a safety and the constant need for a legitimate linebacker, there were many ways the Giants could have went in Thursday’s 1^st round of the draft.

Many draft analysts had the Giants selecting Brandon Scherff, an offensive lineman out of the University of Iowa, at number nine in the first round. Scherff was in the Giants back pocket for what seemed like a month straight and after watching some film of his, I was sold like everyone else. However something weird began to happen in the last 72 to 96 hours.

First, Missouri defensive end Shane Ray, the 2014 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and a possible top-10 pick, was cited for possession of marijuana. That was followed by LSU offensive lineman La’el Collins being sought for questioning in the shooting death of his pregnant ex-girlfriend in Louisiana. So you have two possible top picks most likely out of the early stages of the first round which began to make the Giants pick of Scherff dicey at best. On this week’s ESPN NFL Nation Mock Draft, Dan Graziano had the Giants selecting not Scherff but a name who was never on my radar…Miami offensive lineman Ereck Flowers.

Now don’t get me wrong, Flowers was a solid player for Miami during his three years there. At 6’6” and 329 pounds, he is a load on the line especially in the running game when he was blocking for Miami running back Duke Johnson, helping him run for over 1,600 yards this past season. But Flowers also struggled often this season in a weak ACC where he was exposed as average at pass protection and some questionable footwork. Essentially, if you were drafting Flowers, you are drafting a player who would have to be molded into a good guard and/or tackle…Flowers is a project pick.

On draft night, the Washington Redskins selected Scherff at number five which left the Giants in an interesting position. The best players on the board at the time of the number nine pick was a running back (Melvin Gordon) and a wide receiver (Devante Parker) which they do not need. They do have major needs on the interior on both sides of the ball but they also needed to select a player who could come in and play in game one. So the Giants, with number nine pick selected…Ereck Flowers.

At that point in the draft Danny Shelton out of Washington was still on the board. The Giants gave up a franchise record 4.9 yards per carry last season so a big defensive tackle in the middle like Shelton could help that number go down significantly. Also on the board was the outside linebacker out of Kentucky Bud Dupree who with raw skill but with unique versatility, could both play on the defensive line and stand up at linebacker when they needed. But nope, the Giants picked an offensive lineman that they have to work with and maybe in two to three years, he will be a starting offensive lineman in the NFL.

Picking this high in the NFL Draft means drafting players who will step up and step in to start on day one and with Flowers they do not have that. In order to compete for the NFC East, they have no time for a project player. They needed a player who is ready now and quite frankly, Ereck Flowers is not that player.

Here’s hoping they make up for this pick on Friday and Saturday and find some gems.