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Dottino: Giants' Pick, RB David Wilson, Fills A Need

By Paul Dottino
» More Columns

Sometimes, you just get a bit lucky.

Coach Tom Coughlin said each of the players in the cluster the Giants had on their ratings board filled a positional need when it came time to pick at No. 32. More often than not in years past, the team's "best player available" philosophy has left them mulling at least one or two players at a deep position (see DE Jason Pierre-Paul, Mathias Kiwanuka, etc.).

After discussing the cluster, the Giants tabbed Virginia Tech running back David Wilson with the final pick of the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday. GM Jerry Reese said "it was fair" to say Wilson was the second-rated running back on the team's board (got to figure Trent Richardson was on top), so the team clearly got a player who they believe is great value at the slot.

Wilson (5-10, 206) ran for more than 1,700 yards with nine TDs and averaged 5.9 yards per carry as a junior last season. He caught 22 passes for 129 yards and one TD.

"This guy loves to play football," Reese said. "We like all of that stuff about him. He's fast. He's productive. He can do anything you want him to do. He can catch the ball. He can return kicks. I think he was overall ACC Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year there. He's an early-out junior. Terrific football player.

"He's a good piece to put in our running back stable along with some of the other backs that we have and we're happy to have a player of his caliber."

The Giants had not taken a running back in the first round since Ron Dayne in 2000.

Why it might be a good pick:
Starting RB Ahmad Bradshaw has battled chronic foot injuries throughout his career so it's important to have depth at the position. ... Veteran backup D.J. (Danny) Ware has yet to prove he can take on the workload of a rotational back and shifty second-year pro Da'Rel Scott remains a bit of an unknown quantity based on his limited touches last season. ... The elusive Wilson has 4.4 speed and showed great versatility in college, sometimes lining up as a receiver in addition to his work on special teams.

Why it might not be a good pick: Wilson has a reputation for being loose with the ball and displaying poor technique as a pass blocker, things Coughlin admitted would have be worked on immediately. ... He tends to bounce runs outside too often while trying to avoid traffic.

2012 NFL DRAFT SCHEDULE: Friday, second and third rounds, 7 p.m.; Saturday, fourth through seventh rounds, noon.

GIANTS PICKS:  Round 2-31 (63); 3-31 (94); 4-32 (127); 4-36 (131)*; 5-Traded for Cinicinnati LB Keith Rivers;  6-31 (201); 7-32 (239). *Compensatory selection.

ESTIMATED TIMING OF GIANTS' FIRST THREE PICKS (based on 2011):  Second round – 2:32; third round – 1:43.

Did the Giants strike gold at No. 32? Sound off below!

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