Watch CBS News

LISTEN: Reese, McAdoo Discuss Giants' Draft Picks

NEW YORK (WFAN) -- The Giants didn't address their offensive line high in the draft, but general manager Jerry Reese and coach Ben McAdoo noted Monday that they didn't ignore the need, either.

The only o-lineman the Giants selected was Pittsburgh tackle Adam Bisnowaty in the sixth round. But in seperate interviews with WFAN's Mike Francesa, Reese and McAdoo touted the signings of undrafted free agents Chad Wheeler of Southern California and Jessamen Dunker of Tennessee State.

"I feel that we built a lot of competition in the offensive line room," McAdoo said. "We didn't necessarily draft a guy real high, but we drafted a guy that we like, and he's played a lot of football in the ACC and is a tough, experienced player. Adam's going to come in and push those two tackles (Ereck Flowers and Bobby Hart)."

Reese said he had some offensive linemen high on his draft board, but said, "They were not in our window when it was time for us to pick." He added that he didn't believe this year's offensive line class was deep.

The GM did say he'll continue to explore ways to improve the Giants' line.

"Offensive line will be a position that we'll try to add players to as we go," he said. "Every day the waiver wire has players, and we'll watch that. There's always trade possibilities, if we think that's what we need to do."

Here's what Reese and McAdoo had to say about the Giants' six draft picks:

1st Round -- Evan Engram, TE, Mississippi

"We had this guy high on board, and we think he has a dynamic skill set to get in our offense and really be a weapon in our offense. He was really an easy pick for us," said Reese, who described Engram as a "new-age tight end."

Evan Engram
Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram runs with the ball after a catch against Georgia on Nov. 5, 2016. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Added McAdoo: "He's going to be an impact player for us. He can do it on special teams. He has a nice skill set to offer there. We know he's fast, so he'll be able to attack the middle of the field for us. He's not getting much respect out there as a blocker, but he does what he's asked to do in his offense, and he'll develop there for us."

LISTEN: Engram Says He'll Work Hard To Prove He Belongs In Giants' Talented Receiving Corps

Reese said there were a couple of players in the first round he considered trading up for, but they were "pipe dreams" that never came close to fruition.

2nd Round -- Dalvin Tomlinson, DT, Alabama

"He was the highest guy on our board (at the time of the pick)," Reese said. "So sometimes you can couple that and get a need and a value pick, and he's just what we want at this point. He's going to come in and challenge for a starting position for us. (Johnathan) Hankins left, so we had a spot open right there to get a big, what I call 'NFL tough' defensive tackle who can come in and help man that position and battle for that spot with a couple of more guys that we have on the roster."

3rd Round -- Davis Webb, QB, California

"He was easily the highest guy on our board at the time when we picked him," Reese said. "We feel like him coming in here and have a perfect opportunity to sit and learn from Eli and from our coaching staff, and however long Eli plays hopefully we'll have a young guy ready to play.

MORE: Palladino: 3rd-Round QB Webb Will Be Wasted Behind Manning

"He's got all the tools," the GM added. "He's got a big arm. We thought he had the most gifted arm in this class of quarterbacks. He's tall. He has the profile we like, the work ethic. The guy's a gym rat, son of a coach. He has all the intangibles you like for the position. And for a big guy -- he's 6-5, about 230 pounds -- he can move around. He can be off schedule and buy some time in the pocket, and he can take off with it."

"Davis just has to come on in here (and) he has to learn it. He has to pick it up," McAdoo said. "We'll get him as many reps as we can get him, and he needs to develop and he needs to start and earn that No. 3 spot. Once he earns that No. 3 spot, we'll see how fast we can bring him along and see if he can push for 2."

4th Round -- Wayne Gallman, RB, Clemson

"He's a versatile, all-around player, has a lot of production -- a three-year producer at Clemson," McAdoo said. "We feel like he's a nice piece to put in our running back stable, and he'll help us in a lot of ways -- in the pass game, in the run game, he'll help us on special teams. He's a big kid that can play on all your core special teams."

5th Round -- Avery Moss, DE, Youngstown State

Moss transferred to Youngstown State after he was banned from the Nebraska campus following a probation violation related to a public indecency charge.

Reese said he felt comfortable taking on the risk in the fifth round.

MORE: Palladino: Drafting Value Over Need Could Backfire On Jets, Giants

"This time in the draft, that's when you can feel like you can take some guys who have maybe had a character issue in the past, but we looked into that deep, and we feel like the issues that he's had in the past, it's more to the story than people realize. ... We feel like he's past those things," Reese said.

"As a football player, he's a true defensive end. It's hard to find those guys anymore -- the true defensive ends. But this guy can play the run and the pass, and he has a really nice skill set," the general manager added.

6th Round -- Adam Bisnowaty, OT, Pittsburgh

"Bisnowaty's played a lot of football at Pittsburgh at a high level of competition, and he's one of these guys -- a David Diehl kind of guy. He's going to bring that attitude every day," Reese said. "He's tough. He's big. He's going to bring the same intensity every day. You know what you're going to get every day from this guy."

EXTRAS:

Of Wheeler, the undrafted offensive tackle from USC, Reese described him as "a talented player" and guessed that off-field issues likely prevented him from being drafted. Wheeler allegedly got into an altercation with police in December 2015 following an argument with his girlfriend.

Reese said of Dunker, the other offensive lineman signed as a free agent: "Big 320-pound guy that looks like he's 290. Really good athlete. One of the best athletes we saw in this offensive line draft class, but he's developmental, too."

McAdoo said second-year man Paul Perkins will be the Giants' starting running back on first and second downs.

To listen to the interviews with Reese and McAdoo, click on the audio players above.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.