The Giants biggest question mark going into last season was the play of their wide receivers. That question was answered in a big way, as there probably is no other position with as much talent and youth as the wide receiver position.
The Giants looked to address the position in the draft, nabbing Hakeem Nicks in the first, and Ramses Barden in the third round. It appears now they were playing with house money as they already had plenty of talented receivers on the team with pro bowler Steve Smith, second year player Mario Manningham, Domenik Hixon, and Derek Hagan. With those players alone the Giants had four solid receivers to trot out each week.
Hixon got hurt early this season and has been placed on the IR. Besides him all the receivers look healthy and look to improve on very good seasons.
Hakeem Nicks was hurt to start the season, but came on strong near the end eventually landing a starting spot. He is not extremely fast or tall, but he is a football player. He is extremely tough and has strong hands, catching a ton of passes in traffic. He runs good routes and is surprisingly fast in open space. He also is a good blocker in the running game. This season he looks to take the next step and move to the Giants number one receiver.
Ramses Barden is the lone tall receiver, and was drafted in an attempt to replace Plaxico Burress in the red zone. He had a great training camp, but could not play on special teams, costing himself the opportunity to dress on Sundays. He has polished his game in the offseason, an important thing for a player that did not come from a top college program. If he continues to show improvement in training camp, he should find himself with more playing time and plenty of touchdown catches in the red zone.
Steve Smith was one of the few Giants wide receivers to make a pro bowl, and deservedly so. He set a single season receptions record with 107 receptions, coming through countless times with clutch receptions. He is best compared to Wes Welker of the Patriots. He is not going to beat you deep consistently, but he has great hands and runs terrific routes so you can always count on him when you need a completion.
Mario Manningham was a prolific receiver for Michigan and after having a quiet first year for the Giants, broke out early last year. He made a lot of rookie mistakes, but he showed why he can develop into a top threat in the league. He has great speed and quickness and knows how to get open deep. If he can work on the little things and consistency he should take the next step and could emerge as a top target.
Finally Derek Hagan rounds out the group. He is the oldest member and a reliable receiver. He is not flashy but gets the job done and for a 4th/5th receiver is more than adequate.
The players I have left out on the roster (Sinorice Moss to name one) are players I don’t expect much out of. In fact if Hixon was healthy, I would be certain they all would be cut before the season started.
For the receivers I did profile you can see the Giants have tons of talent. They have three young receivers that showed the talent of number one receivers, not to mention a fourth that has yet to get the opportunity to showcase his talents. If Eli continues his great play, this should be a top passing attack in the NFL.
by Evan Slavit at the Sports Fan Blog Network
