(Editor's Note: For the second straight year and the fourth time in five seasons, the Cowboys and Giants will square off in Week 1 of the regular season. It's also the first time in 39 seasons the Cowboys and Giants have both picked in the Top 10. So we'll find out right away how each team improved themselves in the draft. Here's how Cowboys football analyst Bryan Broaddus, who scouted more than 300 prospects this year, viewed the Giants' draft.)
First-Round Analysis:Was not as high on Eli Apple as were most draft experts. Will be interested to see how his career and Vernon Hargreaves, who was selected one pick later, pan out. Apple's best trait is his physical makeup and his willingness to play that way. His potential downfall is that he is a very grabby player that tends to hold in coverage. Apple was able to get away with this in the Big Ten but it's a call that we see made several times a game in the NFL.
Not Sure About: Darian Thompson from Boise State had me a bit confused? See him really just as a box safety for the Giants. Really has trouble when you put him in situations where he has to play in coverage. He doesn't turn all that well. Is a much better player when things are in front of him where he can attack the ball. There are also snaps where you see him miss tackles in the hole because in his technique he tends to go low.
Pet-Cat Pick: Two of my favorite receivers in this draft ended up on teams within the NFC East – Josh Doctson at Washington and Sterling Shepard with the Giants. In my opinion, the Giants were able to grab Shepard at the perfect spot in the second round. There are not many weaknesses to Shepard's game when it comes to the position. I am sure that scouts would ding him on his height but that's not a problem at all to me. I see a player that can play outside and get open consistently but I also see a player that you could work out of the slot on the move and cause problems for the defense.
Matching up with Cowboys: Keep an eye on what the Giants did in the fifth and sixth rounds with Paul Perkins and Jerell Adams. In my work on the two players, they were able to grab them a round later and could turn into instant contributors. Ben McAdoo has always gotten the most out of the running back and tight end positions without much talent to work with – in Perkins and Adams he no longer has to worry about that.
Giants' First-Round Picks Since 2010:
2016 – Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State
2015 – Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami, Fla.
2014 – Odell Beckham, WR, LSU
2013– Justin Pugh, OT, Syracuse
2012 – David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech
2011 – Prince Amukamara, DB, Nebraska
2010 – Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida
