Giants: Austin a second-round steal

Tom Coughlin usually has a light chat with draft picks on the phone while the Giants are cashing in their selection. Some banter is exchanged about the player's upcoming role, or maybe his background. Friday night, though, when Coughlin spoke with Marvin Austin, there was no frivolous chitchat. Coughlin made his stance clear.

"I spent quite a few minutes on the phone with him before telling him that we would be drafting him in the second round and that there were some very, very high expectations for him if he was to come here and be a New York Giant," Coughlin said. "I think he understood that, so we will get off on the right foot."

What many football people may consider a gamble or a risk, the Giants chose to see as a steal. Austin, who was the main character in the NCAA investigation for improper contact between agents and players at North Carolina, was suspended for his senior season. He also was suspended for four other games during his career at Chapel Hill. But Jerry Reese said the Giants did their homework and came away convinced that he can be a big-time player in the NFL.

The Giants thought they were lucky to grab a top-10 pick with the 19th pick Thursday night. Now they think they snared first-round ability in the second round Friday.

"It was an extremely humbling experience to go from being one of the top players in the country to a guy who nobody wants to talk about," Austin said. "Me and coach Coughlin had a very healthy conversation. He told me what's going to be expected of me. I told him I'm ready to be a professional."

If he can put the infractions behind him, he should be very good. Reese raved about his quickness and mean streak as a player, calling him a "gap-charger" with a "nasty motor." He said some have compared his intensity on the field to Keith Hamilton's.

The Giants also hope he can use the dark clouds that have hovered over him for a year as motivation.

"Certainly he has an opportunity now to show the world what he can do and hopefully package all the energy and disappointment and motivation," Coughlin said. "Hopefully he'll wrap all of that up and come here and be the football player that we think he can be."

It was the second year that the Giants selected a defensive tackle in the second round. Last year they picked Linval Joseph, for whom Reese said the team still has high hopes. But he had trouble cracking the 45-man game-day squad.

With Barry Cofield a potential free agent who either will be unrestricted or restricted and likely request a trade, that could free up some snaps. But Reese would not comment on Cofield's future. Coughlin simply smiled at the glut of tackles and said: "The more the merrier."

The Giants selected Jerrel Jernigan in the third round, a slight but speedy receiver who likely will play in the slot and contribute as a dangerous return man on special teams.

They also welcomed first-round pick Prince Amukamara to the Timex Performance Center for the first time Friday. It was the first time Amukamara got to meet Coughlin.

"He seemed like a guy who is very calm and collected," Amukamara said. "A very black-and-white guy."

Coughlin made that clear to Austin from the beginning.