Reese praises 4th-round pick Robinson
Cincinnati's Adrien Robinson (88) catches a pass for a touchdown as he's defended by Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Daryl Vereen (9) in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game. (Sept. 10, 2011) Credit: AP
It's hard to imagine Jerry Reese giving higher praise to -- or putting more expectations on -- fourth-round pick Adrien Robinson than he did after selecting the tight end with the 127th overall pick Saturday.
"We think this guy is kind of the JPP of tight ends," Reese said, comparing Robinson to Jason Pierre-Paul, the team's 2010 first-round pick who quickly blossomed from a novice to a Pro Bowl defensive end.
"He's just a big, gigantic man with long arms and he's a really good athlete," Reese said of the 6-4, 264-pound player from Cincinnati. "He's got those freakish athletic numbers. He hasn't scratched the surface, like Jason Pierre-Paul . . . This kid hasn't scratched the surface yet. He has a chance to be really something, we think."
Robinson wasn't even invited to the combine in February. He caught only 12 passes as a senior, playing in Cincinnati's spread offense. But his workouts and the time he spent with Giants tight ends coach Mike Pope have the Giants convinced he will be the next big thing.
"Obviously on paper he hasn't quite achieved that yet, but we think he can and we think it's all in front of him," Tom Coughlin said. "We're anxious to get to work with him."
Osi still a Giant
The draft has come and gone and Osi Umenyiora remains a Giant. The veteran defensive end figured he would be traded this weekend when the Giants could get as much value for him as possible, but he was not.
At least not yet, anyway. Reese said "all options are open" regarding Umenyiora's future and noted that the team has offered him an extension in the last two years. Umenyiora's camp has turned those offers down.
"Our first choice with respect to Osi is that he'll play for the Giants and retire as a Giant," Reese said. "That's what we would like to happen . . . We'd still like to make it work."
Giant steps
The Giants also selected OT Brandon Mosley from Auburn (fourth round, 131st overall), OT Matt McCants from UAB (sixth, 201), and DT Markus Kuhn from NC State (seventh, 239) Saturday . . . Third-round pick CB Jayron Hosley addressed the drug test he failed at the combine. "I definitely regret it but it's something that's in the past," he said. "They trusted me and I'm thankful for that and I'm going to make this a worthy decision that they made." . . . Reese stated unequivocally that the Giants had first-round pick David Wilson as a higher-ranked running back than Doug Martin, who was taken by the Bucs with the pick before the Giants selected . . . The Giants have room on their roster to sign 10 undrafted free agents. Their rookie minicamp will be held from May 11-13.
More Giants
