Nicks is Giants’ Pick

Giants GM Jerry Reese said Big Blue never really came close to trading up, down or for either Braylon Edwards or Anquan Boldin. The Giants felt confident they’d get a good player at 29, and that player is North Carolina WR Hakeem Nicks.

“We got a very good player,” Reese said. “We like him a lot. We feel good about picking Hakeem at 29.”

Reese said Nicks was one of a cluster of four players that the Giants were prepared to select but that Nicks was the best fit for the club. An educated guess says that a trio of linebackers was likely among those considered: USC’s Rey Maualuga, Virginia’s Clint Sintim and James Laurinaitis of Ohio State.

But the 6-1, 212-pound Nicks was the pick.

“He’s a good football player,” Reese continued. “There are a lot of things to like about this guy.”

While Reese denied the Giants were attempting to smokescreen other clubs, he stated that the team did not have Nicks in for a workout or visit before the Draft.

“We saw enough of him,” Reese said. “We really didn’t have a reason to bring him in.”

Coach Tom Coughlin sounded like a guy that couldn’t wait to get his hands on Nicks.

“Hakeem Nicks is a guy that averaged 18 yards per catch his senior year,” he said. “A big, strong receiver.”