The Giants have begun signing UFAs who were not drafted from Thursday- Saturday. "These siignings are not official yet."

DE Matt Broha
FB Joe Martinek
WR David Douglas
WR Julian Talley
DE Adewale Ojomo
S Jojo Nicolas
S Janzen Jackson
RB Joe Martinek

WR Damien Davis
OL Stephen Goodwin
G D'Angelo McCray

Of those mentioned, Wonder had Janzen Jackson rated 135th in the draft. 

Here is the NFL transaction tracker for keeping tabs on these UFA signings.

Day 3 of the NFL 2012 Draft is officially over.  Now teams are busy as we read and write, scrambling to lock up UFAs that were not drafted.  It is Day 3 when you can really make your draft, contrary to all of the media hype of Day 1.  Yes, in Day 1 you are talking about much higher probabilities for these players being in the NFL for multiple seasons.  Day 3 picks and UFAs can be gone within a year. But every now and then you can get a David Diehl in Round 5.  Or Jake Ballard as a UFA. So do not belittle these fringe players. One big hit here can be the difference between a good draft and a great one. 

Let's review the Day 3 picks:

R4 TE Adrien Robinson.  Wonder did not have this player on his board. "He has some potential.  For me, I saw James Hanna and Deangelo Peterson still available at TE, so that was where I would have gone first before Robinson."  According to Garafolo, the Giants picked up a TE two days later than many had projected.  Considering that Bennett was acquired in FA, it was better to (address other needs and) wait until Day 3 for this position.  Jerry Reese is sky high on Robinson's potential, calling him the JPP of tight ends.  Considering that Reese has drafted Boss and picked up Ballard, he certainly deserves a healthy amount of latitude in his TE evaluations.

R4  T Brandon Mosley. Wonder had him on his board at 156, as a 5 backup.  "I did have him rated. He's a big body. Will have possibilities at RT. He has problems with the speed rush but may be able to become a road grader."  Reese thinks of Diehl when he thinks of Mosley.

I saw from his bio that Mosley was a JUCO who played DE and TE before getting moved over to T. The Giants likely see some raw athletic potential that they can work with. Given how little time he has played at Tackle, it may explain why he has not gotten much attention. Looks like the Giants think there is something that can be developed over time.  

R6  T Matt McCants Long arms (36"), can grow into body.

R7 DT Markus Kuhn I asked friend and Draft Project participant Eric Galko of Optimum Scouting for his review of Kuhn: "Well built, just one year wonder with mediocre ability. Plays too high, not overly explosive, stiff in rushes in my opinion."  The Giants are obviously more upbeat, noting that even though he is (a project that is) still learning, he is a "buzz saw."

Here are the full remarks from Reese and Coughlin after Day 3 was over.  You have to read everything that is said, knowing that every GM feels this way about ALL of their picks.  Given that the Giants have a better track record in the Draft than many other teams, we'll just hope that they can hit on 3-4 guys total.  That is all it takes, 3 guys, to have a solid draft.

Separately, the Giants extended Kiwi's contract 3 years to 2015 and Osi is evaluating what the Giants are willing to do. ESON reports the "Giants have made Umenyiora offers"

With the 63rd pick in R2, the Giants drafted WR Reuben Randle.

With the 94th pick in R3, the Giants drafted CB Jayron Hosley.

Reuben Randle is reasonable value at the end of R2. He is not a potential game-breaking WR like Hill. He is an okay WR. He has routine size and routine speed. This was why Wonder had him 80th in the draft. The Giants picked him 63rd and had him rated in R1.  I hope the Giants are right!

Jayron Hosley is another story. On this pick, Wonder was in complete agreement. From his draft board: "All he does is makes plays and intercept the ball.  Smaller guy, but quick, perfect slot or nickel back.  9 INTs at Va Tech.  In today's NFL, he's your slot guy.  Not physically strong enough for outside CB."

Wonder adds more color on Hosley: "Smooth hips. Great transition.  Good backpedal. Quick."  Considering he was 51st on the board and taken at 94, that is tremendous value.

It was a very interesting second day in the draft. When Offensive Tackle Bobby Massie fell to 63, I felt that that was the pick, to protect Eli, especially with McKenzie gone.  The Giants went with a WR. Was this acute need? The way the NY media has been talking for the last two days, WR was imminent in R1 and again in R2, so don't tell me this was BPA, it was based on a perceived need to replace Mario Manningham VERY EARLY.  But as we saw in the SF playoff game, you have to keep Eli upright.  When Eli is comfortable in the pocket, he is lethal.  Massie fell again and was there in R3, and he was passed on again. By this point it was obvious that there was something wrong with the player.  The NFL will release investigative reports on players, so the fact that every single team laid off of him thru 3 rounds means he must have some kind of baggage. We do not spread rumors on this site, this is just a somewhat reasonable guess/conclusion.

Massie or no Massie, let's talk about the simple elements of football.  Eli took a quantum leap last year. He was simply awesome, playing at a high level consistently all season. He carried the team on his back in many games. It was not a fluke either. He'll be able to play at this level for the next 5 years, assuming he remains healthy.  With that kind of QB, all he needs is time. If he is kept clean, there is little that can hold him OR THE GIANTS back.

Seubert is gone. O'Hara is gone. McKenzie is gone.

How many of you are you going to argue with the statement that ELI MANNING IS THE FRANCHISE...?

Protect his health. Protect his lanes. Protect the franchise. Who is going to do this reliably- Diehl? Beatty? Brewer? Aldon Smith was a young rookie beast (14 sacks) for the 49ers last season and he is coming back for more this next season. We face SF during the regular season and we may very well face SF again in the playoffs. You have to protect Eli in these games and you have to protect his career as well.

Two years ago (if LBer wasn't there) we wanted Iupati or Pouncey. Last year we wanted Castonzo. This year we wanted Glenn in R1 and then Massie in R2. I really do not care if one is good or not. It is about priorities. WR is candy.  These toys named Wilson and Randle joining Nicks, Cruz and Bradshaw... it is great. Believe me, I love the toys just like anyone else. I just want to have the time and ability to play with them, and an OL is what allows you to do that. Will I feel better with Petrus at LG and Boothe at Center? Yes. That way I know we can run the ball.  But in pass protection, our Tackles are not consistent. Maybe Beatty improves. But isn't it Reese who says that he wants competition in camp?

Defense wins championships. With Eli playing at such a high level now, the mantra is: Protect Eli and win the game.  I am optimistic that Wilson, Randle and Hosley are going to contribute meaningfully. At this point, I would say that Beatty and Diehl are the two most important players, because we know where everything else is.  

With the 32nd pick in the NFL Draft, the NY Giants selected RB David Wilson.  Wonder: "The best all-around back in the draft. Can carry between the tackles, elusive breakaway speed, can run sweep wide, can catch the ball, willing to block."

The Giants got themselves a good football player.  There are a couple of things that make sense about this pick. (1) The Giants are adamant that any RB who gets on the field be able to block. So Wilson can hopefully get on the field and protect Eli in blitz pickup. (2) This is a passing league, so I pray to God that Gilbride will use this special talent in the open field in the PASSING GAME. He's got quickness and speed so small ball can become HUGE ball with passes out of the backfield. When Bradshaw makes a guy miss, he tacks on 8 more yards. When Wilson makes a guy miss, it can be off to the races. (3) He will be an immediate injection of tremendous explosiveness on Special Teams.

Yes, this guy can also run between the tackles, but do not think he is going to be able to handle a STEADY diet inside the tackles. He's 5'10" 205 lbs, so he can do that, but he has the kind of speed to run outside.

Coughlin: "He loves football." .. re his fumbling issues in college, Coughlin: "HIGH AND TIGHT."

Ross: "Exploded at the Combine. ACC Player of the Year, 1700 yards. Can catch the ball."

Philosophically, I would have preferred G Cordy Glenn (or C Peter Konz or LB David Lavonte), but only because the Giants are so good at drafting RB later in the draft. It has been a while since the Giants have taken a RB this high, and I'll go on record as saying this is NO Ron Dayne type of pick.  The Giants got themselves a good player in Wilson. With Jacobs gone, expect to see Wilson as the #2 platooned behind Bradshaw pretty quickly. Ware gets injured every third game, so unless Da'Rel Scott is ready, Wilson should see a lot of playing time.

Remember those JPP backflips? Well, apparently Wilson may be able to give him some competition.

Some random remarks from Round 1:
a) The Tyson Alualu Award goes to SEA, for taking Bruce Irvin in Round 1. Round 1? Pick 15? Trade down and pick the exact player later!  SEA traded down 3 picks- were they nervous he wasn't going to be there later in R1?!  Irvin could be a tremendous player for all we know, but no one was taking him in R1. 
b) Lots of trading of picks, this is the first draft after the new CBA, so the rookie salary cap makes it easier to manage these players inside the cap, creating more willingness to trade up. (Additionally, because the Draft was weak on QUALITY, teams were just as willing to trade down.)
c) The NY Jets swung for the fences again with Coples. Melvin Ingram was the better pick for them. Coples is feast or famine. Some people think Coples does not have a motor, that he is going to be a Gholston bust. Can Rex Ryan motivate him?
d) Hightower went to NE at the 25th pick. C'est la vie.
e) The Giants took a while to pick because some teams were inquiring about a trade up to their pick. They did not get a generous offer, so they took Wilson.

The 2012 NFL Draft is here! This evening at 8PM ET, Round 1 will take place in NYC.  We'll be tweeting with commentary about selections, trades and other team moves.

Wonder's Final Draft Board for 2012 is online.  Click the zoom (+) key 3 times. He made a few changes to his positional assessments, lowering some of his 3's to 4's and lowering some 4's to 5's to adjust for the overall weak stock in the draft. THEY CAN'T ALL BE STARTERS!  Remember, the average team generates 2.3 starters per draft.  Yet isn't it remarkable how EVERY year, all 32 GMs say (with confidence) how well they have done?!!  As we have noted here before, 70% of parents believe their kids are above average.   

Round 1 should be understood for what it is: a lack of QUALITY.  Once you get past Luck and Griffen, there is a noticeable talent drop off.  This means that trading up is not going to be a value decision.  

In this draft, my preference would probably be to trade down.  Assuming the Giants do not get Hightower at any point, I would take Lavonte David at 32. If David is not there, I'd draft one of the linemen (DeCastro, Glenn, Konz) who will possibly fall, Ronnell Lewis (he's a 3-4 LBer but I'd take him), or Harrison Smith.

All I keep reading about here in the NY area mocks is the Giants taking Coby Fleener. NO. Why not? Because Gilbride wastes his TE's, so why should I waste MY pick?! Besides, Reese went after Bennett in Free Agency specifically so he did not have to pick a TE.

Doug Martin is another player talked about. The reason why I am, all else equal, against that pick is that the Giants are TERRIFIC in later rounds at finding Running Backs.  So why do I ever need a Round 1 Running Back?!  It is really quite simple: Get me a slab of beef to protect Eli, or a Linebacker that is going to be the missing piece in the defensive puzzle! 

Let's have some fun tonight.. follow me on twitter.

ps thanks for the "catch" on Randle, 3-80 overrated