EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) 鈥� Countless times in the leadup to , the New York Giants ran simulations to predict how the top 10 picks would unfold.
鈥淭his one didn’t come up,鈥� new said. “This was not one that was really anticipated.”
The Giants took Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese at No. 5 and Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa at No. 10 on Thursday night, making good on the insistence from Harbaugh and general manager Joe Schoen that they would go with the best players available rather than reach to fill a need.
“These are two top-five players in this draft, in our opinion,” Harbaugh said, noting that Reese ranked first internally among non-quarterbacks. 鈥淵ou couldn鈥檛 do any better.鈥�
Reese could have gone as high as No. 2 to the Jets, but the New York-area neighbor instead. With Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love going off the board when and after Tennessee somewhat surprisingly , the door was wide open to get a versatile defender who turns 21 just before his rookie year begins.
鈥淕et your board right, make sure you understand all the different possibilities and don鈥檛 overreact to things that you hear, things that might happen on draft night, and I thought we did a really good job of that and then all of a sudden there鈥檚 Arvell Reese 鈥� he鈥檚 coming to us,” Harbaugh said. 鈥淚t worked out just the way you would hope it would in that situation.鈥�
Harbaugh and his staff plan to use Reese as an inside or weak-side linebacker as opposed to a traditional edge rusher, which most teams saw him as. The Giants already have plenty of talent at that position with Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and , Abdul Carter.
Adding Reese gives some intriguing possibilities.
鈥淚 can say I鈥檓 going be used in a unique way,鈥� Reese said on a conference call with local reporters. “I鈥檓 a weapon. That鈥檚 how it鈥檚 supposed to be.鈥�
Eschewing voids at wide receiver, safety and elsewhere, New York taking Mauigoa with the 10th pick adds young protection for franchise quarterback Jaxson Dart going into his second professional season. Mauigoa on stage told Dart, 鈥淚’m ready to die for you, man.鈥�
鈥淭hat should be everybody鈥檚 mentality,” Mauigoa said. 鈥淎s offensive linemen, we should be able to put everything on the line because the quarterback is the key to the offense.鈥�
Schoen said Mauigoa, who played tackle in college, will start at guard, where the offensive line has an opening for a starter on the right side. Mauigoa, who goes by the nickname 鈥淪isi,鈥� brushed off concerns about a herniated disk in his back that persisted in the leadup to the draft, and his new team shares that feeling.
鈥淲e鈥檙e comfortable with it,鈥� Schoen said. 鈥淩ight now he鈥檚 fine. He鈥檚 good right now.鈥�
Mauigoa’s brother Kiko, a linebacker, was taken in the fifth round by the Jets last year. They were teammates at Miami but never envisioned this.
鈥淐ollege was different because we got to choose,鈥� Francis Mauigoa said. 鈥淭he NFL is different because now the teams get to choose. Man, I鈥檓 really excited to be near my brother and to be able to work out with him again.鈥�
The Giants had the extra selection after acquiring it from Cincinnati that sent defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals. They had a chance to add two Ohio State players with safety Caleb Downs also there at No. 10 or to trade down and opted against either possibility.
鈥淲e stuck with the board,” Schoen said. 鈥淚t just didn鈥檛 make any sense to try to get cute and do anything else.鈥�
They’re scheduled to pick next at No. 37 early in the second round on Friday night, and they don鈥檛 have one in the third because it was part of the trade to move up for Dart last year. Harbaugh called getting Reese and Mauigoa a really good start to his first draft with the Giants following .
They were just the second and third top-10 picks Harbaugh has been a part of as an NFL head coach, a decade after Ronnie Stanley at No. 6 in 2016.
“That was different,” Harbaugh said. 鈥淲e had two in, I don鈥檛 know, about an hour. It was fun.鈥�
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