The Giants went heavy on offense during the draft, adding fresh young players at the main positions to which quarterback Eli Manning distributes the ball -- running back, receiver, tight end.
After the first minicamp involving running back David Wilson (first round), receiver Rueben Randle (second round), and tight end Adrien Robinson (fourth round), the Giants are pleased with the infusion of talent.
“It’s definitely needed,’’ offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said. “We lost a lot of guys. We lost five starters the year before on offense, you lost a couple other guys, you certainly needed to start to replenish the troops.’’
Wilson, the 32nd overall pick who’ll replace Brandon Jacobs -- and potentially supplant Ahmad Bradshaw sooner than later as the starter -- said that he wanted to “wow” the coaches at the pads-free practice session, but that he feels the pressure of justifying his first-round pedigree. At one point, Wilson got an earful from Gilbride.
“I kind of got on him the one time, the defensive end jumped upfield and he tried to bounce it outside, realized he couldn’t,’’ Gilbride said of Wilson. “I said, ‘No, no, put your foot in the ground and go north-south.’ That may be an example of a guy who wants to try too hard to make a favorable impression, trying to make something out of nothing and making a bad play into a worse one.’’
“Bad” and “worse” are words that haven’t been used much in relation to the Giants lately, and with Manning in the middle of his prime and Wilson and Randle and Robinson (whom G.M. Jerry Reese has called the “Jason Pierre-Paul of tight ends”) bringing new blood to the skill positions that already include Bradshaw and Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, the Giants could be in great position to continue to contend in 2012, and beyond.