Now, only a few months until we find out if they're good

Here is the Giants' draft class of 2009:

1 29 (29) Hakeem Nicks WR North Carolina
2 13 (45) Clint Sintim LB Virginia (from New Orleans)
2 28 (60) Will Beatty T Connecticut
3 21 (85) Ramses Barden WR Cal Poly (from Pittsburgh)
3 36 (100) Travis Beckum TE Wisconsin
4 29 (129) Andre Brown RB N.C. State
5 15 (151) Rhett Bomar QB Sam Houston St. (from New Orleans)
6 27 (200) DeAndre Wright CB New Mexico
7 29 (238) Stoney Woodson CB South Carolina

Instead of rushing to "grade" a team's draft as many analysts do, I'll simply say that I have never seen any of these guys play, and that I hope they're good. However, given Giants' GM Jerry Reese's track record, I have to have confidence that these guys can play. Or at least most of the higher selections. The Giants will come into 2009 with a solid team, this we already knew. But the two big receivers, if good, can really contribute to a Super Bowl contender.

And back to the grade idea for a moment. It isn't a completely useless concept. I'd just like to see it applied in more constructive ways. A few outlets got the idea this year, but as for all the rest, I'd prefer they take all the time they spend grading a draft class of players who have never stepped on a professional field, and instead allocate it towards revisiting past draft classes and look back at how successful they were. I don't think you can truly evaluate a draftee until he's been in the league for at least two years. (That is, if he even lasts that long - and that's part of the idea in why waiting is so much more useful.)

With that, I now grade the 2007 New York Giants draft:

1 20 (20) Aaron Ross CB Texas
2 19 (51) Steve Smith WR USC
3 17 (81) Jay Alford DT Penn State
4 17 (116) Zak DeOssie OLB Brown
5 16 (153) Kevin Boss TE Western Oregon
6 15 (189) Adam Koets T Oregon State
7 14 (224) Michael Johnson S Arizona
7 40 (250) Ahmad Bradshaw RB Marshall

Yep...A+.

Things get even more interesting when looking at scouting reports of past draftees, if you can find them. Here's one for University of Michigan star defensive end LaMarr Woodley:

NEGATIVES: *Lacks the ideal measurables and may not have a true pro position.

Lacks a true position, eh? How about, totally awesome outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.

*Only occasionally asked to make plays in reverse.

I don't even know what this means so I'll pass.

*Benefited from the terrific talent around him at Michigan.

The 2006 Wolverines were a terrific team, but it was largely because of Woodley, not in spite of him.

ANALYSIS: A game-disrupting defender on the college level, Woodley positively impacted the Michigan defense since his arrival. Impressive on film, he could be ideally suited as a rush linebacker in the NFL. May need time to get adjusted but will be productive at the next level.

Ding! 11 1/2 sacks last season. Credit to the scout for seeing the potential there; though he still hedged too much in his "negatives" section. It's like the scout was saying, "I see him as a good outside linebacker in the NFL, but just in case he doesn't work out, I also told you he would suck."

PROJECTION: Late Second Round

Not a bad prediction, as he was picked in the middle of the 2nd round by the Super Bowl XLIII champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

I thought it really would have been interesting to find a pre-draft scouting report on Defensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl hero James Harrison, but I couldn't find one. I did find this though, an article on why Harrison went overlooked for so long. Here are the "money" paragraphs.

"Number one," said (Ozzie) Newsome, one of the league's shrewdest judges of talent, "he came out of Kent State. Number two, the measurables were lacking. When you come from a small school, what can attract you to someone is good measurables. But some measurables were missing."

Brandt seconded that motion. Harrison was undersized. He was 5-feet-11½. He wasn't fast, either. His 40-yard dash time was 4.85. Plus, he was a 24-year-old rookie.

After all this time, and all the "workout warrior" busts we've seen (I'm thinking of Mike Mamula most of all here, though with a couple more bad years, Vernon Davis and Vernon Gholston can join this list), teams still seem to place way too much importance on the measurables, and not enough on how they actually play on the field.

So my friends, here's to hoping that this year, your team got it right.