The Giants opened the draft choosing a player that many had predicted they would take: Hakeem Nicks. Nicks stands out for his productivity at North Carolina and his huge hands. According to one source, he wears size 4XL gloves. ESPN rates Nicks as the third-best receiver and the 29th best player. His Scouts Inc. grade was 91. On bigblueinteractive.com’s depth chart, Nicks is listed as just behind Steve Smith.

For their second choice, the Giants chose Clint Sintim. One source said the Giants even considered drafting him in the first round. Last season at Virginia, Sintim had 11 sacks.  ESPN rates Sintim as the fifth-best outside linebacker and the 40th best player. His Scouts Inc. grade was 87. On bigblueinteractive.com’s depth chart, Sintim is listed as just behind Danny Clark and ahead of Zak DeOssie.

With their second pick in the second round, the Giants selected William Beatty, an offensive tackle who bigblueinteractive.com lists as #3 behind Diehl and Whimper. At the Combine, he had the fourth-fastest 40-yard dash time among the offensive linemen: 5.12. ESPN rates Beatty as the sixth-best offensive tackle and the 48th best player. His Scouts Inc. grade was 85.

I’ve been an avid reader of the various NFL mock drafts available on the Web. Few will be accurate. With regard to one team, the New York Giants, most mock drafts are predicting that the Giants will pick a wide receiver with their first-round pick. At least one predicted the Giants will choose a linebacker. And only one I saw predicted they will pick an offensive lineman: Eben Britton from Arizona.

I think if a quality offensive tackle is available, that’s who the Giants will select. Their current right tackle, Kareen McKenzie, will be 30 next month and did not have that good a season in 2008. Further, none of his backups have demonstrated the ability to take his place.

Then, with their first second-round pick (unless they trade for a wide receiver), I believe they’ll take either a wide receiver or a linebacker, whichever one is higher-rated on their board. With their other second-round pick, they’ll choose a player for the other position.

In the third round with their two picks, I think they will choose a safety and either an offensive guard or a center.

The fun begins at four o’clock.

Last season, after New York Giants’ receiver Plaxico Burress pulled one of the bonehead acts of the year when he shot himself in the leg, his absence caused the team to limp into the playoffs. There, they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 23-11, despite having home-field advantage.

Given that no one knows when, if ever, Burress will return to the team, rumor has it that the Giants have tried to trade for the Browns’ Braylon Edwards. To get him, the Giants have offered the two draft picks they received from the Saints for Jeremy Shockey and either Mario Manningham or Dominick Hixon. The Browns countered by asking for Steve Smith, whom the Giants have refused to part with.

Regardless of what the Giants offered, I question why they’d want to give up so much for a receiver with butterfingers. Last season, in his first 10 games, Edwards dropped 10 passes. I wouldn’t trade two picks and a player for him even if the Browns threw in a tube of glue.

Sure, he had a great season in 2007. But after last year’s unexceptional performance, I’d just offer the Browns the Giants’ own second- and fifth-round picks (not the ones they got from the Saints). Let’s see how desperate the Browns are to get rid of Edwards.