The New York Giants' 2009 Draft Pick: Nicks or Barden?

The No.1 need for the New York Giants heading into this year's draft was definitely finding a replacement for the troubled Plaxico Burress. Last season's late collapse, which ultimately led to a loss in the playoffs to the Eagles, proved that Eli Manning needs a big target in the red zone for the Giants' passing game to be successful.

In round one, with the 29th overall pick, New York selected Hakeem Nicks from North Carolina. Nicks has been touted, by many, to have all the physical tools needed to develop into a No. 1 receiver. Nicks is fast off the snap, has great burst to generate separation, and has an impressive field awareness.

What I didn't like about this pick by the Giants was how small Nicks is. At 6'1", Hakeem hardly draws comparison to how the monster Plaxico was in the red zone. Granted, Nicks has shown a penchant to fight for the ball up in the air, it would be even easier if he was closer to 6'5" or taller.

Manning loves to just hang the ball up in the air where only his receiver can make a play on it. And God knows we don't need to give Eli any more opportunities to turn the ball over.

The pick that I like is the Cal Poly wide receiver Ramses Barden. The closer we got to the draft the more I heard about the potential this kid has.

At 6'6", 229 pounds, Barden is by far the more impressive physical specimen. He's even taller then Plaxico (6'5"), still has an impressive vertical jump (33.5 inches), and dominated his college competition with his size and strength.

Barden excels at getting yards after the catch and can be an impressive blocker on the outside, where the Giants love to run the rock. He definitely provides the G-Men with a red-zone target, as he can easily reach up and over smaller corners to snag the ball.

The biggest concern was the WR's level of competition. He didn't come from the SEC or ACC, where the competition is a bit tougher, and there's a concern he may not be able to immediately excel in the NFL because of this.

I think everybody always says this about small-school prospects, and that more often than not, they surprise the critics once they're on the field. Barden should be no different once he's been coached a bit.

Who do you guys like better?

SOB's P.O.V.: Ramses Barden is New York's No. 1 Draft Prospect

In the third round of the 2009 draft the New York Giants traded up to select Ramses Barden, the wide receiver from Cal Poly. At 6-foot-6, 229 pounds Barden is by far the most physically imposing receiver in the 2009 draft.

Though he didn't play against the top college competition, Ramses proved in the postseason and at the combine that he was a top talent.

Current NFL players he's been compared to are Vincent Jackson of San Diego, Brandon Marshall of Denver, and even Plaxico Burress, which is good news for the Giants.

Even though smaller, faster cornerbacks may be greater athletes, Barden uses his strength and size to overpower them and catch the ball in coverage. This gives him a special advantage in the red-zone, where fade routes have always been a favorite of offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride.

In college, Barden broke numerous school and Great Western Conference records. He broke Jerry Rice's old record of 26 games with a touchdown by scoring one in 32 games. He also joined Rice and David Ball as the only players in the NCAA Division 1-AA/FCS to catch more then 50 touchdowns in a career.

On top of that, Barden managed to string together a record-breaking 20 consecutive games with a scoring grab, breaking Jerry Rice's record of 17 in a row. He also became only the eighth player in the history of the FCS to have over 4,000 career receiving yards and averaged 20.4 yards per reception in that time.

Early in his career, Ramses established himself as a giant among men. After red-shirting in 2004, Barden went on to lead his team in receiving yards, as well as earning All-Great West Conference first-team honors. He also became a standout on special teams.

Barden started 43 of 46 games in his collegiate career at Cal Poly, 21 at "X" receiver and 22 at "Z" receiver.

It's not hard to see why my favorite team would trade up with the Eagles to grab this guy. He was a savage in college and, with the help of fellow draftee Hakeem Nicks, should help rejuvenate the New York Giant offense that saw us going 11-1 before a late season collapse.

Manning and Brandon Jacobs will both appreciate this guy's production on the field. Manning will have a tall receiver to replace his old buddy Burress while the eighth man in the box backs off, allowing Jacobs to once again chug up the middle.

2009 is looking like a promising season fellow fans.