BATON ROUGE — LSU wide receiver Rueben Randle went from last to first in a hurry Friday night. The last of 26 players left in the NFL draft Green Room was the last player picked in the second round. But he landed on the first-place team when the world champion New York Giants made him their second-round choice at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

Seven-time Pro Bowl defensive end and former Giant Michael Strahan made the announcement, which drew cheers from Giants fans in attendance. He was the fifth receiver selected in the round and the ninth overall.

Randle posted the follwing to his Twitter account, “NY looks like I’m here to stay.”

Safety Brandon Taylor was the other LSU player picked Friday night. He went to the San Diego Chargers in the third round, 10 spots after Randle and the 73rd player taken overall. That gave LSU four of the top 73 players picked. Morris Claiborne went to Dallas and defensive tackle Michael Brockers to St. Louis in the first round Thursday night.

Randle steps in to a fairly good situation. The Giants lost Mario Manningham to San Francisco in free agency, setting up a battle for the No. 3 receiver job behind Hakeen Nicks and Victor Cruz. Randle will be competing with the likes of Ramses Barden, Jerrel Jernigan and Domenik Hixon.

Marc Ross, the Giants’ director of college scouting, told the New York Post the organization had a first-round grade on Randle and considered taking him with the 32nd pick. They chose Virginia Tech running back David Wilson instead.

“I really didn’t think there was a chance we were going to get him,” Ross told ESPN.com. “Actually, we talked a little about him yesterday with our pick. Rueben is an NFL-ready receiver. What I mean by that is this guy is strong, he can catch the ball, he is a good route runner and has got position savvy. He knows how to get open. To me those are the successful receivers in the NFL.

“Our guys that we have now, Hakeem and Victor, you put them on at the combine, you won’t notice them but if you put them on the football field, they just take their game to another level, and this is how Rueben is in our eyes.”

Randle had a breakout season as a junior last year with 53 catches for 917 yards and eight touchdowns for a team that primarily ran the ball and often sat on big leads in the fourth quarter. Despite erratic quarterback play in all three of his seasons, Randle had 97 receptions for 1,634 yards and 13 touchdowns and now gets to catch passes from Eli Manning.

“Eli Manning is a great quarterback,” said Randle. “A lot of guys will help me develop my game and get better. You just have to stay humble. I knew my opportunity was going to come. You can’t stress about that. It’s about what you do after you get drafted. I am going to go out there and work hard for these guys and hopefully make the team.”

San Diego obviously had its eye on Taylor. The Chargers gave their sixth round pick to Miami to trade places with the Dolphins in the third round and draft the native of Franklinton, whose brother Curtis is a safety for the San Francisco 49ers.

The pick continued a defensive theme for San Diego. Earlier in the draft, the Chargers picked outside linebacker Melvin Ingram of South Carolina in the first round and defensive end Kendall Reyes of Connecticut in the second round.

Taylor is expected to battle incumbent veteran strong safety Atari Bigby for the starting job.

“Because of playing outside and coming inside, he’s got a great awareness,” San Diego Coach Norv Turner told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “He sees things awfully well. He breaks on the ball and has instincts like a corner. He’s a 200-plus pound guy, so he can play in a physical manner like a strong safety.”

Taylor had 71 tackles last season, second on the team. He broke up five passes and had two of his four career interceptions while starting all 14 games last season. He played cornerback as a freshman but moved to safety and started 33 of his 49 games.

“I’m a very humble person,” Taylor said, “and I know the Chargers never really have any off the field issues with their players. You never hear about their players in the media or anything, so I just think that their program fits me and the type of person that I am. Just gotta go out and win.”

Hotheaded Detroit Tiger Delmon Young wasn’t the only athlete at the emergency room yesterday morning — Giants linebacker Keith Rivers carried a sick female friend out of Roosevelt Hospital after he’d spent a night of clubbing with Miami Dolphins star Reggie Bush.

Rivers arrived in New York with a bang after being traded to the Giants from the Cincinnati Bengals two weeks ago.

But The Post’s Kevin Fasick reports a sober-looking Rivers arrived at Roosevelt Hospital’s ER at 9:30 a.m. yesterday. He walked up to security, gave his name and went inside.

REUTERS

Keith Rivers

Roosevelt is the same hospital where a “highly intoxicated” Young was treated early yesterday morning after he went on an antiSemitic rant and scuffled with others outside his Midtown hotel.

At about 10:30 a.m., Rivers — who admitted Young was not the reason why he was there — was spotted leaving the hospital with an attractive dark-haired woman in her mid-20s who was wearing heels and a short skirt, which appeared to be her clothes from the night before spent partying.

The unidentified woman appeared haggard and her makeup smeared after a rough night. Rivers protectively put his arm around her and walked her down the street.

When asked if he had seen Young in the ER, Rivers candidly replied, “I am dealing with my own problems.” Then he and the woman sped away in a cab.

A few hours earlier, Rivers had been with a group at Lavo, where he met up with Bush. The two played football together at the University of Southern California.

Bush and Rivers, who did not appear to be drinking, held court until 3 a.m. at adjoining tables and across from Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, who was celebrating being the No. 1 pick drafted by the Indianapolis Colts. Luck has also been making the most of the city. He dined with family at Fresco by Scotto on Wednesday and at Del Frisco’s the next night.

The 2012 NFL draft is just a day away and I can’t wait to see who my New York Giants are going to draft. The Giants have some immediate needs that could use some tending to. A new TE is a must. We could also use some more help in the secondary. The O-line is also suspect so picking up an offensive lineman is key. And let’s not forget to grab a RB and a WR. We need depth in those positions.

Here are five players that I think can help fill those voids:

Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford - I don’t know if this guy will be available at the 32 spot in round one but I’m crossing my fingers. Fleener would be a great addition for the New York Giants, especially since their other two TE’s are most likely going to start the 2012 season on the PUP list. And you can forget about Martellus Bennett. What did he do as a Dallas Cowboy? Nothing.

Brandon Boykin, CB, Georgia -

The Giants could use this guy in their backfield. He’s fast, has good recovery speed and I like the way he fights for the ball. He’s easily one of my favorite CB’s in this draft. I’m not sold on our secondary. Yeah, we have a great D-line, but our secondary last year got burned too many times. Boykin could be a great asset moving forward.

Brandon Mosley, OT, Auburn -

Our offensive line last year was not that great. If it weren’t for Eli’s mobility last year could’ve been a disaster. I like Mosley. I like the way he finishes a play and I like his mobility. He’s also a good run blocker and could be instrumental in helping the Giants get back to some of that smash mouth football.

Bernard Pierce, RB, Temple - I hate our running back depth. The loss of Brandon Jacobs kind of stings a little. It wouldn’t hurt my feelings at all if the Giants could land Pierce. Pierce is a good runner who can run inside and outside and has the ability to make the first guy miss. Not only that but he’s a patient runner. An attribute that is almost a necessity in today’s NFL.

Joe Adams, WR, Arkansas - This is more of a depth issue than anything. The loss of Mario Manningham really hurt the New York Giants WR depth. And I’m not that wild about any of the other receivers on the Giants roster. We need a quality number three WR. Adams could be a nice compliment to Cruz and Nicks. Adams has a great first step and has the ability to blow past defenders. I really like this guy and I think he could make a immediate impact on our receiving core.

Dylan Davis is an avid fan of the New York Giants and has been since birth. His love for Big Blue is only rivaled by his hate for the Dallas Cowboys and the other teams in the NFC East.

Sources:

NFL.com News

CBS Sports.com

The New York Giants, my favorite NFL team, come into the 2012 NFL Draft needing at least one more running back on the team. We lost Brandon Jacobs to the San Francisco 49ers, and Andre Brown will miss the first four games after failing a drug test.

Ahmad Bradshaw is a talented running back, but he misses time every season with injuries. So we need to draft a running back at some point in the 2012 draft. But should it be in the first round?

Here are the seven running backs the New York Giants have taken in the first round of the NFL Draft since 1970. Players are listed chronologically.

New York Giants First Round RB Picks Since 1970

1. Rocky Thompson – 1971

The Giants took Rocky Thompson with the 18th overall pick in the 1971 NFL Draft. Thompson, who played college football at West Texas A&M, was a complete bust. He only rushed for 217 yards in his career, which lasted less than three years.

2. Butch Woolfolk – 1982

The Giants drafted Butch Woolfolk out of the University of Michigan with the 18th overall pick in the first round of the 1982 NFL Draft. Woolfolk was not as big a bust as Rocky Thompson, but he only rushed for 1,388 yards for the Giants, and 1,923 in his career.

Thankfully, the Giants took RB Joe Morris with our second round pick in 1982, and that worked out much better. Joe Morris rushed for 5,296 yards for the Giants, and was a key player on the New York Giants’ first Super Bowl team during the 1986 season.

3. George Adams – 1985

The Giants drafted George Adams out of the University of Kentucky with the 19th overall pick in the 1985 NFL Draft. Adams was a bust, rushing for just 886 yards in his NFL career.

4. Rodney Hampton – 1990

The Giants drafted Rodney Hampton out of the University of Georgia with the 24th overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft. Hampton was a pretty good RB for the New York Giants. He rushed for 6,897 yards and 49 TD’s from 1990-1997.

5. Jarrod Bunch – 1991

The Giants drafted Jarrod Bunch out of the University of Michigan with the 27th overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft. Bunch had a good year for us in 1992, rushing for 501 yards with a 4.8 yards per carry average, but a knee injury ruined his career in 1993.

6. Tyrone Wheatley – 1995

The Giants drafted Tyrone Wheatley out of the University of Michigan with the 17th overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft. Wheatley rushed for only 1,280 yards for the Giants from 1995-1998. He then went to the Oakland Raiders, and rushed for 3,682 yards over the nest six seasons. So Tyrone Wheatley was not a terrible RB, but he was a bust for the Giants.

7. Ron Dayne – 2000

After winning the Heisman Trophy in 1999 while playing for the University of Wisconsin, Ron Dayne was drafted with the 11th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. Dayne rushed for 2,067 yards for the Giants in four years, and 3,722 yards in his seven year NFL career.

Out of the seven running backs the New York Giants have taken in the first round of the NFL Draft since 1970, only Rodney Hampton was not a bust. On the basis of that drafting record, the New York Giants should not take a running back with our first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Joe Dorish is a lifelong New York Giants football fan who has attended many Giants games over the years, including Super Bowl XXI in the Rose Bowl in 1987.

Read More: Tom Brady (QB – NEP), Chase Blackburn (LB – NYG), Rob Gronkowski (TE – NEP), New York Giants

The New York Giants have reportedly locked up the services of linebacker Chase Blackburn for another season (via NJ.com). While full details about his contract aren’t known, Blackburn could be signing for the veteran’s minimum salary for the 2012 season.

Blackburn was picked up by New York at the midpoint of the 2011 season and didn’t disappoint for the eventual Super Bowl champions. Blackburn played in five games (four starts) during the regular season for the Giants. He made 26 tackles (20 solo) and intercepted one pass.

In the playoffs, Blackburn was also a key contributor. He started all four games and made 26 tackles (17 solo) and had a crucial interception in the Super Bowl. With New England clinging to a 17-15 lead in the fourth quarter, Blackburn intercepted a deep Tom Brady pass intended for Rob Gronkowski at the Giants’ 8-yard line.

For more coverage of the Giants, see Big Blue View

The 2012 New York Giants will prepare to defend their Super Bowl championship with preseason games against their same-stadium rivals, a nationally televised contest, and a Super Bowl rematch (well, sort of).

The Giants announced the team’s full 2012 preseason schedule via a press release and the team’s official website on Wednesday afternoon. The Giants will travel just once this upcoming August. That trip comes early this year, as the Giants will play at the Jacksonville Jaguars during Week 1 of the preseason. That game will take place between August 9 and August 12. The Giants will then be the road team in the annual preseason game against the New York Jets (Week 2 will take place from August 16 to August 19). The Giants will host the Chicago Bears on August 24. That game will be nationally televised on CBS. They then host the New England Patriots on August 29. Exact kickoff times and dates for the first two preseason games will be announced at a later time.

Thoughts on New York Giants preseason schedule: Home sweet home

Getting that one road preseason game out of the way early is only a good thing for the Giants. Depending on when the first preseason game is scheduled, the Giants could go over one entire month without any lengthy trips. That’s a rather comfortable way to begin the 2012 regular season.

Thoughts on New York Giants preseason schedule: An interesting choice

Unlike in previous years (minus 2010, when the Giants and Jets opened New Meadowlands Stadium), this year’s Giants-Jets preseason game will occur in Week 2 and not Week 3. Week 3 is traditionally the “most important” preseason week for teams, the week when starting lineups play into the second half. With no bragging rights on the line (despite what Rex Ryan may say between now and mid-August), this game could be all about TebowMania, especially if the newly signed Tim Tebow plays well during the second half against the Giants second/third/won’t-be-signed defensive units.

Thoughts on New York Giants preseason schedule: Week 3

Preseason football has been largely unkind to the Giants in recent history. For example, the Giants lost top CB Terrell Thomas for the season last August. Every team in the league takes Week 3 of the preseason very seriously, and the thought of Eli Manning and company being out on the field for at least three entire quarters against a hard-hitting Chicago defense is not a happy one. This may be an exhibition game, but it will also be a chance for the Bears to make a big statement on the road against the reigning champs. I’ll be knocking on wood and crossing fingers throughout this game.

Thoughts on New York Giants preseason schedule: Not as fun as it looks

A Super Bowl rematch to finish off the preseason? Not really. The final preseason game is like Syllabus Day in college. Sure, it’s technically a day of class, but nobody really cares, and it doesn’t really matter if you’re there or not. Perhaps Eli Manning and Tom Brady can enjoy a healthy “Words With Friends” battle during the final 50 minutes of the game. Such a contest would probably be more exciting to watch than will be the “action” that’s occurring on the field that evening.

The New York Jets have been the talk of the town in the Big Apple since trading for Tim Tebow, but New York football fans haven’t forgotten that the New York Giants are the defending Super Bowl champions.

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning
wikimedia commons

While the NFL has already released its official 2012-13 season matchups, the exact game dates won’t be announced until April.

Since we already know which teams the Giants will be up against this year, including their home and away opponents, it’s time to make some predictions for the upcoming NFL season:

Here’s a look at how I see the season shaping out for the Giants:

Home Games

The New York Giants are slated to host the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers in the season ahead.

Two of the Redskins’ five victories last season came against the Giants, but I don’t see any way that they’ll be able to repeat that performance in 2012. They have question marks all over the field, and will likely have a young quarterback taking the snaps in Robert Griffin III.

I’ll mark the G-Men down for a ‘W’ against Washington, and a lopsided win over the hapless Cleveland Browns, who earned just four victories last year. Tampa Bay is also coming off a 4-12 season, and got smoked, 24-0, when they last played the Giants in 2009. I’ll give the Giants the victory over Tampa Bay, and a split in the Cowboys-Eagles contests.

The NFL did not do the Giants any favors by matching them up against the Saints, Packers and Steelers at home. Historically, the Giants struggle against each of those teams and I don’t see them getting by any of them. That would leave the Giants with a 4-4 overall record at home for 2012-13.

Away Games

The Giants hit the road for away games against the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.

The only safe-bet victory of that bunch is the tilt in Washington, as Cincinnati is much-improved and Carolina might even be a playoff team this year with Cam Newton’s continued development. Nevertheless, I would have to bet that the Giants will come away victorious in each of those three battles.

Much like their home contests, I would expect the games against the Cowboys and Eagles to be highly-competitive and evenly matched, with another split that could go either way. That would leave the Giants at 4-1, with away games remaining against San Francisco, Atlanta and Baltimore.

As I said earlier, the NFL didn’t do the Giants any favors with its scheduling, as the team faces some of the toughest challenges on the road of any squad in the league. San Francisco will be hungry to avenge its playoff ouster by the Giants in the 2011 NFC Championship Game, and they will be a true force this season.

I don’t see any scenario where the Giants get by the 49ers, Falcons or Ravens on the road, and that would leave the G-Men with a 4-4 record in away games. Overall, that would leave them at 8-8, and a .500 mark in a stacked division that features several early Super Bowl favorites may not be good enough for a playoff berth.

Will the New York Giants make another deep run into the playoffs in the 2012-13 season? Let me know in the comments.

Eric Holden is a lifelong resident and supporter of both New York-area football teams. Follow him on Twitter @ericholden.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

NEW YORK — The NFL has suspended New York Giants running back Andre Brown for the first four games of the 2012 season for violating the league policy on performance enhancing substances.

The NFL announced the suspension without pay Friday. Brown is eligible to participate in all offseason and preseason practices and games.

Brown was on the Giants’ practice squad last season and did not play. He was originally drafted by New York in 2008 in the fourth round out of North Carolina State.

He is perhaps best known for the “I got a ring” chant he did on the Giants’ team plane back from their Super Bowl victory in February. A teammate filmed Brown’s performance and the video went viral. He reprised that performance at the Giants’ Super Bowl parade and celebration.

In 2010, Brown was with Carolina, Denver, Indianapolis and Washington, but was active for only four games.

The Giants signed him to the practice squad before the 2011 season.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

The New York Giants have a few holes to fill at wide receiver. With the loss of Mario Manningham to the San Francisco 49ers, they have a pressing need for a play-making third wide receiver. That’s why the Giants should consider pursuing restricted free agent, Danny Amendola

Remember when Danny Amendola was drawing comparisons to New England’s Wes Welker? After all, it seems like an eternity since he suffered a season-ending arm injury last year during the first game of the season versus the Philadelphia Eagles. Originally called a dislocated left elbow that would sideline him for 4-6 weeks, Amendola was unable to gain full strength in his arm leading to an early exit for his 2011 campaign.

Like Welker, Amendola graduated from Texas Tech. Both are far from over-sized (Walker is listed at 5 foot 9 inches while Amendola is 5 foot 11 inches) yet possess good hands and quick feet. Like Welker, Amendola needed a change of venue to make his mark in the NFL as he was scooped up by the Rams from the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad.

As a slot receiver, Danny Amendola could be the perfect complement to Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. With 85 receptions (689 yards) in 2011, he established himself as a viable weapon in the short passing game while providing an effective decoy to assist in the development of more explosive down field passes for quarterback Sam Bradford.

If Amendola could provide that type of support for Brandon Gibson and Laurent Robinson, imagine what he could do for Nicks and Cruz.

Additionally, he combined for 1,594 yards in kickoff (avg. 22.8) and punt returns (11.3).

There is one catch to the signing of Amendola – he is a restricted free agent, tendered at the second-round level. Yet would the Giants mind parting with the 63^rd overall pick for the opportunity to nab him? Could they find similar talent at that late pick?

As of now, Danny Amendola is expected to be a full participant as camps open in a few months. At just 26 years of age, he is young enough to regain his 2010 form.

With a little luck, maybe he will be recapturing a little of that magic in a Giants uniform.

Sources: Yahoo! Sports

cbssports.com

Robert Watkins is former investment professional and partner. A native New Yorker until 9/11, he considers Pa. his adoptive home. A passionate Giants fan, fantasy football fanatic, and Pennsylvania sports enthusiast, Robert is a frequent contributor to Yahoo! Sports and News

Read More: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Redskins

It was reported Sunday that the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys would be filing a grievance against the NFL and NFLPA for penalizing the two teams millions of dollars in 2012 salary cap space for what were deemed spending violations during the uncapped 2010 season. Washington had $36 million dollars in 2012 cap space taken away, while the Cowboys lost $10 million in cap space. It seems John Mara, the chair of the NFL Management Council and owner of the rival New York Giants, feels the penalty was fair and perhaps even not enough. Via Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com:

“I thought the penalties imposed were proper,” John Mara, the New York Giants’ owner and chair of the NFL Management Council, which imposed the penalties said Sunday. “What they did was in violation of the spirit of the salary cap. They attempted to take advantage of a one-year loophole, and quite frankly, I think they’re lucky they didn’t lose draft picks.”

I think it’s safe to say the NFL team meetings in Florida this week will be an interesting affair.

Stay tuned to SB Nation DC for more information on the 2012 NFL Free Agency period. For all your Redskins news and notes, be sure to follow SB Nation’s Redskins blog Hogs Haven. And all nuggets from around the league, be sure to visit SB Nation’s NFL hub.