New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese took heat for what many analysts viewed as a "reach" when he selected corner Eli Apple No. 10 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.
On Monday, Reese blasted those critics during an interview with Mike Francesa on WFAN-AM.
"When somebody doesn't know what they're talking about, it's easy to depict it that way," Reese said, via NJ.com. "Because they don't know what they're talking about."
Reese sounds a wee bit defensive about his pick.
He is correct, however. No one outside of the Giants' draft room knows exactly how they stacked their draft board.
It's been reported that New York had eyes for both linebacker Leonard Floyd and offensive tackle Jack Conklin. Big Blue got leapt in trades for both players before they got to their pick at No. 10.
Reese said Apple was the Giants' highest-rated player that didn't have "issues" (presumably Laremy Tunsil's bong mask and Myles Jack's knee).
"We were very happy that he was available when we picked there at No. 10," Reese said of selecting the corner. "We absolutely had gone over this scenario many times. Obviously, not the (specific) situation that came up during the draft, but we thought some of the players might have been gone anyway. He was right in our window, where we had him ranked on our board, and he was an easy pick for us."
Corner was also an area of need. Despite paying Janoris Jenkins a pile of cash and employing Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie as a No. 1, the Giants remain thin at the position.
Reese isn't ending his search for a corner with Apple either.
Reese likely wouldn't hear so much backlash from critics if he added the 31-year-old corner on the cheap.
