Eli Manning is hopeful that Victor Cruz will be able to return, Tom Rock of Newsday writes. “You just hope he’ll be able to come back,” Manning said. “You see some of the plays, the catches and the stops real quick, making that first guy miss, some of the cuts, and you hope he’ll be able to do those things again. I think you hope for the best and he can make a full recovery. But we’re going to be smart with him, make sure he comes back on his own time, and when he’s ready get in there and be right back in the mix.” The good news is that the Giants aren’t desperate for a No. 1 wide receiver heading into the draft thanks to the emergence of Odell Beckham Jr. Here’s more news out of the NFC East..
- Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (on Twitter) hears that Washington cornerback Marcus Peters or Wake Forest cornerback Kevin Johnson may be too good to pass up if either are available for the Cowboys in the first round.
- Some teams are going for the best available player, but in the Eagles‘ draft strategy, players must fit their system, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “What Seattle is looking for is different than what San Francisco is looking for,” coach Chip Kelly said in March. “I think the teams that do it the best are getting players that fit their system.” This year, Alabama’s Landon Collins is viewed by many draft analysts as the top safety in the draft but he might not be an ideal fit because he’s more of an in-the-box safety and the Eagles require their safeties to cover like a cornerback.
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Todd Archer of ESPN.com whether the Cowboys will go defensive back or defensive lineman in the first round. Archer believes that Dallas’ preference is to go with a cornerback at No. 27 because there likely won’t be a pass rusher worth the pick at that spot. Randy Gregory is a name to watch, he says, if he falls that far. Personally, I don’t see the embattled Nebraska star staying on the board that long.
- The Eagles could choose from several offensive lineman at No. 20, Berman writes. Of course, that group includes Oregon standout Jake Fisher, and not just because Kelly recruited him to the Ducks.
- One league executive told Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel that this year’s draft class doesn’t feature any quality kickers. “There’s no draftable kickers. The combine was probably the worst display of kicking talent I’ve ever seen. It was, like, ‘Are you kidding me? You can’t develop a kicker?,‘” the unnamed exec told McGinn.