Ex-Rams DE explains why the Ty Simpson pick was actually smart
Chris Long believes Rams' Ty Simpson pick is a smart long-term strategy.
Malik Nabers expressed confusion over the Giants' decision to pass on Caleb Downs in the NFL Draft. John Harbaugh addressed Nabers' concerns, explaining the team's vision for their first-round pick, Arvell Reese.
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âI would rather get him then play against himâŠIâm just saying that Downs was there twice,â Nabers said on **Bleacher Reportâs live stream** with Micah Parsons. âThe reason why I said Caleb DownsâŠis because we just traded [Dexter Lawerence], you need you need interior D lineâ I understand getting outside backer he wants to rush OKâbut when you eliminate something from there you, have to put something in the back end to be secure.
âLove the player [Arvell Reese] , donât get me wrong. But where do you play?â Nabers said. âHe is going to want to be on the outside to rush but we just drafted somebody [Abdul Carter] last year to do that same position.â You had to figure that did not sit well with new head coach John Harbaugh, an 18-year head coach with a Super Bowl title and 15 winning seasons on his resume. Harbaughâs first instinct might have been to read Nabers the âIâm the bossâ riot act. The 63-year-old head coach, though, took a different tack when he spoke to Nabers about the Giantsâ first-round decisions on Friday morning. Harbaugh said the two âhad a great conversation.â âWe were talking about it. He made himself clear. He even said, if you go back and you watch it, I appreciate kind of where heâs coming from,â Harbaugh said. âYouâre in a podcast and talking ball, and heâs, just, like how are you going to use the guy, how is he going to play? Donât get me wrong. He said, donât get me wrong. I think maybe we got him wrong out there a little bit, because thatâs what we do in our world.â âWe look at one thing and say, well, he must be mad about it. Itâs like he said, I was curious about how you were going to use him. I showed him how weâre going to use him. He is fired up about it. âI appreciate it. You know, one thing that youâll kind of probably see as we go here, we donât get too worried about stuff. You know, as long as a personâs heart is in the right place, as long as the person really cares, a player, a coach, or anybody, you really want whatâs best for everybody, youâre coming from â he has a good heart and a good place, you know, say what you think. Put it out there.â Harbaugh had no issue with explaining to Nabers the plan for how the Giants are intending to use Reese, the No. 5 overall selection. âSo Malik wants to know how weâre going to use our first-round pick, I want to show him. I want to explain it to him. The fact that he says it publicly, who cares? I know fans are probably thinking the same thing. It was the same question that everybody is going to have, and we knew that, because we knew how kind of Arvell was perceived,â Harbaugh said. âSo I know weâve got a great vision for him, and I think we saw him â heâs a player that fits our structure, our defense very uniquely, and maybe thatâs hard for people to see, but youâll see it soon enough. âMalik was fired up and happy. He was the first guy that met him coming in the building when they got in here. He couldnât wait to get out there to make sure they knew, that Arvell knew, that his family knew where he was at with it.â In the end, Harbaugh has made this into a non-issue.
The Giants opted for Arvell Reese instead, which raised questions from Malik Nabers about the team's strategy and needs.
Nabers expressed that he would have preferred to have Caleb Downs on their team rather than facing him, questioning how the Giants would utilize Reese.
Harbaugh had a constructive conversation with Nabers, clarifying the team's plan for Reese and emphasizing the importance of communication.
Harbaugh believes Reese fits their defensive structure uniquely, which may not be immediately apparent to fans or players.
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