BYU’s Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah may be the hottest prospect in the NFL Draft. He is fast, tall, and athletic, yet he is a risk that teams are going to have to decide if its worth it.

Ansah is freak of an athlete. He is 6’5″, and 274 pounds with an arm length of 34 and five-eighths, and a hand length of 10 inches. Ansah even runs like a track athlete, as in 2010, he walked-on to the BYU track team and ran 21.9 seconds in the 200-meter dash. He was also cut twice from the BYU basketball team.

Ansah is a projected first-round draft pick.

NFL scout and executive Phil Savage says, “I’m thinking that maybe even the top five with the way teams are so desperate to adjust to what they’re doing for all these read-option quarterbacks. You are going to need guys on the defensive line who can chase those guys down.”

CBS Sports NFL Draft expert Rob Rang says, “Ansah compares to Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, New York Giants. Ansah is not the same terror-off-the-edge pass-rusher that Pierre-Paul was coming out of South Florida, but he’s similarly gifted and plays with greater commitment to the run. Like there was with Pierre-Paul, there is some risk factor with Ansah, but his upside is through the roof.”

Ansah finished 2012 with 62 total tackles, 13 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, one interception, and nine pass defenses.

In the Senior Bowl, Ansah shined, recording seven tackles, including three and a half for loss (one and a half for sacks), and a forced fumble off Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib.

Ansah has played several positions while at BYU, a stand-up rush linebacker, a defensive end, and nose guard. Ansah is a type of player that can create mismatches and has flexibility.

Perhaps, the biggest questions surrounding Ansah, is his experience. Coming into 2012, he had just zero career starts and 10 total tackles.

IN 2012 the Giants didn't need a Defensive End, but they ended up with Jason Pierre Paul--who might they end up with this year? Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

The New York Giants have a reputation for taking best player available player on their board regardless of need, and that has boded well–they have won two superbowls in the last five years. This year they were quiet in free agency so I decided to reach out to Gmenhq.com to get a look at what the Giants might do in the draft.

1). After free agency what are the Giants biggest needs?

The Giants will need to bolster their offensive line, and find some depth at running back.  With the loss of Jacobs and the suspension of Andre Brown, they only have three healthy RB’s on the roster.

2). Is there a better General manager out there than Jerry Reese?

I’m not sure Packer fans would agree with your assessment, but for Giant fans we love Jerry Reese and believe him to be one of the best young GM’s in the NFL.  He has whiffed on a few picks, but in general he understands value and that is the most important factor in being a successful GM. Finding Ahmad Bradshaw in round 7 may have been his single most impressive accomplishment.

Editor note: I didn’t make an assessment here, just asked the question.

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Hakeem Nicks vs Darrel Revis is THE matchup of the game for me

The New York Giants and New York Jets have been two of the most disappointing teams in the entire league this year. Both have struggled with inconsistent play, had bad losses (the Giants more so than the Jets) and both after starting the season strong are in danger of missing the playoffs. In fact, this Saturday day game could be the final straw for the losing team (though both technically could still be alive with a loss).

How did it come to this: for the Jets they have had a difficult time stopping opponets in critical moments and have seen their quarterback play (despite his decent numbers) been brutal for much of the season. For the Giants: They  just can not stop Anyone with their defense.

Let’s break it down, as always I’ll look first and foremost at the young guys.

Jason Pierre Paul vs D’Brickshaw Ferguson

With the way that Justin Tuck is playing this year and how poorly Wayne Hunter has been, the Giants should line Jason Pierre Paul up at LDE and let him embarrass Wayne Hunter. But they won’t. They will play Tuck at LDE and Pierre Paul at RDE and hope he can consistently beat Ferguson one on one and probably help Hunter out on a sore Justin Tuck. Can Pierre Paul do it? He’s coming off a 16 tackle sack performance, after an 8 tackle, 2 sacks safety, FF, blocked field goal performance. He might be the hottest defensive end in the game right now.

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UDFA like Mark Herzlich and 6th and 7th round picks have been the "Rookie story" for the 2011 New York. Giants

The New York Giants are having a topsy turvy season which has seem them play great games against teams like the Patriots, Packers, and 49ers (for the most part in that game), but also fall victim to terribly played games against the Washington Redskins (twice) and the Seattle Seahawks (before they got any good). This leaves them in a precarious position. This weekend if they lose to the Jets they are with almost certainty out of the playoffs (unless the Eagles win this week and lose next week). If they lose they’ll have to turn their attention to free agency and the draft, with that in mind I sent some questions over to Big Blue View’s editor Ed Valentine to answer some questions.

My questions are in bold, Ed’s answers are in italics.

I hate to do this because I respect Tom Coughlin’s abilities, but I have to start here:

1). If the Giants miss the playoffs this year, again, after having a big lead and “destiny in their own hands” late in the season Tom Coughlin has to be fired, right? I don’t think anyone would can call Tom Coughlin a bad coach, but has this Giants team just had one too many disappointing performances in big moments to keep the status quo?

Well, I still think that remains to be seen. Today, the answer would be I think Coughlin would be fired. Based on how the last two games play out, that might change. The mystifying thing with the Giants is why they so often seem to lack effort and enthusiasm. It’s games like Sunday, where the Giants were very uninspired in a very big spot, that will get Coughlin fired more than missing the playoffs. They happen too often.

2). They say takes three years to evaluate a draft…how does the 2009 class look?

Not Jerry Reese’s best work. He has Hakeem Nicks and Will Beatty to show for that class, and really nothing else. Travis Beckum is a bust. Ramses Barden is still a relative unkown. Clint Sintim is a bust. There isn’t anything else.

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Aldon Smith was drafted 7th overall as a bit of a “reach” but What do draftniks know? (apparently nothing)

2011 could have been the year that we remembered as the year the Green Bay Packers went undefeated, but that ended last Sunday. 2011 will be remembered for a lot of reasons though. 2011 is the year of the shorter kick-off, and the year of the quarterback as Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and Eli Manning (a little bit behind pace, but he needs to average 319 yards per game to reach 4,000 for the season) are all challenging Dan Marino’s single season passing record. 2011 is the year that will make of break the franchises of the Panthers (Newton), Bengals (Dalton), Vikings (Ponder), Jaguars (Gabbert), and Titans (Locker).

But somewhat quietly 2011, has also become the year of the young pass rusher. There are a handful of  very-young pass rushers who have emerged in the age of passing who look to have great years. These players have completely wrecked their fair share of games this season in impressive fashion. With a combined experience of less than four year and a combined age of only (66-all three players are 22 years old), this trio of pass rushers has accumulated 38 sacks on the season. These three players are Giants DE Jason Pierre Paul (13.5 sacks), 49ers OLB Aldon Smith (13 sacks) and Denver Broncos Von Miller (11 sacks.5).

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Jason Pierre Paul is Making a Push for Defensive M.V.P.

On Sunday the Washington Redskins travel to New Jersey to take on the New York Giants. The Giants are playing to keep their playoff hopes alive (and maybe Tom Coughlin’s job as well). The Washington Redskins have played hard for the last month and would love to knock the New York Giants out of the playoffs.

eh Giants are 1-5 in their last four games, but still alive for the playoffs thanks in large part to Jason Pierre Paul’s impressive performance last week against the Dallas Cowboys. The Redskins will have to combat Jason Pierre Paul without starting LT Trent Williams who has been suspended for the season.

Some interesting stats to note about the Giants before you watch the Giants-Redskins game.

Eli Manning has now gone three straight years passing for 4,000 yards and 20 touchdowns, a rare feat. Something that has not even been accomplished by Tom Brady or Brett Favre.

Victor Cruz now has 1150 yards recieving, which is just shy of the Giants single season receiving record. He should pass it by seasons end, but so too might Hakeem Nicks who has 1023 yards receiving this season.

This year Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs have combined for 970 yards rushing, which would make them only 8th best in the league and neither has rushed for 4.0 yards per carry this season. D.J. Ware is rushing for only 3.0 yards per carry.

Jake Ballard is third in the team in catches with 37, he also has 589 yards receiving and 4 touchdowns. Kevin Boss’ numbers last year: 35 catches for 531  yards and 5 touchdowns.

ZERO. The number of plays made by the entire Giants defense outside of Jason Pierre Paul last week.  That has to change.

As always I’ll focus on the younger players.

Jason Pierre Paul vs Sean Locklear

Osi Umeinyora won’t be playing in this game barring a miracle. (he’s not playing, ruuled out), and Justin Tuck seems likely to give i at a go. So Sean Locklear is going to draw the assignment of Jason Pierre Paul with Trent Williams out. Locklear has a lot of playing and starting experience, but he’s always been more a decent right tackle than he is a left tackle, which could mean big problems for Rex Grossman all day. After Pierre Paul’s breakout performance last Sunday night, I’d expect to see a lot of Redskins chipping Pierre Paul whether that would be Roy Helu or their third tight end (Fred Davis is also out because of a suspension he has to serve because he violated the NFL drug policy.

I’d also expect the Redskins to try and run right at JPP as well.

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Rob Gronkowski has 18 receiving touchdowns in his last 15 games. Impressive is an understatement

They say it takes three years to start to really evaluate how  a draft is turning out, but that doesn’t mean we can’t highlight some players that are turning out huge seasons.

I’m going to rank the 10 best second-year players in the N.F.L. based on how they have played through their first two years and how likely I think the success could continue. I did not include offensive linemen, I haven’t watched enough of each offensive lines performance to intimately know if they are among the best players.

(only Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford have snaps this year)

#10 LeGarette Blount, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In 24 games, Blount is averaging 4.7 yards per carry with 11 touchdowns in two seasons. Not great numbers, but he’s shown to be a reliable player who can really pound the football. This year he has improved as a receiver catching 12 balls for a 143 yards. I considered many other players here for #10 and I see (very good) arguments for all of them, but perhaps I just wanted to get in a running back and in his two seasons Blount has shown he’ll be a force to be recokned with moving forward.

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Victor Cruz Is Having a Huge Season Which Could Spell Trouble for the Dallas Cowboys

Tonight the 6-6 New York Giants travel to Dallas to take on the 7-5 Dallas Cowboys. What has been a down season for both clubs can turn around in an instant on Sunday. If the New York Giants win they will tie the Cowboys record wise and be in good position to take the division title home. With games remaining against the Redskins, Jets, and Cowboys. The Dallas Cowboys have games remaining with the better-than-their-record-indicates Philadelphia Eagles, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The only way either team can assure the division title is to beat the other is to sweet the season series.

There are a lot of story lines to watch for including: Who is the better quarterback (Giants fans will take Eli Manning and the Cowboys fans are going to side with their man Tony Romo. But those stories, to me, are secondary. I like to focus on the development of the young players here at NFLmocks. Here’s what to watch for.

Justin Tuck vs Tyron Smith

In the games I’ve watched this year I’ve been impressed with the play of the #9 overall pick. He’s a bit lean, but he’s long with huge hands and a powerful motor. He’ll be lining up against a rapidly improving Justin Tuck, who has battled injuries all season, but finally looks to be getting back to his old-self. Tuck is one of the best two way defensive ends in the game and can really ruin an offensive game plan if he’s on. Smith will have to bring his A game to contain Tuck.

Jason Pierre Paul vs Doug Free

On one side the Cowboys will have their young OL going up against the Giants experienced Dl. On the other side the Cowboys have their experienced offensive linemen going up against the Giants young defensive end. Jason Pierre Paul has been the Giants best defender this year in a pro-bowl worth year (though he’s not officially on the ballot). Pierre Paul has 10.5 sacks, but even that doesn’t tell the whole story. He bats as many balls down at the line of scrimmage as any other defensive linemen in the league (personal opinion not rooted in facts) and can also pay the run. Last year against the Cowboys Pierre Paul two total tackles in two games, but the Cowboys faced him early in the season. Since week 12 of lat year Pierre Paul has 15 sacks (18 games). Good luck Doug Free!

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Hakeem Nicks is listed as doubtful, which many feel is the likelihood of a Giants win on Sunday

The New York Giants were in for an uphill battle already because they had to go play the Patriots in Foxborough after a rough loss. But then the injuries started to pile up. Starters C David Baas, WR, Hakeem Nicks, and Ahmad Bradshaw are all listed as doubtful. OL Stacy Andrews is out. Super talented DE Jason Pierre Paul suffered a concussion in practice during the week and is listed as questionable.

The Patriots, on the other hand, are going to be without only Dane Fletcher (who cares).  They have 9 players listed as questionable. Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez are two of them and their absence would help the Giants (though I expect both will play).

Update: I wrote this late yesterday afternoon and since then Nicks, Bradshaw, and David Baas have gone from doubtful to out.

Ramses Barden, the former 3rd round pick has been activated from the Physically Unable to perform list.

Who is the Giants #3 WR going to be if Nicks doesn’t play?

Hakeem Nicks is listed as questionable. If he can’t play who are the Giants going to turn to as the number three wide receiver. Are they going to try and insert the disappointing Travis Beckum into that role? Will they activiate Ramses Barden from the PUP list to play the slot position all game. Is it going to be the young rookie Jerel Jernigan’s time to shine. A player who has run, I believe, two routes all season?  This bears watching.

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James Carpenter will go up vs the very talented Jason Pierre Paul...if he can win that battle it will really improve the Seahawks chances of winning

Today, the Seattle Seahawks will travel across country to play the New York Giants at 1 o’clock Eastern Standard time. The New York Giants are 3-1 and are taking on the 1-3 Seattle Seahawks. The Giants are hoping to start the season 6-1 or 5-2 (they play the Bills have a bye and then play the Dolphins the next three weeks) while the Seahawks (at least he fans) are hoping to contend for Andrew Luck. Seattle is hampered by the fact that they have to play at 1 o’clock (on a side note there is one study that thinks that advantage is eliminated entirely and actually in favor for West Coast teams when they play on Monday Night Football).

Last year, when the Giants met the Seahawks in Seattle, they thoroughly embarrassed the Seahawks, which means the Seahwks should be looking for a little revenge. But these are different teams, the Giants have gotten much younger and the Seahawks have as much, if not more, roster turnover than any other team in the league under Pete Carroll. Will they get their revenge? Regardless, there are a lot of young players to watch from both teams in this game, so let’s break it down.

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