National Football League

Giants were fifth-rounder Mykkele Thompson's only pre-draft visit

Published May. 4, 2015 11:59 a.m. ET

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When the New York Giants selected University of Texas safety Mykkele Thompson in the fifth round, it left many fans scrambling for information on the lesser publicized prospect. Most assumed that Thompson would make the NFL as an undrafted free agent, and even Thompson himself was taken by surprise when he saw his name called.

"Honestly, I had no idea where I was going to go," Thompson told reporters Saturday. "Obviously, free agency was a possibility. Me thinking that I didn’t put that good of numbers up this past season, I thought free agency was going to be the main goal probably."

Thompson's guess on how the draft would go for him was most likely based on the lack of interest teams showed in him during the pre-draft process.

"This was the only team I took a visit up to. I’m just glad they believed in my ability and picked me up."

The Giants saw something specific that they liked in Thompson, and they figured it was safest to avoid waiting for a later round where someone could snatch Thompson before they picked. Thompson fit what the Giants wanted out of another safety. He offers versatility, like second-round draft choice Landon Collins, but he also offers the range to play free safety.

Jerry Reese broke down what the team saw in Thompson on Saturday when speaking in front of reporters.

"They used him in a lot of ways," Reese said. "They used him as a free safety. They used him as a nickel and they used him as a corner. We like the versatility about him. We project him more as a free safety because he can really run. He has range on the back end. Another thing that stuck out for me about this kid is that he’s a good tackler. He’s not really a smash-mouth hitter like Landon Collins, but he’s calm. You see some guys get in space and they miss tackles. This guy was a guy who got people down to give you another chance to play defense. I liked that about him."

If all goes well, Mykkele Thompson and Landon Collins will make up the Giants' starting safety duo for years to come.

(h/t Big Blue Interactive)

Photo Credit: Stacy Revere/Getty Images

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