That made the fifth pick on Thursday night a tough call when Ohio State edge rusher Arvell Reese was on the board, which was a bit of a surprise after the Titans chose Reese’s college teammate Carnell Tate with the fourth pick. The Giants took the best player available and selected Reese. He said at the NFL scouting combine that he wanted to be an edge rusher in the NFL, but he was a versatile defender at Ohio State who mostly lined up at linebacker but rushed the quarterback in passing situations.

His versatility will help the Giants get all their pass rushers onto the field at the same time. Reese was a standout as a Buckeye and had a tremendous workout at the scouting combine, vaulting him into the top five. He was a strong candidate to go second overall but fell to the fifth pick.

It was a big draft for the Giants, the first since John Harbaugh was hired as coach and reportedly took most of the control over personnel. Taking Reese first was a bold move, and the Giants had another important pick coming shortly after that. The Giants had the fifth pick due to their 4-13 record.

They had the 10th pick after trading defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals. It was the first time a non-quarterback was traded for a top 10 pick since Randy Moss was traded from the Vikings to the Raiders in 2005. Trading Lawrence left a big hole in the middle of New York’s defensive line, but it also gave them another shot at hitting on a young player in the top 10 of this draft.

It’s not like the Giants didn’t have multiple holes to fill with their two top 10 picks. Cornerback, safety, linebacker, defensive tackle, receiver and interior offensive line were all options. The Giants have some interesting young talent but also a roster in need of work as Harbaugh came aboard. Edge rusher wasn’t a need, but the Giants stuck to the philosophy of taking the best player at No. 5.