We're finally here, folks.
The draft begins tonight, and the final projections are in from some of the major outlets. We put up the final mock tracker this morning, but here's a more in-depth look at what they're saying around the NFL:
**
Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN Insider
*PROJECTION: Bobby Massie, OT, Ole Miss
*"Massie could actually go much higher, perhaps as high as Detroit at No. 23, so he's a solid value here. QB Eli Manning is a really tough player, but the Giants don't want to rely on his toughness if they can help it."
**
Mike Mayock, NFL Network
*PROJECTION: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
*"What a great job general manager Jerry Reese does. The Giants are a "best athlete available" team. They could use a tackle, however, and Martin could play on either side of the line. He also allows the Giants to keep David Diehl inside."
**Pete Prisco, CBSSports.com Senior NFL *Columnist
*PROJECTION: Doug Martin, RB, Boise State
"They have to upgrade the running game. Martin is a durable, all-round back."
**Don Banks, Sports Illustrated
*PROJECTION: Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford
*"The Giants are low on tight ends after the Super Bowl, and even with the free-agent addition of ex-Cowboy Martellus Bennett, Fleener makes solid sense as a potential impact rookie and a handy secondary target for quarterback Eli Manning."
**Peter Schrager, FOXSports.com
*PROJECTION: Peter Conz, G/C, Wisconsin
*"Giants fans are well aware that Jerry Reese and Co. do not draft based on need. They take the best player on the board. In this case, Konz — the All-American center out of Wisconsin — is the guy. He's 6-5, 315 pounds and can dominate at the line of scrimmage. Some scouts were alarmed by the fact he only benched 225 pounds 18 times, but he shows great footwork and strength on film. The Giants appear to be pretty set on their interior offensive line. That doesn't matter. Konz, whether at guard or center, fits well in New York."
**QUICK HITS
**>> NFL: No determination has been made about Pro Bowl’s future. [NFL.com]
Mark Herzlich feels Giants' middle linebacker position is his to win. [The Star-Ledger]
VIDEO: Excitement builds as draft nears. 2012 NFL draft prospects express their last minute nerves as the big day draws closer. [SI.com]
