Ron Chenoy — USA Today Sports
Florida State DE Bjoern Werner would appreciate the opportunity to be selected in the first round of tonight’s 2013 NFL Draft, where some expect him to go. If you were to ask Werner if he has a preference of where he would like to end up, his answer is fairly easy. Werner would love to be selected 19th overall by the New York Giants, mainly for one reason only.
Giants’ DT Markus Kuhn was drafted in the seventh round of last year’s draft out of NC State, and his friendship with Werner goes back a long way. When Werner was being recruited, he thought of attending NC State after visiting the campus and being hosted by Kuhn. Both players are from Germany, so they instantly connected right away during Werner’s campus visit. Werner eventually chose to attend Florida State instead, but has remained in contact with Kuhn.
For people who aren’t from the United States, partnering up with someone who knows your country of origin very well and can speak the same language helps ease the transition into the pro game. This is definitely what Werner is looking for, and it may not be a bad idea for the Giants to use that pick on Werner.
The Giants have other pressing needs to take care of before looking to get a pass rusher. They have DE Jason Pierre-Paul, DE Justin Tuck and LB Mathias Kiwanuka ready to play, in addition to DE Adawele Omojo who may be a sleeper. However, general manager Jerry Reese has made it known throughout his tenure that he values guys who can get to the quarterback. He was under former general manager Ernie Accorsi when they drafted Tuck and former Giants and current Atlanta Falcons‘ DE Osi Umenyiora.
Depending on what happens in the first round, the Giants may already have made up their minds. We’ll see what their thought process is with their first selection. Don’t be surprised if Werner is the pick. It makes sense.
