Aug 29th 2008 6:43PM by Tom Mantzouranis (author feed)
Filed under: Giants, NFC EastMario Manningham was a lightning rod of criticism leading up to the NFL draft, boasting a what’s what of recent draft infamy. Sprinkle a little bit of Vince Young (Manningham was reported to have scored a six out of 50 on the Wonderlic), add a dash of Luis Castillo, Calvin Johnson, Gaines Adams, and Amobi Okoye (being outed as a nasty, evil marijuana smoker — the evil! — and then admitting so in a letter to teams), and top it off with some flair and originality (sending the letter only after originally lying with no success, and then admitting to two failed tests).

To be honest, squeezing all of that into three months is impressive. Add in a reputation for attitude problems and it’s easy to see why a guy with such a college resume, an arguable first-round talent, fell all the way into the third.

The Giants didn’t have to draft Manningham. They’ve got cemented starters and talented depth. But they saw Manningham’s play in college and took a chance. And it looks to be working so far.

The former Wolverine missed time in training camp because of a quad injury, but made his preseason debut late in the Giants’ third game and played again in last night’s 19-14 victory over New England, and he’s shown glimpses of the on-field ability that he showed in college. Better yet, he’s integrated into the locker room seamlessly.

Manningham won’t be much more than a fourth or fifth option in the Giants’ offense, but he’s going to make some plays, and establish himself as a player to watch.