The New York Giants' first-round selection of cornerback Eli Apple received no shortage of criticism from draft analysts online.
Many questioned why general manager Jerry Reese would reach for Apple when cornerback was not a pressing need. Observers also wondered why he was chosen over more highly rated prospects at the position, such as Vernon Hargreaves or William Jackson III, or players that could have filled a need, such as linebacker Myles Jack or left tackle Laremy Tunsil.
However, Reese made it clear to Mike Francesa on Monday during an appearance on WFAN that he has little respect for the opinions of Internet scouts.
"When somebody doesn't know what they're talking about, it's easy to depict it that way," Reese said, according to Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports. "Because they don't know what they're talking about."
It's believed that New York was eyeing linebacker Leonard Floyd and offensive tackle Jack Conklin with the 10th overall pick, but when both were taken, they stuck with their best-player-available approach and selected Apple.
Reese said the cornerback was the highest-rated player left on their board that didn't have any "issues."
"We thought those (targeted) guys were good players," he said. "We went through a lot of different scenarios, and we clearly had went through this scenario, that Apple could be the player that we would pick.
"We were very happy that he was available when we picked there at No. 10. We absolutely had gone over this scenario many times. Obviously, not the (specific) situation that came up during the draft, but we thought some of the players might have been gone anyway. He was right in our window, where we had him ranked on our board, and he was an easy pick for us."