Football: Ramses Barden the next Plaxico Burress???

This is one of the headlines in the Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger after the New York Giants selected former Flintridge Prep and Cal Poly star Ramses Barden in last weekend’s NFL Draft:

New York Giants’ wide receiver pick Ramses Barden can expect comparisons to Plaxico Burress

From The Star-Ledger:

The new big target for Eli Manning is Ramses Barden, a 6-6, 229-pound receiver from Cal Poly the Giants selected in the third round of the NFL Draft Sunday at Radio City Music Hall. The team traded up six spots — with their division rival, the Eagles — to grab Barden, who is one of only three players in Division 1-AA/Football Championship Subdivision history (Jerry Rice being another) to catch more than 50 career touchdowns.

Barden’s measurables are similar to those of Plaxico Burress (6-5, 232), to whom he was being loosely compared before the draft. He and the Giants can expect those comparisons to continue as he joins first-round pick Hakeem Nicks in a group of receivers trying to compensate for the loss of Burress.

“They have similar body types,” general manager Jerry Reese said. “But the Plax we saw was a seasoned veteran. This is a young kid coming from Cal Poly with a huge wingspan and was very productive.

“Small-school guys, we like them to dominate and he stuck out like a sore thumb like Kevin Boss at his level of comp.”

It’ll likely be a while — if ever — before Barden is able to dominate at the NFL level the way Burress often did. So there’s still a matter of the immediate upgrade the Giants need for their passing game, particularly after the offense struggled in the aftermath of Burress accidentally shooting himself last November.

The Giants believe they did upgrade over the weekend — with several targets and not just one. They believe Barden can contribute immediately as a red-zone threat while Nicks’ strong body type makes him “NFL-ready.”

Click here to read the rest of the Star-Ledger’s story Ramses Barden

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