The Giants have very specific needs and they are going to try to fill them next week in the NFL Draft.  Here is who I saw the Giants landing in my mock 2012 NFL Draft which appears on bloglockers.com:

1. (32) Doug Martin, RB, Boise State

2. (63) Bobbie Massie, OT, Mississippi

3. (94) Mike Martin, DT, Michigan

4. (127) Aaron Henry, FS, Wisconsin

4. (131) Russell Wilson, QB, Wisconsin

6. (201) Oliver Vernon, OLB, Miami (FL)

7. (239) Jonas Gray, RB, Notre Dame

The New York Giants have re-signed 26-year old TE/FB Bear Pascoe to a 1-year deal.  Pascoe played in all 16 games for the Giants last year and he caught 12 passes for 136 yards (11.3 avg).  He has now played in 35 games in his first three years with the Giants and he has caught 22 passes for 217 yards (9.9 avg).  This was a good move for the Giants as Pascoe is a solid blocker and a decent receiver when they throw to him.

The Giants have re-signed 28-year old inside linebacker Chase Blackburn to a 1-year deal.  Blackburn played in 5 games for the Giants last year and he had 26 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception.  He has now played in 98 games in his first seven years with the Giants and he has 236 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 3 fumble recoveries, 4 passes defensed and 3 interceptions (one returned for a TD).  This was a smart move as Blackburn is a solid inside linebacker and he made some big plays for the Giants last year (especially in the Super Bowl).

The New York Giants know they are going to have a bulls’ eye on them in 2012, after winning another Super Bowl last year.  They have re-signed 8 players, traded for a starting linebacker and they have added five free agents to the mix so far this off-season.  Here’s a look at what they have done so far:

Offensively:  The only starting player the Giants have re-signed on the offensive side of the ball is TE Jake Ballard, and he’s likely to miss the start of the 2012 season due to knee surgery.  QB David Carr will be back as the Giants’ #2 QB behind Eli Manning.  The Giants have also re-signed WR Domenik Hixon, WR Isaiah Stanbeck and RB Andre Brown to help out as backups offensively and on special teams.  The Giants have signed TE Martellus Bennett and OT Sean Locklear as free agents and I could see both of them starting for the Giants when the 2012 season starts.

Defensively:  The Giants dealt for inside linebacker Keith Rivers earlier this week and that fills a big hole on the D.  The Giants have also re-signed CBs Terrell Thomas and Bruce Johnson to help out in the secondary.  They also signed CB Antwaun Molden to help with the depth at corner in 2012.  The Giants also took fliers on safeties Chris Horton and Stevie Brown.

Special Teams:  The Giants slapped the franchise tag on punter Steve Weatherford and it was a smart move to bring him back for 2012.

GRADE FOR THE OFF-SEASON SO FAR:  C

The Giants have signed 27-year old CB Antwaun Molden.  Molden played in 16 games for the Patriots last year and he had 35 tackles, 2 interceptions and 3 passes defensed.  He has now played in 48 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has 64 tackles, 2 interceptions and 3 passes defensed.  The Giants are hoping that Molden is a late bloomer as he played the best football of his NFL career last season.

The Giants have acquired 25-year old LB Keith Rivers from the Cincinnati Bengals for the last pick of the 5th round of the 2012 NFL Draft.  Rivers played in 15 games for the Bengals last year and he had 77 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 2 passes defensed.  He has now played in 35 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has 186 tackles, 9 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 2 interceptions and 5 passes defensed.  This was a good pickup for the Giants as Rivers should help tighten up the run defense, and he came at a cheap price draft pick wise.

The Giants have signed 30-year old OT Sean Locklear.  Locklear played in 8 games (4 starts) for the Redskins last year.  He has now played in 105 games (82 starts) in his first 8 years in the NFL.  He could either start or be the Giants’ top backup at OT in 2012.  I like this move for them.

The Giants have signed 24-year old safety Stevie Brown.  Brown played in 8 games for the Colts last year and he had 5 tackles.  He has now played in 23 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has 35 tackles and 2 passes defensed.  Brown will give the Giants depth at safety, while helping out on special teams.

The Giants have signed 27-year old safety Chris Horton to a 1-year deal.  Horton didn’t play last year as no one wanted him after the Redskins cut him.  Horton has played in 29 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has 122 tackles, 3 interceptions, 8 passes defensed, 7 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries.  Horton will get a shot to get his career back on the right track with the Giants in 2012.

The Giants have re-signed 32-year old QB David Carr.  Carr didn’t play in any games for the Giants last year.  He has played in 92 games (79 starts) in his NFL career so far and he has completed 1,351 of 2,264 (59.7%) passes for 14,433 yards with 65 TD passes and 71 INTs (74.9 QB Rating).  Carr also has carried the ball 302 times for 1,331 yards (4.4 ypc) with 9 TD runs so far in his career.  Carr is only 23-56 (29.1%) as a starting QB in his NFL career so far.  Eli Manning almost always never gets hurt, so Carr is a player they hope they don’t have to use in 2012.