EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants' pick was fast approaching, and they seemed to be in such great shape Thursday night with the way things were unfolding in the first round of the NFL draft.

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And then they weren’t.

Just like that, in a span of 30 or so minutes, the top of their draft board crumbled. Tight end O.J. Howard was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 19th overall pick. Offensive tackle Garett Bolles went to the Denver Broncos at No. 20. Linebacker Jarrad Davis landed with the Detroit Lions at 21. Back-to-back-to-back, three players the Giants coveted were gone.

At No. 23, they discussed the pick and dipped into the next level of prospects for Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram, ahead of Vanderbilt linebacker Zach Cunningham, who had his supporters in the room. It wasn’t ideal, even if general manager Jerry Reese provided his usual assessment of how the first round developed.

“Well, it played out just like most first rounds. This draft was a little different because we thought that guys would come off of the board all over the place, and it did that,” Reese said. “There were a lot of uncertainties about a lot of players with respect to some off-the-field issues, some injury issues, different issues like most drafts have, but I don’t think that anyone was surprised about anything that happened.”

For the second consecutive year, the Giants were paralyzed by Reese’s rigidity. His streaks remain intact. He has never traded (up or down) in the first round, and has never traded down in 72 times on the clock in his 11 drafts as general manager.

Thursday was the perfect opportunity. Howard, a player the Giants coveted and had ranked near the top 10 of their board, was slipping. He was still available in the mid-teens, and lasted almost until the 20s. The opportunity was there for Reese to make a move somewhere, although he said afterward it was never in consideration.

In 11 drafts since becoming Giants general manager, Jerry Reese has never traded up or down in the first round, and has never traded down at all. AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

Consider it an opportunity wasted for Howard, Bolles and Davis. One by one, they were gone. Just like last year, the Giants’ targets were taken right out from under them.

It was a wacky first round filled with shockers right from the start.

"You go in the draft and you always expect the unexpected and, right from the start, there were some unexpected things that happened and you don’t know what it is, but you just wait for it to happen and it did," vice president of player evaluation Marc Ross said. "Thirty-two draft boards, 32 teams, they got it all different."

Ultimately, Engram might be the right pick. It’s not often you see a tight end with 4.42 speed, and with the way the game is changing -- defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo often calls it basketball on grass -- the new-age "move" tight end is invaluable (see: Washington Redskins and Jordan Reed).

Engram will be a weapon in coach Ben McAdoo’s offense.

“The fastest way to the end zone is down the middle of the field,” McAdoo said. “Any time you can add someone to your offense that can run down the middle of the field with that type of speed and length, it stresses the defense.”

So the Giants did what was needed in this draft and added an offensive weapon, even if it was one they entered Thursday thinking was an unlikely addition. And now they have more work to do. It’s still imperative to bolster an offensive line that remains riddled with question marks. They could use a running back or some reinforcements at linebacker and defensive tackle.

It’s on Reese to get that right, beginning on Day 2 when the Giants are slated to pick 55th and 87th. He'll be tasked with making sure they're in position to get their intended targets. Maybe that will involve thinking on his feet and moving up or down, although history once again proved that isn't his strength. In fact, it might be his weakness.

It looked like it during the first round Thursday night.