The first round of the 2016 NFL Draft did not set up the way New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese would have liked.

The unexpected fall of Ole Miss offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil following the pre-Draft release of an outdated marijuana video caused a ripple effect that lingered beyond the No. 10 pick and changed the entire board between picks 5-13. As part of that ripple effect, the Chicago Bears were able to trade up to the No. 9 spot – one pick ahead of the Giants – where they selected Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd.

That’s the same Leonard Floyd who according to Joe Giglio of NJ.com was reportedly Big Blue’s primary target in Round 1.

With Floyd and some of the team’s other potential targets – running back Ezekiel Elliott, defensive end DeForest Buckner and offensive lineman Jack Conklin – off the board, Jerry Reese was faced with an interesting decision: trade down for the first time since taking over as the team’s GM (an offer from the Jets was on the table) or make the best of a bad situation and go with the highest-graded player remaining on their board.

Reese decided the latter option was best for the franchise, so he went with the highest-rated player on their Draft board — not Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, who went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with pick No. 11, but Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple.

“He was the highest graded player on our board, beyond the guys with issues…,” Reese said (via Giants.com) after the selection was made. When asked if that meant having Apple on the field would mean that either Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and/or newcomer Janoris Jenkins could shift to safety, the answer was…

“No. When you have two corners in this league, you’re short one because the offensive teams throw the ball so much and you’ve got to have three quality corners to really get out there and function at a high level, I think. This guy gives us three quality guys that we think we can play with anybody around the league with these three kind of guys.”

The decision to draft Apple over Hargreaves was immediately met with criticism and skepticism from fans and media experts alike. Even Apple himself acknowledged surprise, saying he initially thought the phone call was a prank carried out by one of his New Jersey friends.

But it wasn’t. The Giants were on the other end of the line and when push came to shove, they had gotten the player they targeted.

That then begged the question: why Apple over Hargreaves? Why did the Giants pass on the player everyone graded out higher than the one they ultimately selected; one who was projected to go mid-round?

Maybe – just maybe – Jerry Reese, senior vice president of player personnel Marc Ross and the remainder of the team’s scouts pulled one over on all the self-professed experts.

Based solely on the “glamour” that are box score numbers, Apple likely didn’t impress many with his single interception in 2015 (nor his three interceptions in 2014). By comparison, Hargreaves hauled in four during his final season and 10 total over his three years at Florida.

But here’s where things start to get interesting…

Box score numbers clearly show Hargreaves to be the better of the two cornerbacks – and there’s no denying his ball hawking ability – but as you well know, the game is played on the field and not on paper.

So why, exactly, did Jerry Reese & Co. take what many call a gamble on Apple over Hargreaves? Well, the answer is more simple and obvious than many may realize.

While Hargreaves is a talented cornerback with a bright future, and while he may have hauled in more interceptions than Apple, the young Eli did his damage in a way similar to that of another famous New York Eli. He did it silently.

Stats from Pro Football Focus and NFL Draft Report show that in 13 games last season, Hargreaves was targeted 53 times. On those 53 targets, he gave up 29 receptions for 451 yards and two touchdowns. That also accounts for a quarterback accuracy of nearly 55% and an average yards per catch of 15.55 (8.51 per target).

Those aren’t terrible numbers, but that’s where the vast difference between Apple and Hargreaves begins. Comparatively, Apple was targeted 67 times in his 13 games last season, giving up only 14 receptions for 104 yards and 0 touchdowns. That also equals a completion percentage of 20.9 percent, second only to Mackensie Alexander (16.95 percent), and an average yards per catch of 7.43 (1.55 per attempt, which was the lowest of any draft-eligible cornerback).

Apple’s skills go well beyond just his ability in coverage, however. The 6-1, 199 lbs. cornerback was also one of the best in Division I when it came to stopping the run.

With only 33 tackles in 2015, the box score doesn’t look good for Apple. But with the exception of one embarrassing moment against Penn State in which he was carried nearly 20 yards, Apple generally made those tackles count. In fact, Apple was one of only two cornerbacks in 2015 who did not give up a first down when the ball was run in their direction (William Jackson III was the other).

With 18 carries attributed to having gone in his direction, Apple allowed only 28 yards on the ground with an average per attempt of only 1.56 – the very best in college football. On the other hand, Hargreaves allowed 59 yards on five carries (11.8 average).

Ultimately, only Florida State cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 5 overall, graded out ahead of Apple in terms of run defense.

Finally, there’s also this notion floating around that Apple is a bit handsy for a cornerback and will get called repeatedly for holds and pass interference at the next level – something he admits he must work on. But it’s worth noting that of the Round 1 cornerbacks, Apple had the least amount of negative impact plays (including penalties) attributed to him in 2015. On the flip side of that, he had the second-most positive impact plays attributed to him, checking in behind only William Jackson III due to his lack of interceptions.

At the end of the day, General Manager Jerry Reese didn’t select Eli Apple with interceptions in mind. And while many focus heavily on that number, the Giants clearly took a look at the numbers as a whole and decided Apple was the best all-around cornerback available to them at No. 10.

Would it have been different if the Giants were picking higher and had Jalen Ramsey as an option? Undoubtedly, but that’s not how the cookie crumbled. And based on the advanced statistics, they took the next best option at No. 10 overall and that was Eli Apple.

Apple now gets to learn behind veterans Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Janoris Jenkins, which will only serve to benefit him moving forward.