By PFW staff
July 15, 2008

Slipping in the draft caused Mario Manningham to lose guaranteed money on the front end of his rookie contract, but he could make it back if he develops the way the Giants expect.

Manningham signed a four-year contract with the Giants, who drafted him with the 95th overall pick (Round Three) this April. He was at one point projected to go as high as the first round, but questions about his work ethic and his admission that he has smoked marijuana — a story first broken by PFW — caused his stock to fall before the draft.

Reports suggest that Manningham will have several escalators in the fourth year of his contract. He joins a talented and deep WR corps that could limit his playing time as a rookie.

In PFW's 2008 Draft Preview, draft analyst Nolan Nawrocki wrote that Manningham “needs to get a little bigger and stronger to fend off injuries” but that he is “field fast and when he sets his mind to a task, he has shown he can make an impact.”