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New York Giants Must Address Inside Linebacker in 2015 NFL Draft

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By @mturnerny

Denzel Perryman New York Giants

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Even though the New York Giants currently employ a plethora of linebackers signed to contracts from 2015 and beyond, they must still look for a top linebacker in this year’s draft. Both Jon Beason and Jameel McClain were very serviceable to the Giants the past two and one seasons, respectively, but both are older and injury risks; and none of the younger players, with the exception of Devon Kennard, show much promise.

Now is the time for the Giants to grab a linebacker early — someone who can make a difference every down on defense.

Fortunately, this year’s draft is filled with plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball, including pass-rushing outside linebackers, and three-down, run-stopping middle linebackers. Although Beason plays middle linebacker, both McClain and Kennard have the ability to play outside. So, ideally, the Giants would be looking for a middle linebacker to learn from Beason, and eventually replace him at season’s end or even sooner.

Three linebackers really stand out according to the scouts, and they are: Denzel Perryman (Miami), Erik Kendricks (UCLA) and Benardrick McKinney (Miss St). Although none are sure-fire top-10 picks, the Giants will have to hope that one of the three falls into the second round. And there’s a strong possibility that happens.

Although he’s the biggest of the three LBs, McKinney has reportedly the toughest time in coverage of the three. Normally for a linebacker, that wouldn’t be deal-breaking, but the Giants have just hired former defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to once again take the reins of the defense. Spagnuolo is very well known for his attacking style of defense, especially from the secondary. That will often require a linebacker to drop into pass coverage, either in man against a tight end, or in a zone. Knowing that, New York would fare much better with Perryman or Kendricks.

An additional factor that Perryman and Kendricks have going for them is that they’re both seniors. It hasn’t always been a factor for GM Jerry Reese, but last year he looked for seniors, as well as team captains. Although it’s only been one year, it appears last year’s draft was a huge success, so look for Reese to favor seniors and captains.

Speaking of team captains, Perryman was one.

If you’re connecting all of the dots, Perryman appears to be the ideal linebacker for the Giants. He has three-down potential, he succeeds well in pass coverage, and he’s a senior and team captain. However, it’s not just the Giants who are surely aware of all of his capabilities, and it’s possible he’s not there when the Giants pick 40th overall.

If that’s the case, there are still two other very talented inside linebackers in this draft. Since Antonio Pierce retired, the Giants haven’t really had a middle linebacker who was capable of leading a defense, and many of their recent draft picks haven’t panned out to be even suitable linebackers. This is the year the Giants need to be aggressive in the draft so they may be aggressive on the field.

Matt Turner is a New York Mets Writer for www.RantSports.com. “Like” him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter @MTurnerNY, or add him to your network on LinkedIn or Google.

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