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The New York Giants struck gold by selecting wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Hitting it big on another first-round pick could vault the Giants into contention in the NFC and give quarterback Eli Manning a better chance at a third championship.
The Giants’ biggest needs are at defensive line, linebacker, safety and offensive line. General manager Jerry Reese and the Giants’ brass usually won’t stray from their board. Taking the best player available is a formula for success and it’s why they have been successful in the last couple of drafts. For that reason, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Giants take a player from a position of strength. I could even see them taking another wide receiver with their first pick.
However, I think there will be a cluster of 10-15 players with equal talent available when the Giants are on the clock. If that is the case, they’ll take the best player at their thinnest position, which is safety. That’s why the Giants should select Alabama’s Landon Collins with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
I think the Giants will target either Collins, Washington defensive tackle Danny Shelton, or the best offensive lineman available, possibly Iowa’s Brandon Scherff. With these prospects holding similar grades, Collins would be the pick who would have the most impact on the Giants’ roster. This draft is very thin at safety, and that could break the tie between Collins, Scherff, Shelton and others. After Collins, there is a pretty significant drop off in talent at safety, while there is much better depth at offensive tackle and defensive tackle.
The Giants could nab Collins in the first round and then still get good offensive and defensive linemen in later rounds. While safeties are rarely taken in the top 10 – only seven in the last 24 seasons – Collins is a solid prospect with few weaknesses. He’s 6-foot, 228 pounds and ran 4.53 in the 40-yard dash. More importantly, Collins made plenty of big plays while leading the Crimson Tide in tackles (103) and interceptions (3) in 2014.
The Giants finished 29th in yards allowed per pass and 30th in rushing yards allowed in 2014. They lost Antrel Rolle in free agency, and currently have only two inexperienced safeties – Cooper Taylor and Nat Berhe – on their roster.
Collins is an instinctive and experienced safety who has the versatility to play near the line of scrimmage or out in space in coverage. Because he doesn’t possess elite quickness, he’s better as an in-the-box safety and could immediately upgrade the Giants’ run defense. Collins is a tone-setting hitter and has the leadership skills teams look for in safeties. He would step in and start at either strong or free safety and provide the Giants with much-needed help on the back end of their defense.
Nick Sardina is an NFL writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow Nick on Twitter@nicksardina13, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
