Now that the major free agent signings have been finalized, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will be looking at the top three needs for each team heading into the 2016 NFL Draft. Today, the New York Giants are the focus. The Giants have the 10th pick in the draft and general manager Jerry Reese will continue to fix the Giants roster after spending big money in free agency.
New York Giants 2016 NFL Draft: Top 3 Needs
Offensive Line (Right Side)
This was a top three need heading into free agency, and the Giants have done nothing to address it so far. Ereck Flowers, Justin Pugh, and Weston Richburg are three young, talented starters who could anchor a very good offensive line. However, the right guard and right tackle positions should be improved. The team seems content with starting Bobby Hart at one of the open spots (probably right guard), but he is an unproven commodity at this point. Additionally, Marshall Newhouse starting at right tackle again would be a disaster, so that position needs to be upgraded at the very least.
This position should probably be targeted in the first three rounds of the draft. If Ronnie Stanley slips to the Giants, do not be surprised if the Giants acquire the elite tackle and potentially move him to left tackle in the future (with Ereck Flowers moving to right tackle). Stanley would give the Giants one of the best offensive lines in the league. However, the more likely scenario would be acquiring a solid starter in the second or third round like Joshua Garnett or Le’Raven Clark.
Free Safety
Free safety is the other position that has been completely ignored by the Giants in free agency so far. Landon Collins was forced to play free safety last season, but his coverage deficiencies were exposed and his skill set fits the mold of a strong safety perfectly. Bennett Jackson, Nat Berhe, Mykkele Thompson, and Cooper Taylor are the free safety candidates on the current roster, but all four have injury histories and are unproven.
Jalen Ramsey will not be available for the Giants and no other safety is worthy of the 10th overall pick. However, a free safety in the second or third round would not be surprising. Keanu Neal and Darian Thompson are two names that could be available in those rounds.
Linebacker
The Giants did not do much to improve this unit in free agency either. Keenan Robinson was the only linebacker acquired in free agency, and he will battle with Jasper Brinkley (who was re-signed) for the starting middle linebacker opening. An upgrade at middle linebacker is definitely a priority. Devon Kennard is a solid starter on the strong side, but he has trouble staying on the field. J.T. Thomas and Jonathan Casillas are decent weakside linebackers, but an upgrade would be helpful. At the very least, the Giants need to draft a linebacker or two for depth and competition.
This position could be addressed during any round of the draft, and it might be addressed twice. While Jerry Reese seems to ignore linebackers during the first couple rounds of the draft, this could be the year that the trend changes. Myles Jack won’t be available in the first round, so a linebacker probably won’t be the selection there. In the second round, Su’a Cravens would be an interesting selection because of his ability to play outside linebacker and safety. An excellent coverage linebacker is exactly what the Giants need, and Cravens would fill that role. Deion Jones is another interesting name to consider in the second or third round because of his freakish athleticism.
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