With the re-signing of Jon Beason and Spencer Paysinger and the acquisition of Jameel McClain, for the first time in what seems like an eternity, the Giants will enter the NFL Draft without a pressing need for a linebacker.
This is, of course not to say that that prevents Jerry Reese from selecting one anyway.
If the Giants do decide to take a flier on a linebacker on Day 3 of the draft, here’s a few names that might be interesting.
Lamin Barrow, ILB, LSU- Barrow is a freak athlete. He is central casting’s prototype of a middle linebacker. Unfortunately, his actual football skills lag behind his frame and athleticism. Too often, Barrow tries to arm tackle his opponents rather than drive them to the ground, which just won’t cut it in the pros. With good coaching, the projected fifth rounder could develop into a good player
Glenn Carson, ILB, Penn State- Carson, a Manahawkin, NJ native, is a strong run defender and was a captain for the Nittany Lions. His coverage, though reportedly improved, still is not very good. He is also slower than you would like to see out of a inside linebacker. Carson is nothing to write home about, but his leadership and instincts make him worth a sixth or seventh round flier, as he should be a nice bench piece and occasional starter.
Kevin Pierre-Louis, OLB, Boston College- 4.46 seconds. That was Pierre-Louis’ 40-yard dash time at the combine. He has a nose for the ball, is a reliable tackler, possesses good character and looks like a pro when dropping back into coverage. So why is he a 5-6 projection? I’ll let Dane Brugler of CBS Sports explain:
“Looks more like a safety with his marginal size and slight body type. Limited strength and growth potential to add much more bulk.
Too easily eliminated by blockers, lacking the power to quickly shed. Flows with the action and loses back-side contain or gets lost in the traffic, struggling to keep himself clean in a crowd. Plays too high and needs to show better bend and pad level to improve his base and technique as a tackler.
Would like to see more of a sense of urgency on every snap. Strong durability concerns with his lack of size and needs to stay healthy for a full season. Missed a handful of games the past few seasons due to injury.”
Carlos Fields Jr., OLB, Winston-Salem- On paper, Fields looks like a home run if he falls to the sixth round, which he is projected to do. The reason being is that despite his domination in college, and his impressive 4.50 40 time, he did it all at the Division II level, which gives one reservations about how those skills will translate to the NFL. He is a classic high-risk, high-reward guy who might just fit in very well in the Giants’ system.
Cole Klotz, ILB, University of Wisconsin – Whitewater- If you know anything about Division III football, that you probably know that UW-W has won four of the last five championships. Klotz has the size to play linebacker at the NFL level at 6-3 and 245 pounds and was the d3football.com Defensive Player of the Year. Past winners of that award have a decent track record of at least getting looks from teams. The Giants should not draft Klotz, but I think he’s worth picking up as an undrafted free agent, much in the same way the Giants did with Charles Dieuseul from the University of Mount Union last year.
Joe Vasile | Featured Columnist | @JoeVasilePBP