Will the Giants draft one of the top off-ball linebackers in 2019?

"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections New York Giants NewsGiants Training Camp 2016Giants vs. Eagles 2015 Cheap Dexter Lawrence Jersey , Week 17NFL Combine2019 NFL DraftDevin White tops linebacker depth chart heading into NFL CombineNew,45commentsWill the Giants draft one of the top off-ball linebackers in 2019?ESTShareTweetShareShareDevin White tops linebacker depth chart heading into NFL CombineMatt Kartozian-USA TODAY SportsEvery year the cry goes of for the New York Giants to draft a linebacker. Even after making a splash trade for Alec Ogletree, the Giants’ linebacking corps struggled mightily in 2018. The Giants want to improve their defense, and they could use talent at every level. The way the NFL has evolved, and the way the Giants’ defense is called under James Bettcher, it’s easier to break front seven players into “interior defensive line”, “EDGE”, and “off-ball linebackers”. The group of “off-ball linebackers” is made up of both inside and outside linebackers — players who do not routinely line up on the line of scrimmage, and might drop into coverage or play down-hill on any given play. So, could the Giants finally address these positions with a high-leverage pick? Here is how I have them ranked before the 2019 NFL Scouting combine: Top 5Devin White (LSU) - Far and away the best and most complete off-ball linebacker prospect in the draft. White shows the kind of football IQ, instincts, athleticism, range, technique, and strength to play in space and downhill on all three downs. The combine will help determine whether or not he is in the Giants’ wheelhouse at sixth overall. He doesn’t quite appear to have the same electric, quick-twitch athleticism which Luke Kuechley Jaylon Smith (pre-injury) had, which is what it takes for an off-ball linebacker to be drafted in the top 10. Joe Giles-Harris (Duke) - Giles-Harris doesn’t have White’s athleticism (though he might be more athletic than he showed in 2018 if he was indeed limited by the injury suffered early in the year) Womens Dexter Lawrence Jersey , but he is a smart and instinctive linebacker. He consistently takes accurate first steps which lead him to the ball, and his mental processing makes up for any deficiencies in foot speed. Giles-Harris is also a defensive leader and active communicator before the snap. If he can perform well in the combine, he should see his stock rise over the home stretch.Devin Bush Jr. (Michigan) - An undersized heat-seeking missile of an outside linebacker, Devin Bush is fun to watch for anyone who likes defensive football. At 5-foot, 11, 225 pounds, he measures more like thick big strong safety than a classic NFL linebacker. However, in the modern NFL, which uses speed and alignment to stress defenses, his range, football IQ, and coverage ability are assets. Likewise, he is a good blitzer who can scream through gaps and blow up plays in the backfield. Mack Wilson (Alabama) - Wilson has prototypical size and athleticism for an off-ball linebacker, as well as a sterling “Alabama” pedigree. If he were more instinctive or played faster, he would be higher on this list, potentially challenging White for the top spot. However, there are too many instances where he is a step reacting to what he sees or stuck covering grass while players run past him. Development isn’t linear Men Dexter Lawrence Jersey , and perhaps he can improve the mental part of his game with more experience and NFL coaching. Bobby Okereke (Stanford) - Okereke has the size and athleticism the NFL wants from its linebackers. At 6-foot 3, 235 pounds, he has a prototypical build as well as the athleticism to cover the middle of the field. He is able to quickly and accurately read and react to offenses, and the movement skills to act on those reads. Okereke is also capable of playing down hill, picking up 20 tackles or a loss and 10.5 sacks over the last three years. He needs to get better at stacking and shedding blockers and finishing his tackles. Honorable mentionsVosean Joseph (Florida) - A smaller “run and chase” linebacker, Vosean Joseph is athletic with the agility and range to be active against the run and pass over the big area of the field. He isn’t terribly instinctive, and struggles to get off blocks, but his athleticism could be useful in nickel situations.Kendall Joseph (Clemson) - Another potential nickel linebacker, Joseph is a “new age” linebacker who blurs the lines between safety and outside linebacker. He is smart, aware, and plenty athletic to be a good coverage linebacker, and has the speed to be a weapon on blitzes. However, his size makes taking on blockers difficult. It wasn’t much of an issue in college, but Joseph did benefit from playing behind one of the most talented defensive lines in the nation.Terrill Hanks (New Mexico State) - If the NFL is looking for a potential value pick at off-ball linebacker, they might want to consider Terrill Hanks of New Mexico State. The 6-foot 2 inch, 235 pound linebacker plays in space like the converted safety he is. His range and awareness in coverage are excellent, but he needs to continue to develop playing down-hill after just one year of experience as a linebacker. ASHBURN Youth Dexter Lawrence Jersey , Va. (AP) — Dave Gettleman’s trash seems to be the Washington Redskins‘ treasure.Three years after the-then Carolina Panthers general manager let cornerback Josh Norman out of his franchise tag, Gettleman opted for his New York Giants not to use the franchise tag on safety Landon Collins and let him go to free agency. Each time, Washington pounced and now has two big names in the secondary.“It doesn’t happen very often,” coach Jay Gruden said Thursday. “You see it happening throughout the league a little bit now, but to have a chance to actually get one, it’s great.”The Redskins actually got two after signing Collins to an $84 million, six-year contract with $45 million guaranteed. They’ve got a very motivated player who will see his former team twice this season and for years to come.“It’s definitely circled on my schedule because at the end of the day, you always want to show a team why you should’ve kept a player,” Collins said Thursday after his introductory news conference. “It’s always something that pushes a player even more. It’s going to be a great opportunity to just play against them and showcase them why they should have re-signed” me.Just like when Norman signed for $75 million over five years back in 2016, Collins wasn’t supposed to be available. The Giants could have franchise tagged Collins for $11.2 million or negotiated a long-term deal.But last season didn’t make Collins enthusiastic about re-signing with New York, and he wound up with an average of $14 million a year.“When we were going through the turmoil that was going on up there and all the craziness, all the trades, all the cuts, I was like, ‘I don’t think I’m here either,'” Collins said. “No talks was going on, nothing was being said. I was just going out there day by day Color Rush Dexter Lawrence Jersey , practice by practice handling my business. I don’t know what the future holds with the New York Giants, but I’m glad it happened because now I’m in that burgundy and gold.”Since Gettleman took over as Giants GM, he has traded defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, cornerback Eli Apple and nose tackle Damon Harrison. Collins wasn’t at all surprised when Gettleman traded receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and defensive end Olivier Vernon earlier this week because things are certainly changing with his old team.“I knew it was going to happen,” Collins said. “I just feel like (the Giants are) going in a different direction and we just are not in their vision.”Collins, 25, doesn’t want to think about why he wasn’t in the Giants’ plans and hopes they’re happy about the four years he gave them. In that time, he had eight interceptions, and his 428 tackles lead all safeties since the start of the 2015 season.Those ball-hawking skills drew the Redskins to Collins to solve an organizational problem of starting 17 different safeties in Gruden’s five years. Senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams has been watching Collins the past four years and is now glad to watch him up close for what he hopes will be a long time.“When you see him on the field, you knew that he was one of the best football players on the field,” Williams said. “You’re talking about a 25-year-old you can see playing for the next six, seven years. And to be able to get him in the mix, put him in this defense with the guys, the young guys that we have up front, it’s hard to not want a guy like that on your football team.”