2010 NFL Draft preview: New York Giants
New York could really go a number of directions with this pick. Most of those directions point towards the Giants drafting defense at number 15. I really believe the final decision will be based largely on the best player available that will fit one of the Giants' needs, and not soley on what New York thinks is it's greatest need.
The G-men could really use another linebacker. Weather it's an inside or outside backer, the Giants have voids they need to fill. Antonio Pierce's production had been dwindling and was cut by the team this off-season. I could see Giants go after a guy like Alabama's Rolando McClain to fill the "mike" linebacker position. McClain was extremely productive in college, and really seems to always be around the ball. The other linebacker New York might consider would be Missouri's Sean Weatherspoon. He's an outside linebacker, that would be able to fill the void that has been at the weak side of the Giants defense. Weatherspoon really moves well, is a good leader, and is one of the best outside linebackers in this draft.
Defensive tackle is another area of concern among the Giants defensive front seven. Fred Robbins signed with St. Louis in free agency and New York doesn't have much depth at that position. The two premiere defensive tackles (Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy) will almost assuredly be off the board by the time the Giants go on the clock, but there are other options at the DT position that should be available if the Giants want to draft that position. Tennessee's Dan Williams would be the most likely candidate for New York to draft if they opt to go after a defensive tackle. Williams had a break out senior season for the Volunteers, and his draft stock shot up after a good performance at the NFL combine (running a 5.17 when you weigh in around the neighborhood of 330 is pretty quick).
The other position I could see the Giants drafting might be running back. New York was surprisingly unproductive from that position in 2009. Brandon Jacobs had a horrible year, and has shown to be a bit injury prone. While back-up Ahmad Bradshaw did perform better than Jacobs (Bradshaw averaged 4.8 yds/carry, Jacobs averaged 3.7), it was Bradshaw's inconsistent play that may have New York management concerned. With all of that being said, I think that it may be completely within the realm of possibility that New York seriously considers taking C.J. Spiller with this pick. Spiller is a dynamic back, that is able to take it the distance every time he touches the ball. He was incredibly productive throughout his career at Clemson and could help the Giants in the return game on kick-offs.
I have the Giants taking Sean Weatherspoon with this pick, although I wouldn't be surprised if they picked any of the other players mentioned above. I think Weatherspoon would fit in perfectly with the Giants 4-3 defense. Playing behind guys like Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck at the defensive-end position, Weatherspoon would be able to do what he's best at; fly around, use his great football instincts to make plays, and cover well when dropping into underneath zones.
