We saved the best defensive position for last- LINEBACKER.
What? Linebacker is the best? Of course not! In today’s passing NFL the LBer position is marginalized. But to review, it does not mean that it is an outdated relic either. It just means that the role of the LBer has changed from more stopping of the run to more pass coverage. To date, the NFL has evolved, but the Giants’ drafting methodologies at this position have not.
So who is out there this year that can help the Giants? Let’s first take a look at who is out there PERIOD! Once again it is slim pickings this year for the 2011 Linebackers. And for Inside LBer, it is somehow even worse than that, if that is possible.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. If you can’t get an ILBer, go get an OLBer. Beyond Von Miller, who everyone likes, there are 4 LBers that Wonder is very positive on: Justin Houston, Martez Wilson, Dontay Moch and Bruce Carter. Our draft analyst is very specific in believing all 4 of these LBers are going to be able to help the Giants in a very meaningful way. For value, Houston and Wilson are Round 1 LBers and Moch and Carter are for Round 2. Houston and Wilson have the added bonus of possibly being good enough to move over to the middle and playing MLB: “The LBers this year s*ck, but (Justin) Houston gets me excited,” says Wonder. “He’s big enough, tough enough and strong enough to take him and move him over to the middle over time too.” He calls him a “football player,” probably the highest compliment you can get. For the Giants, who have not been able to draft a big enough and tough enough linebacker in seemingly ages, doesn’t that sound like a rebirth?
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