Why Sergio Kindle?

We chose Sergio Kindle for Big Blue based on a number of factors. We were slotted @15 but do not necessarily agree with the order of men picked by others in slots 1-14. There are rules for the mocks that we live with.  But the exercise was revealing nonetheless. 

The final result in our “war room” was totally independent as we didn’t even consult with each other. Andy wanted this to be a compilation of our thoughts as individuals with his vote being the clincher. It turns out that we were all basically on the same page as were most of you. Linebacker is the obvious need for the Giants. Middle linebacker is the position that must be addressed. It seems that Wonder and myself both chose Kindle. Andy, as he has harped on all year, just wants the best linebacker we can get. If the draft goes as the contest predicted, Sergio Kindle will be the best option left and a player who deserves this slot. I thought about Darryl Washington and Jerry Hughes from T.C.U. T.C.U. was a top ranked defense for two years in a row and both these guys will be good to excellent pros. One or both could slip into round two and would be of great value to the Giants. Washington really emerged just this year as a dominant player and Hughes has been excellent for three years. Washington has impressed a lot of people and will go higher than most think. My problem is his size. He is 6’2 but only weighs 226lbs.  In today’s N.F.L. he is built more like a safety than a MLB but he will put on some bulk and in his case it won’t affect his speed or agility as he can carry it. Hughes is more of a prototype MLB. I also like Graham out of Michigan but he is a tweener and in this draft we need a linebacker much more than a DE. Of course Rolando McCain is the “best of breed” even with his problem as at 6’4″ and 254 he is the protypical MLB. I think he is the obvious target for the Giants as he even runs a 4.5 fourty. On paper and by performance he stands out. My opinion was elevated when Coughlin chose to attend Alabama’s pro day when there were several to choose from. My other problem with Graham is the Michigan defense. It’s hard for me to get “pumped” when a defense was exploited like Michigan’s. Alabama and Texas were two of the very best defenses in the country which is something I consider. There are other linebacker’s to consider later if we go elsewhere so, we’ll see. Why Kindle?

Sergio was just an amazing athlete at Texas. He is a tweener, which bothers me a little, but he started every game for Texas in 2008 and 2009. He is the ONLY player EVER to be a finalist for both the “Butkus” award (linebacker) and the Hendrick’s award (DE) in the same year! He had 36 pressures, 62 tackles, 3 sacks and 18 tackles for loss in one 13 game season.  He also had 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Is he a big game player? Well, he had four tackles, five pressures and two (tfl) thrown for loss in the playoff vs Nebraska.

Sergio Kindle is 6’4 240lbs and fast. He could be average to above average at worst but has potential to be a force. I also like several other players at different positions of need for us. I will discuss them as we head into the final 5 weeks before the draft. As I write this many think Sam Bradford will go #1. The Falcons are bringing in Weatherspoon for a look see and McCoy and Okung are visiting the Lions.