It is really exciting for this NY Giants blog to talk about a rising star at Linebacker. That player is Devon Kennard. God forbid this venerable franchise ever commit the kind of draft resources to this position that we believe it needs, let alone deserves. Somehow, after years, seemingly decades of willful neglect, a 5th rounder was found that has the speed and instincts to measure up to the task.
Hear what @Giants LB Jon Beason said about Coach Spagnuolo, Devon Kennard & JPP. AUDIO: http://t.co/gRS5GjyVio
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) June 3, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsJon Beason spoke earlier this past week about Kennard. He used the word “great” not once but twice:
The scheme and his unique talents “allows him to be a great blitzer coming off the edge… He’s becoming a great pass coverage linebacker, which is shocking to be that savvy and that smart this early in his career.”
As of this moment, Kennard has not done a lot yet, having only started a handful of games in his rookie year. He will also have the setback of learning a new defensive playbook, so he’ll lose a half step for probably the first half of his second year as a pro while he acclimates to the new system under Spagnuolo. But I will go on record here as saying that Kennard can be the best Linebacker the Giants have drafted since Jessie Armstead in 1993. Yes, it has been over 20 years in the desert since the Gmen have really hit it big with a LBer draft pick. Frightening.
LBer still matters in this league. I think it will be an eye-opening experience for Giants fans to see what a difference it makes to have a guy like this who can play all 3 downs and make plays. When was the last time you saw a Giants LBer who was home grown make a play? (While that question was asked rhetorically, I believe the answer is Jacquian Williams on Special teams stripping the ball in OT of the 2011 Conference Championship vs SF.) In today’s NFL, while renting the Beason or Pierce or Boley or Barrow can work, you get a few years out of these veterans and then they break down. Sure, Pierce got us more but Beason will get us a lot less. Kennard has the opportunity to be here a long time and really shine for this franchise. The 2015 defense has many holes and it will not be pretty if we lose players the way we did last season. But if this unit can stay relatively healthy, guys like Kennard are going to be making impact plays in November and December. That is the difference between winning and losing in the NFL.
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