NFL Draft 2016: Top 10 Inside Linebackers Giants Should Target
By Neal Lynch
The middle linebacker position has been an issue for the New York Giants ever since Antonio Pierce was forced to retire. Chase Blackburn was a nice tale of a scrappy underdog who came up big, and fans were excited by the acquisition of Jon Beason, but with Beason’s retirement and pending free agent Jasper Brinkley’s status uncertain, Big Blue needs to double down at the Mike through free agency and the draft.
It’s imperative the Giants nab a middle linebacker in the draft. Soon-to-be free agent Jasper Brinkley is 30 years old and will hopefully get re-signed to a two year deal. Last season, Brinkley played in 14 games, starting nine of them, and had four forced fumbles, a sack, plus 67 combined tackles. His true value rating was 95.92 out of 100. Should be an exceptional stop-gap between past and future.
Backup MLB Uani ‘Unga started off the season on a tear, collecting 42 of his 59 total tackles in the first six weeks along with two interceptions and two forced fumbles, but was getting consistently beat in coverage. After Week 6, ‘Unga missed three games and failed to register any stats in three others.
Here are the top ten NFL Draft 2016 prospects at the inside linebacker position the Giants should have on their radar.
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