New York Giants Draft: Leonard Floyd Would Be a Wasted Pick in First Round
By Neal Lynch
For whatever reason, there’s still some chatter about the New York Giants selecting Georgia outside linebacker Leonard Floyd with the 10th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
It’s not understandable. It’s unconscionable. There are three major needs that must be addressed in the upcoming draft: Landon Collins’ safety-mate, the right side of the Giants offensive line, and Odell Beckham’s sidekick (despite the return of Victor Cruz). How can Jerry Reese and Giants brass justify selecting an outside linebacker – who’s not even in NFL Draft Analyst Mike Mayock’s top five linebacker prospects rankings – with their first draft pick? Chris Pflum of Big Blue View thinks Floyd is a fit.
As of right now, the Giants have Devon Kennard, Jonathan Casillas, J.T. Thomas, Keenan Robinson, Jasper Brinkley, Mark Herzlich, Uani ‘Unga, Nico Johnson, Stansly Maponga and James Morris under contract. The unofficial depth charts list Kennard as the starting SAM LB with Brinkley, Herzlich and Johnson as backups. Brinkley is a surprised at the SAM as many expected he would battle with Robinson to be the starting MIKE. Regardless, it looks like if Jasper doesn’t win that battle, he’ll rotate from the middle to the strong side. Though the depth chart appears set, as NJ.com’s Jordan Raanan wrote, “The draft could change the outlook of this group.”
Robinson, Brinkley, Herzlich and Maponga will become free agents after the 2016 season while Thomas, Casillas, and Kennard will enter the market after 2017, which means this season will be one big audition for the linebacking crew. In that respect, with so many question marks across the board for that group, one could see how Big Blue would lean towards bolstering it with a top prospect. If that’s the case, Dan Graziano of ESPN thinks Floyd’s the man for the job.
Of those players, only Kennard was drafted and that came in the 5th round, while the rest have come from another team via free agency or were signed after being undrafted. Would Reese really go against his own grain and reach for a darkhorse candidate like Floyd at a position he’s devalued for so many years? With his job on the line, would he cave into the criticism that linebacker is a forgotten role and select a guy who had such a lackluster pro day?
So, where, exactly, does Floyd fit into that mix? History dictates that the Giants, more times than not, will draft the best available player on the board regardless of needs. In 2010, they drafted Jason Pierre-Paul with their first pick despite having Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and, to a certain extent, Mathias Kiwanuka. In 2014, they selected Odell Beckham, Jr. in the first round when they already had Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, and Rueben Randle. But, if the Giants want to put a stranglehold on the NFC East and ensure a home game in the postseason, they need to buck the trend and precedence and avoid Floyd in the first.
Considering how down I am on that potential move, if I squint and tilt my head, I can see why some would push for Floyd at #10. For one, he was the third highest graded linebacker in the draft and second among outside linebackers behind Myles Jack – another prospect I thought the Giants should avoid. At 6 feet 6 inches, Floyd is the tallest linebacker in the draft and he was the NFL Scouting Combine’s top performer in the 40 yard dash, vertical jump, and broad jump. But, the bottom line on Leonard from NFL Draft Analyst Lance Zierlein should covet serious caution:
"“Floyd is painfully thin and will struggle to matchup with the strength of NFL players, but he is rangy in space, plays with a good motor and has traits as a pass rusher that would be a mistake to ignore. Floyd’’s ability to cover close to five yards in three strides is rare for edge rushers. Add to that his inside counter and ability to play in space and you have a prospect who will be heavily scrutinized. Floyd’s lack of functionality could limit him to sub-packages unless he proves he can add more beef to his frame.”"
Next: Giants Top 10 Second Round Draft Picks of All-Time
Is a sub-package guy worth a top 10 draft pick? If our list of the top 10 Giants first round draft picks of all-time is any indication, a guy taken that high has to be an every down dude. I felt that if the Giants were to target a linebacker, it would be in the middle and the prospect to target would be Stanford’s Blake Martinez. Before free agency, Floyd wasn’t one of the top five most popular first round draft picks, but Myles Jack was. Most mock drafts have Notre Dame offensive tackle Ron Stanley going to Big Blue while another popular pick is Ole Miss wide receiver Laquon Treadwell. This talk about Leonard Floyd has me wondering what I’m missing.