Carl Banks: “TMZ” Myles Jack vs. “Convertible” Leonard Floyd
Two-time Super Bowl Champion Carl Banks was the last linebacker the New York Giants selected in the first round in 1984, something no doubt Giants fans have heard repeatedly leading up to this week’s draft. Well, Banks gave his expert opinion to the New York Post on the two top targets Jerry Reese has in mind if he decides to break the trend.
If the Giants are lucky enough to have Myles Jack fall to them at ten, Banks has a somewhat favorable but nuanced opinion of the UCLA linebacker.
“If you had to in a vacuum say who’s the most ideal linebacker for this generation of football — his name’ll pop right out of the hat. He’s fast, he’s agile, can cover… If he was drafted, and I were his coach, the No. 1 mandate to him would be, ‘You’re expected to make 175 tackles a year.’ There’s no reason why a guy like him with his speed shouldn’t. I call him a bit of a TMZ linebacker — always the first on the scene, but sometimes he’s not the first in the action. But when he’s forced to hit, he hits. So that would be why I would challenge him. Be a 150-175 tackle season guy, because if not, you’re a TMZ linebacker.”
It doesn’t sound as if Banks is all-in on a linebacker who may go in the top five. The only reason he may even fall to the Giants is the prognosis on Jack’s knee. Jack’s ability to cover in the modern NFL is what drives him up many draft boards, but his tackling ability seems to be the main concern for Banks.
Banks then moved on to the prospect that Jordan Raanan of NJ.com calls the “most likely” first-round draft pick for the Giants: Georgia LB Leonard Floyd. He told the Post:
“I call him a convertible – first and second down, he’s a pure linebacker – third down he converts to a pass rusher. Very good football IQ… He’s got great size to be a convertible at linebacker. Good length. As a pass rusher, he can alter the trajectory of a quarterback pass in passing lines. He can go backwards in zone defense. He can also change throwing lanes in zone coverage. If he’s the best available player in the first round, you take him. I don’t see why not. I think he would be a high-production football player at that position.”
Banks amazingly prefers Floyd over Jack, but “wouldn’t complain” about either being Reese’s selection. He believes, along with almost every Giants fan, that New York needs an upgrade at linebacker. The Giants won’t get back to the days of Banks and Lawrence Taylor no matter who they draft on Thursday, but Reese is hoping the acquisitions he made in free agency will mask their lack of talent at LB.