Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Defense (25) & Special Teams (3)
Defensive End (4) – Jason Pierre-Paul, Mathias Kiwanuka, Robert Ayers, Damontre Moore
No surprises here for the Giants. Undrafted free agents, Kerry Wynn & Jordan Stanton have looked good, but there is just no room for them on the 53-man roster. Look for at least one of them to be signed to the practice squad.
Defensive Tackle (5) – Cullen Jenkins, Mike Patterson, Johnathan Hankins, Markus Kuhn, Jay Bromley
There aren’t many surprises with this group either. Second year man, Johnathan Hankins, is primed for a breakout year and could conceivably take over the starting job before long. Although long in the tooth, Cullen Jenkins & Mike Patterson both seem to have plenty left in the tank. Third year man, Markus Kuhn, who has battled injuries early in his career has also had himself a very solid camp. Third round rookie, Jay Bromley, has looked good, but will mostly be a reserve this season.
Linebacker (5) – Devon Kennard, Jameel McClain, Jacquian Williams, Jon Beason, Spencer Paysinger
I have the Giants only keeping five linebackers with Mark Herzlich and Dan Fox being the odd men out. I love Herzlich’s story, but he just has not shown that he can contribute more than just on special teams. Fox has played well in camp, but is undersized. The Giants have more pressing needs on other areas of their roster, which makes me believe they will carry only five linebackers into the season. Rookie Devon Kennard’s outstanding play so far should also give the front office confidence in making a decision like this.
Cornerback (6) – Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Prince Amukamara, Walter Thurmond, Trumaine McBride, Zackary Bowman, Charles James
Now this is a group to be proud of. Whew, even just looking at the list you can see how stacked the Giants are at cornerback this season. In my opinion, Zack Bowman & Trumaine McBride could be starters for more than a few teams in the league. I have sixth rounder, Bennett Jackson, on the outside looking in. Look for the Giants to try and sneak him onto the practice squad. Former third round pick, Jayron Hosley, is suspended the first four games of the season, so the Giants will not need to carry him on the roster. Based on his play in camp, however, he would not be making the cut anyway. At least in my opinion.
Safety (5) – Antrel Rolle, Stevie Brown, Quintin Demps, Cooper Taylor, Nat Berhe
This is another very solid group for the Giants. Antrel Rolle was fantastic last season and Stevie Brown has looked good coming back from an ACL tear that cost him the entire 2013 season. Quintin Demps brings solid veteran depth and a bulked up Cooper Taylor looks light years ahead of where he was last season. Rookie Nat Berhe plays with an edge and had one of the best hits of the game for the Giants on Sunday against the Bills.
Punter – Steve Weatherford
This man is not going anywhere and if you haven’t already seen my thoughts on Weatherford check out this post about one special #5 .
Place Kicker – Josh Brown
Inexperienced kicker, Brandon McManus, has turned this into a true competition. Time will tell if he can catch Josh Brown, but as of right now I would expect the Giants to lean towards the veteran Brown who had a very solid year last season.
Long Snapper – Zak DeOssie
Last, but certainly not least, is Zak DeOssie. For the 8th consecutive year DeOssie will be the New York Giants long snapper. He has already been apart of two Super Bowl teams, and I am hoping he can make it three this season.
Well, there you have it, GMEN HQ’s first 2014 New York Giants 53-man roster projection. Do you think my choices were crazy? Would you like to share what you would do if you were the Giants front office? Let us hear it in the comments below!