NFL Draft 2016: Giants Drafting Myles Jack Is Wack

Mel Kiper, Jr. has the New York Giants drafting UCLA linebacker / running back Myles Jack with the tenth pick overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. That would be a major mistake. Myles missed most of the 2015 season due to a torn meniscus in his knee. As someone who’s had / has a torn meniscus, that doesn’t grow back, it just gets worse. Look at Jadeveon Clowney.

Kiper believes the other top draft prospects the Giants might have on their board – DeForest Buckner, Ronnie Stanley, Laquon Treadwell, and Shaq Lawson – will be gone by the time the G-Men are on the clock. Kiper had this to say about Jack:

"“I’ll hear for the 100th time that the Giants don’t draft linebackers in the first round…I’ll point out that this is a good year to consider it, not just because they’ve had far too many draft misses in recent years, but because Jack isn’t your classic downhill run-stuffer — the guy can flat-out cover, and he epitomizes what teams need at least one of in 2016. He’s a special talent and should be on their board.”"

The Giants are in the market for a linebacker who can cover. Big Blue got burned by the tight end position, especially within their own division. Philadelphia Eagles tight end Brent Celek had a field day in Week 17, Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten almost single-handedly beat the Giants in Week 1, and Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed couldn’t be contained. In 2015, if you were a tight end, you were almost guaranteed a great game against the Giants.

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With the First Pick

Jonathan Casillas led the Giants linebackers and was second on the team in tackles, despite only starting 7 games. Jasper Brinkley had four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and an interception in 9 starts while having second most tackles among linebackers and fourth most on the team. Uani Unga seemed to be a ballhawk early in the season, but was consistently getting burned in coverage. Devon Kennard only played in 9 games after having an impressive rookie season and J.T. Thomas had a subpar year with just 44 tackles and 0.5 sacks. All those backers are signed through at least 2018.

Kiper notes that Myles Jack is “a special talent” hinting at his versatility. Jack was also used as a running back at UCLA, but do the Giants want to throw him into an already crowded backfield? At 6 feet, 1 inch and 245 pounds, Myles would be their biggest back and could be used in red zone and goal-to-go opportunities or as a means to run out the clock in a close game. The Giants offense has struggled in those situations and could benefit from Jack’s size and speed.

But, I’m not a betting man. Myles Jack is very high risk that could be high reward. Do the Giants want to roll the dice on a guy whose best season was his rookie year in 2013? The 2-time Second Team All-Pac-12 member will have just turned 21 when the season begins in September and he doesn’t address New York’s biggest concern: pass rush. Myles had 1 sack in 19 games.

If Buckner, Stanley, Treadwell, and Lawson aren’t available at the tenth spot in the draft, you still have defensive ends Emmanuel Ogbah and Shilique Calhoun; either one would give the Giants a trio of legitimate pass rushers similar to the NASCAR formation that made the 2007 and 2011 defenses so dangerous. Add a healthy Owamagbe Odighizuwa into the rotation and you’ve got a formidable foursome. Sack the quarterback, take back the division. Take Myles Jack and they might go bust.