In their latest mock, Charlotte Carroll and Dane Brugler have the Giants selecting linebacker Bryce Boettcher of Oregon at pick 105. The athletic linebacker finished this past season with 136 tackles, one sack, and one interception.
The pick itself isn’t a bad one, but it falls in a long line of mid-to-late-round decision-making for a unit that, some could argue, is the worst one on the team. Void of top-tier talent, the linebacking group has been pushed down the priority list year after year, and if this is the only move, things will remain the same.
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It’s not that Boettcher is a bad player. It’s more about the fact that the Giants used to have some of the greatest linebackers to ever play the game, and have since become a unit without any real difference-makers. Year after year, fans beg the front office -- no matter who’s been in charge -- to go get a leader, but instead, we’re stuck watching late-round picks and special teamers get forced into starting roles.
Outside of Bobby Okereke, who may be a cap casualty with a new system and staff coming in, the players next to him seem to change every week. While 5th-rounder Micah McFadden was a solid find, he’s been oft-injured, including this past season when he suffered a season-ending injury. With new coaches now in place, he may not be in the plans moving forward under head coach John Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson.
Giants linebackers continue to be the afterthought they can’t afford
Whether it was 6th-round pick Darius Muasau, free agents Chris Board or Darius Flanagan-Fowles, Neville Hewitt, Swayze Bozeman, or, you get the idea, Zaire Barnes, New York trotted out a different combo of street free agents, core special teamers, or practice-squad-caliber players every single week.
And this isn’t just a Joe Schoen issue. The last time the Giants spent a high pick on a linebacker was Clint Sintim out of Virginia back in 2009. On top of that, Sintim was a massive bust, mostly because they tried to force him into a different position than he played in college, which wasn’t his fault.
The Giants have drafted eight linebackers since 2019. Of those eight, only two are still in the league: McFadden (2022) and Muasau (2024). There’s a reason these late-round guys don’t pan out. They’re simply not good enough to last. Some didn’t even take a single snap on defense or special teams. This unit has to be addressed.
The play is nowhere near good enough. They don’t fill gaps, don’t shed blocks, don’t attack downhill, and don’t tackle well enough.
Between free agency and the draft, the Giants need to fully revamp the group. Rumors suggest they’ll hit both sides of the trenches in March. If they can get the cap right and stack up the lines, they absolutely need to use April to fix this linebacking unit. Most mocks have the team taking wideout Carnell Tate at No. 5, but if they land a mid-tier WR in free agency, trading back becomes a real possibility.
With inside linebacker prospects like Sonny Styles (OSU) and CJ Allen (Georgia) in the mix, New York may want an impact player early. If they stick with taking a WR in the first, they should strongly consider trading back from Round 2.
With a long wait between pick 37 and 105, they could slide down, grab an extra pick or two, and go after someone like Anthony Hill Jr. (Texas), Deontae Lawson (Alabama), or Jake Golday (Cincinnati), plug-and-play linebackers who could actually inject some life into a dead position.
Whatever the plan is, one thing has to be clear. The G-Men can’t keep recycling the same roster-building mistakes at linebacker. No matter how good the defensive line becomes, this group will continue to struggle if ignored. Harbaugh will bring a standard. Schoen had better be ready to meet it.