4 position battles to watch at NY Giants minicamp

3. Strong safety

Following the loss of Julian Love in free agency, the Giants have a new hole at strong safety. While having an elite coverage guy like Xavier McKinney will help mitigate this loss and make it easier to find a replacement, the Giants still need to find someone to man the position.

Some names to keep an eye on for strong safety include Bobby McCain, Dane Belton, Jason Pinnock, and Gervarrius Owens. On paper, it seems like Belton would be the first man up. He impressed the coaches last season with his strong play, but he also battled some inconsistency as well. Despite this, someone like McCain, who has more NFL experience, could also jump into the starting role.

This position may be more of a toss-up than any other on the team. All it takes is one bad day in a camp, or game, for one of these guys to be swapped out for the other. McKinney can help these guys through some struggles, but there is only so much he can do as one player.

Hopefully Belton continues to progress as a player. Having two coverage safeties at the top of your defense is a dream come true in the modern NFL. He may have his problems against the run, but with Bobby Okereke now manning the LB1 spot, there isn't much need for a run-stopping safety.