4 position battles to watch at NY Giants minicamp

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1. Inside linebacker

Over the last five or so years, the Giants have consistently failed to put a starting-level linebacker on the field. However, now they finally have a very good player in the position in the form of Okereke. Despite this, the question of who will be playing alongside Okereke must be answered.

While Okereke can mop up most of the work against opposing offenses, he is still going to need help, especially in coverage. Okereke certainly isn't a liability in that aspect like previous players to man the position for New York, but help is needed. This leaves a pretty clear advantage for second-year 'backer Darrian Beavers, who missed his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL.

It's hard to trust a sixth-rounder who hasn't played a snap in the regular season, but his specialty in coverage could help him out a ton in the battle for a starting job. The competition will be fierce, as there's Micah McFadden, who had a rough rookie season but showed some promise, Jarrad Davis, a solid veteran who could bring some consistency to the position, and Carter Coughlin, who has been incredibly limited since being drafted due to injuries.

The battle will likely be determined by what Wink Martindale wants out of his linebackers. If he wants a coverage guy, Beavers is the answer. However, if he wishes to have two run-stoppers up the middle, then it will likely be Davis or McFadden. Honestly, all four of these guys can be used throughout any game depending on the situation. We expect this position to be more of a turnstile than just one singular LB next to Okereke.

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