1. Giants linebacker Darrian Beavers
The 2022 sixth-round pick was on his way to becoming a starter last summer, but Darrian Beavers unfortunately tore his ACL during a preseason win over Cincinnati. The Giants signed Bobby Okereke to fill the middle linebacker void this offseason, but his starting partner still needs to be clarified. Beavers has been competing this summer with Micah McFadden for the spot and is listed as the starter on the Giants first unofficial depth chart.
Beavers is a tantalizing prospect. Standing at 6-4, 255 pounds, Beavers flies downhill to the ball. Throughout the entirety of his college career at the University of Cincinnati, Beavers allowed zero touchdowns.
In the biggest game of his football career, the 2022 College Football Playoff against Alabama, Beavers sacked Bryce Young once and recorded four tackles against a great Alabama offensive line featuring current New York Giant right tackle Evan Neal.
Beavers needs a big performance on Friday. He is competing against McFadden for the second middle linebacker job and against veterans from outside the organization. Schoen will likely add veteran help to the position, and one of those veterans could steal the second starter job.
If Beavers performs well during the preseason, it could convince the front office that they already have their starting linebacker in-house and lead them not to add veteran help. We'll see how Beavers does.
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