Draft or Free Agency: How Should New York Giants Attack Biggest Offseason Needs?

The New York Giants' roster needs are no big secret—linebacker, safety, offensive line and defensive line are all areas that are likely to be addressed this offseason.

What is a secret—or perhaps isn’t yet known—is how the Giants are going to approach filling in some of the pieces to the puzzle.

The options, of course, include free agency and the draft. Usually, what a team does in free agency can affect the priorities in the draft, especially when two players at different positions on a team's draft board have similar grades.  

In this slideshow, we look at the five most pressing needs and try to anticipate whether the Giants will use the draft or free agency to fill them.

Linebacker: Draft

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It is well-documented that, before Devon Kennard fell into their laps last year, the Giants haven’t had much success with drafting linebackers.

Given that they have adjusted their philosophy to where they are taking fewer risks on players and are focused on finding team leaders whose skill sets more closely match what the coaches look for, it would not be surprising if the Giants go back to the draft for another linebacker this spring.

They really need to. The Giants’ practice of signing free agents has been hit-or-miss of late, and they’re really not doing themselves any favors by “renting” a guy for a couple of years while paying him a big contract.

No, the answer is to draft at this position—and more so this year than ever before.

Let’s look at the projected unit. Kennard is going to be a starter, perhaps on that strong side, where he projected in his first season. He also could end up being a backup at the middle for Jon Beason, who should be back for Year 2 of his three-year deal signed last winter at a reduced cap number.

Jameel McClain, who has always described himself as a linebacker when asked about which position he plays, could become a backup at the strong side and in the middle as well, though McClain, who is under contract for another season, will probably be used a great deal in various sub-packages.

Of the three pending unrestricted free agents—Mark Herzlich, Jacquian Williams and Spencer Paysinger—Herzlich is the most likely to be re-signed, perhaps to a two-year deal. Herzlich, a special teams standout, can play all three linebacker spots but would probably serve as the backup to each of the two outside linebacker spots.

That leaves the weak-side linebacker position open. The Giants need an athletic, instinctive weak-side linebacker in that Kawika Mitchell mold, and preferably not a re-tread but rather a young player who can join Kennard as part of the position’s youth movement.

The question is if the Giants do draft one, do they draft an outside linebacker with the ninth overall pick? Probably not, but if they’re looking at a Day 2 prospect, someone like Markus Golden of Missouri, whom NFL Draft Scout’s Rob Rang and Dane Brugler opine “is more seasoned and ready to be an every-down NFL player.”

Safety: Free Agency

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The Giants' safety position right now is perhaps the thinnest one on the team in terms of experience and bodies under contract to fill what could be two roles.

To recap, Antrel Rolle, Stevie Brown and Quintin Demps will all be unrestricted free agents. It’s highly unlikely all three of those players are going to be re-signed—Brown probably has the best chance of returning on a reasonable contract.

Those players under contract include Nat Berhe, who will be entering his second season, and Cooper Taylor, soon to be a three-year veteran who has spent all or part of each of his first two seasons on injured reserve.

Simply put, the Giants need depth, preferably someone with experience who can help bring Berhe and Taylor along.

Earlier this week, I looked at five prospective safeties who could hit the free-agency market. Of those, Devin McCourty of the New England Patriots or Da’Norris Searcy of the Buffalo Bills would be the most desirable but might not be the most cost-effective.

If the Giants are committed to developing Taylor and Berhe, they will probably be able to get by with a second-tier free agent such as Jeromy Miles of the Baltimore Ravens or Ron Parker of the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Offensive Line: Draft

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The Giants have an excellent opportunity this spring to hit the reset button and undo some more of the damage that poor personnel decisions have inflicted on the offensive line.

To recap, draft picks such as James Brewer, an unrestricted free agent, and Brandon Mosley, a fourth-round draft pick in 2012, have not panned out.

Veteran acquisitions from last year such as John Jerry, J.D. Walton and Charles Brown weren’t much of an upgrade either given that the Giants running game only rose six slots in the year-end rankings, from 29th in 2013 to 23rd in 2014.

Simply put, the Giants need a good, young road-grader for that offensive line, and that body could very well come from the draft in the form of Iowa’s Brandon Scherff—listed as an offensive tackle, according to NFL Draft Scout, but who, per a film study done by SB Nation’s Big Blue View, might be more of a guard. 

The Giants, remember, do have some flexibility regarding whether they go with a guard or tackle, this thanks to the versatility of current right tackle Justin Pugh. In a recent radio interview with WFAN’s Mike Francesa, general manager Jerry Reese indicated Pugh could be on the move to guard if the Giants land a tackle.

“It depends on how things shake out, if we can get a big dynamic right tackle via free agency or the draft, Pugh is a guy that fortunately can move in to guard, he can play left tackle, he can play right tackle, so there's a lot of places he can play for us,” Reese said.

With Weston Richburg likely headed to center in 2015, according to what head coach Tom Coughlin told Francesa on the radio, and with Geoff Schwartz expected back from toe and ankle ailments, the Giants will have to fill the left guard spot and should do so with a Day 1 or high Day 2 pick.

The approach worked for the Dallas Cowboys, this year’s NFC East division winner. The Giants already have one first-round pick (Pugh) and two second-round picks (Beatty and Richburg) on their line, so another first- or second-rounder who can come in and start from Day 1 could very well be the missing ingredient on one of the team’s most important units.

Defensive Tackle: Free Agency

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For as good as defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins was in 2014—per Pro Football Focus, he was the Giants' top-rated defender overall, and it wasn’t even close—he’s going to need some help alongside of himself if the Giants' 29th-ranked defense is to gain back some of its lost credibility in 2015. 

Obviously retaining defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, whether it’s via the franchise tag or a new multiyear deal, is a step in the right direction. However, the teammate lining up next to Hankins in that defensive interior is the bigger question mark.

Cullen Jenkins, the 34-year-old 11-year veteran, lined up alongside of Hankins in 2014, but a calf injury affected the one-time solid play Jenkins was able to deliver. Per PFF, he finished with a minus-7.1 grade in run defense.

Per Over the Cap, Jenkins has one more year left on the three-year, $8 million contract he signed in 2013. He’s due to count for $2.916 million against the 2015 cap, not a huge number in the grand scheme of things, but a number the Giants need to contemplate.

Does Jenkins still have anything left in his tank after just turning 34?  He might, but if the Giants can upgrade at that spot, they certainly should.

Assuming the Giants do send Jenkins packing—doing so would save them $2.25 million—their options to replace him currently on the roster are slim. There is veteran Markus Kuhn, a solid rotation type of player who has a good motor but who seems to absorb more blocks than he does dish out the punishment.

There’s also Jay Bromley, last year’s third-round pick, who as of the end of 2014 was still a work in progress.

Assuming the Giants don’t re-sign veteran Mike Patterson, an unrestricted free agent, and they part ways with Jenkins, they will need another big body to fill that spot. Yes, they have rotated Robert Ayers and Kerry Wynn inside on certain situations, but neither is a full-time defensive tackle.

With more pressing needs on the offensive line, the Giants likely won’t have a chance at Washington’s Danny Shelton in this draft.

That’s why free agency appears to be the way to go. Though if anyone’s dreaming of Ndamukong Suh in a Giants uniform, it’s probably not going to happen given the contract he is likely to command.

As noted yesterday, a good free-agent option would be 27-year-old Stephen Paea of the Chicago Bears, the ninth-best overall defensive tackle based on players who took at least 60 percent of their team’s defensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Paea is especially intriguing as a potential pass-rusher, where he finished fourth on the PFF list. He recorded a career-high six sacks and two forced fumbles in 2014, his 22 stops (for zero or negative yardage) tying him for 15th with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Gerald McCoy and Cincinnati Bengals' Domata Peko.

Running Back: Draft

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Running back is a position that hasn’t generated much in the way of discussion, probably because with Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams penciled in to be the first and second backs in the rotation, it’s not as big of a need.

Au contraire.

First there is the injury factor. As good as Jennings was for the Giants, he has yet to make it through a 16-game schedule. That left Williams to carry the load some weeks. And while the rookie out of Boston College survived, given the pounding that a running back takes, it’s a good idea to have solid third and fourth options waiting in the wings.

For the Giants, Orleans Darkwa, plucked off the Miami Dolphins practice squad midseason last year, looks to have the inside track on one of those roster spots.

However, as Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com noted, the Giants are reportedly on the lookout for a speedy change-of-pace back in the mold of the retired David Wilson to help round out the rushing attack.

Campbell also notes that the Giants could be looking to exercise a Day 3 draft pick to fulfill that need and reported that the Giants met with Northern Iowa’s David Johnson during the Senior Bowl week of practices.

Johnson, whom Rob Rang of NFL Draft Scout noted can also play H-back and fullback, is projected as a third- or fourth-round pick, his showing in the Senior Bowl no doubt helping his stock to rise.

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced. Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.