Dissecting New York Giants' Best, Worst Positional Units

We've been offered a cursory glance at this year's New York Giants squad, and after spring OTAs and minicamp, we can project the best and worst positional units heading into this summer's training camp.

In this slideshow, the Giants' best and worst offensive units are highlighted, followed by profiles of the best and worst defensive units. Some factors that lead to positional units being particularly strong or weak include experience (or lack thereof), past production and future potential.

When training camp begins, New York must maintain its best positional units and place additional focus on the weaker ones. By narrowing the gaps between the following groups of players, the Giants can be a much more balanced team come September than they are now.

Best Offensive Positional Unit: Running Back

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Rashad Jennings.

Running Back Depth Chart
Player	Ht./Wt. (lbs.)	Age	Exp.
Rashad Jennings	6'1"/231	30	7
Andre Williams	5'11"/230	22	2
Shane Vereen	5'10"/205	26	5
Orleans Darkwa	6'0"/215	23	1
Akeem Hunt	5'10"/190	22	R
Kenneth Harper	5'10"/223	22	R

The Giants have a diverse mix of talent at running back, starting with Rashad Jennings. After he signed with the team as a free agent last offseason, Jennings' first-year production was hampered by knee and ankle injuries.

He managed to play in 11 games—including nine starts—carrying the ball 167 times for 639 yards and four touchdowns. His highlight performance came in a Week 3 win over the Houston Texans, when he rushed for a career-high 176 yards on 30 carries.

Jennings is also a versatile running back who can slip out of the backfield and become a dangerous receiver in the blink of an eye. He caught 30 passes during the 2014 season, registering 226 receiving yards.

Now entering his second season with the Giants, Jennings can make an even bigger impact so long as his touches are closely monitored (he has yet to prove himself as a bell cow).

The Giants don't need Jennings to be the lone workhorse because Andre Williams and Shane Vereen offer very different running styles as backups. Williams displayed his bullish approach as a rookie last year, bowling into the end zone for seven touchdowns.

He stayed healthy all season and ended up leading the team in rushing yards with 721 on 217 attempts. Vereen, a former New England Patriot who was signed in free agency, is the prototypical third-down back. He's a sound pass-catcher and is most dynamic in space.

Behind the projected top three, the Giants have three more young running backs waiting in the wings. They signed Orleans Darkwa from the Miami Dolphins' practice squad last November, and he wound up taking one of five carries with Big Blue in for a 12-yard touchdown.

Akeem Hunt and Kenneth Harper both offer intriguing bodies in the backfield as undrafted rookies.

Worst Offensive Positional Unit: Tight End

Mel Evans/Associated Press

Adrien Robinson.

Tight End Depth Chart
Player	Ht./Wt. (lbs.)	Age	Exp.
Larry Donnell	6'6"/265	26	3
Daniel Fells	6'4"/260	31	8
Adrien Robinson	6'4"/264	26	4
Jerome Cunningham	6'4"/240	24	1
Matt LaCosse	6'5"/261	22	R
Will Tye	6'2"/262	23	R

The Giants featured a dominant tight end in a Week 4 blowout win over the Washington Redskins, as Larry Donnell made hauling in three red-zone touchdowns look easy. He fizzled out a bit from there, though, catching only two more touchdowns the rest of the season.

Still, Donnell finished with a very respectable 63 receptions for 623 yards and six touchdowns in 2014.

Heading into 2015, Donnell is in danger of losing quarterback Eli Manning's favor. He fumbled four times last season, so Manning may be more likely to trust his receivers and running backs in big spots. Donnell was mum during early offseason workouts, as he spent most of the spring on the sideline nursing Achilles tendinitis in a walking boot.

New York has no pedigreed backup to take Donnell's place. It does have a seasoned veteran in Daniel Fells, though. He's a better blocker than pass-catcher, but he mustered 16 receptions last season, including four touchdown grabs.

There's also Adrien Robinson, a former fourth-round pick, who has been painfully unproductive and underwhelming since joining the Giants in 2012.

Jerome Cunningham, who was called up from the practice squad last year, could be the surprise of the group. A natural receiver with soft hands, he's disadvantaged as a blocker being the team's lightest tight end by 20 pounds.

Undrafted rookies Matt LaCosse and Will Tye both have thicker frames, although Cunningham holds a two-inch height advantage on Tye.

Best Defensive Positional Unit: Linebacker

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Devon Kennard.

Linebacker Depth Chart
Player	Ht./Wt. (lbs.)	Age	Exp.
Jon Beason	6'0"/232	30	9
Devon Kennard	6'3"/251	24	2
Jameel McClain	6'1"/245	29	8
Mark Herzlich	6'4"/246	27	5
J.T. Thomas	6'1"/236	26	5
Jonathan Casillas	6'1"/227	28	7
Victor Butler	6'2"/245	27	6
Devin Unga	6'1"/233	27	1
Cole Farrand	6'3"/229	22	R
Tony Johnson	6'2"/255	N/A	R

The Giants don't get much love for their linebackers, but this year's crop has the potential to be something special.

The unit will be led by Jon Beason, so long as he's healthy. Although he can't be relied upon to avoid injury, Beason's athleticism and veteran savvy make an undeniable difference when he's on the field, directing the defense from his middle linebacker position.

Beason will be flanked by two more exceptional athletes in Devon Kennard on the strong side and J.T. Thomas on the weak side. A 2014 fifth-round selection, Kennard was a rookie sensation who made several stops at or near the line of scrimmage last season, with 43 tackles, 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

Thomas was an under-the-radar free-agency signing, but the Giants know him well after he pounced on a loose football and scored a touchdown against them in Week 13 last year—as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Even if Beason, Kennard and Thomas are injured at various points during the season, the Giants are prepared with three quality backups. Jameel McClain, for one, was the team's starting middle linebacker for most of last season.

Mark Herzlich has been with the team since the 2011 Super Bowl season and could have a Chase Blackburn-like impact if called upon to start.

To round out the second team, New York added Johnathan Casillas, who last played for the New England Patriots, in free agency this spring.

Victor Butler also offers considerable NFL experience as a backup, but he's suspended for the first four games of the season. Inexperienced linebackers in Devin Unga, Cole Farrand and Tony Johnson could develop into quality players in time.

Worst Defensive Positional Unit: Safety

Steven Ryan-USA TODAY Sports

Landon Collins.

Safety Depth Chart
Player	Ht./Wt. (lbs.)	Age	Exp.
Landon Collins	6'0"/225	21	R
Nat Berhe	6'0"/194	24	2
Cooper Taylor	6'4"/228	25	3
Mykkele Thompson	6'0"/193	22	R
Josh Gordy	5'11"/196	28	5
Bennett Jackson	6'0"/192	23	1
Justin Currie	6'2"/214	21	R

The Giants have a concerning lack of experience at safety. Josh Gordy is the unit's most seasoned veteran, and he has only started 11 games since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2010.

That's why the Giants are counting on Landon Collins to make an immediate impact. They traded up to select him with the first pick of the second round in this year's draft, addressing a pressing need at the position.

He's a big safety who can play with a force as imposing as most linebackers'. He'll provide much-needed run support for a defensive platoon that ranked last in the league in terms of average yards per rush allowed in 2014—4.9.

Where Collins will have to prove himself is in pass-coverage. His eagerness to come up and thump in front of the sticks could impair his ability to read plays properly, at times. He'll have to learn by trial and error, too, since there won't be a veteran in the deep defensive backfield to offer guidance.

After Collins, there's a cast of fifth-rounders competing for the other starting job. Cooper Taylor, a 2013 fifth-round pick, took the first-team reps this spring with Nat Berhe sidelined by a calf injury. Berhe, who was a fifth-round pick in last year's draft, was a special teams standout as a rookie and might be the more athletic option when healthy. This year's fifth-round pick, Mykkele Thompson, has an outside chance to earn the starting role next to Collins.

A converted cornerback and 2014 seventh-round selection, Bennett Jackson is also a player to watch in the competition. In terms of experience, it's not like the other safeties have a leg up on Justin Currie, but the hard-hitting Western Michigan product is still a long shot to make the final roster as an undrafted rookie.

*All roster information courtesy of Giants.com

Kevin Boilard writes about the New York Giants at Bleacher Report