5 Players the NY Giants Can Build Around for the Rest of the Season

Although there is still a lot of football left, realistically speaking, the New York Giants' 2014 playoff aspirations are starting to fade more rapidly than a pair of blue jeans dunked in chlorinated water. 

While it’s certainly understandable that some fans have tuned out for the rest of the season given the team’s current three-game losing streak, a few bright spots have come to play on a consistent basis whom the coaches can build around for the rest of this season.

These five players, named in the following slides, have shown up every week and played consistently when given the chance.

If the Giants are going to finish with a respectable record, they are going to need these five players to continue playing at a high level in the hopes that others at their positions follow their lead.

DE Robert Ayers

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Defensive lineman Robert Ayers Jr. is probably one of the Giants' two most underrated offseason free-agent signings (the other being linebacker Jameel McClain).

In fact, Ayers, who took over No. 91, previously worn by Justin Tuck, has done a nice job of picking up the production—and then some—that the Giants lost when Tuck signed with the Oakland Raiders.

Coming over from the AFC Champion Denver Broncos, Ayers, who per Over the Cap signed a two-year contract worth $3.75 million, is currently the second-best-rated 4-3 defensive end, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), posting positive grades as both a pass-rusher (18.5) and a run defender (2.5).

Ayers, who is averaging 32.3 snaps per game, per PFF, has certainly made the most of his opportunities. He currently leads the Giants defense with 12 quarterback hits, this largely due to the seven he recorded on Monday night against the Indianapolis Colts.

His 3.0 sacks is just a half-sack behind team leader Jason Pierre-Paul’s 3.0. He also is tied among active Giants defenders with one forced fumble, the others being safety Antrel Rolle and Mathias Kiwanuka.

While Ayers’ tackles aren’t gaudy—per the stats pack in the Giants’ weekly game release, Ayers has only 13 tackles in eight games—when one considers what’s included in those tackles, it’s clear to see that Ayers makes every snap he gets count for something.

Among the little extras built into his tackle total include two tackles for a loss and the 3.0 sacks.

Head coach Tom Coughlin praised Ayers for his play against the Colts, telling reporters via conference call, “He played very well, and I was very pleased with his effort.”

Might that mean a promotion to the starting lineup ahead of Mathias Kiwanuka? That remains to be seen, but if the Giants do look to increase Ayers’ snaps, that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing given that he seems to will himself to at least push the pocket, something the Giants' pass rush hasn’t really done much of on a consistent basis this season.

DT Johnathan Hankins

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While on the topic of the defensive line, let’s talk about the job done by defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, the second-year player who was the Giants’ second-round draft pick last year.

Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Hankins is the second-highest-graded defensive tackle among those who have taken at least 60 percent of their team’s defensive snaps.

He has also earned a positive overall grade from PFF in every game this season with the exception of Week 4 against Washington.

Like Ayers, Hankins has been solid as both a pass-rusher who can push the pocket and as a run-stopper. Per the team-issued weekly stats pack, he has posted 28 tackles, which puts him seventh on the team.

He’s third on the Giants with 2.5 sacks and is tied for the lead with Damontre Moore and Jameel McClain with three tackles for a loss.

Hankins is also second, behind Jason Pierre-Paul, in quarterback hits with four, and has knocked down three passes, which is second behind Pierre-Paul’s five.

Hankins has done a fine job in plugging up the cutback lanes inside of the tackles, which has forced opposing running backs to try their luck on the edges.

He has also been a load to handle inside, oftentimes requiring a double-team block on pass-rushing situations which he can usually defeat by simply keeping his legs churning.

Only 22 years old, the scary thing about Hankins, who has the maturity level of a 10-year veteran, is that he still has a lot of room to grow into his role as an NFL defensive tackle. 

“I have been impressed with Johnathan as far as being a professional,” defensive line coach Robert Nunn told reporters over the bye week, noting how the young man finished his college degree over the offseason.

“You could tell he was focused when he came back in here. He is off to an outstanding start, and I look for big things from Johnathan.”

With Cullen Jenkins approaching just one more year remaining on his three-year deal signed before the start of the 2013 season, a defensive interior of Hankins and Jay Bromley sure does paint a very intriguing picture for the future.

WR Odell Beckham Jr.

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Although it took first-round draft pick Odell Beckham Jr until Week 5 before he finally became a significant part of the offense, he has proven to be well worth the wait.

Not only does Beckham have that great speed to stretch the field, he is probably the only healthy Giants receiver right now who can separate from a defender.

Beckham has caught 18 of the 26 targets aimed at him for 262 yards and three touchdowns, giving quarterback Eli Manning a 140.2 rating when he tries to get the ball to Beckham.

Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), that’s the third-best rating in the NFL among receivers who have been the target on at least 25 percent of their team’s passing targets. 

That’s not the only thing to like about Beckham. What the stats don’t show, but what the tape does is that Beckham seems to be one of the few Giants receivers who has any kind of success playing against man-to-man coverage.  

That should come as no surprise, as per his NFL.com draft profile, he was lauded for having “quick hands and feet to slip the jam.”

With more and more defenses realizing that the way to disrupt the Giants’ passing game is to put their hands on the receivers within the legal limit, it’s a nice to see a Giants receiver who is not afraid to mix it up and who can usually win his one-on-one battles to find his way toward an open spot. 

It won’t happen this year, but Beckham, along with Victor Cruz, will eventually give Manning two solid deep threats to target.

QB Eli Manning

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Although quarterback Eli Manning lacks one of the key traits to be a successful quarterback in a West Coast offensive system—mobility—that doesn’t mean that he can’t win a few more games in the remaining years he has left in his career. 

With one more year remaining on his contract—a year in which he’ll count for $19.75 million against the 2015 cap (down from the $20.4 million he counted for this year), the Giants will need to make a decision about whether to extend Manning for another 3-4 years or to move on to a new quarterback.

The decision may lie with what the team decides to do with head coach Tom Coughlin after this season.

The presumption of many fans is that if the Giants miss the playoffs this year, there will be a major housecleaning.

That might not be the case, however, though it would not be a stretch to hedge a bet that coordinators Perry Fewell and Tom Quinn might be in jeopardy of being relieved of their respective duties.

If offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is the next head-coach-in-waiting—he’ll probably need another year of experience as a play-caller before he’s ready for such a promotion—the giants can let Manning finish out his current contract and then move in another direction with both the head coach and quarterback, as applicable.

Certainly, a new head coach coming in is going to want his guys in the locker room. While Manning would probably do well under any head coach or offensive coordinator given his work ethic, the fact is he is getting older, and he still has more than his fair share of ups and downs.

Then again, if the front office can surround him with a better offensive line and another solid receiver, there’s no reason to think that Manning can’t remain in charge of this offense for another four or five years.

LB Devon Kennard

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All season long, the Giants have had to play musical chairs at linebacker, thanks to Jon Beason’s ailing and unpredictable toe.

With Beason now stashed away on injured reserve where he is expected to take a full recovery and give things a go in 2015, the Giants have settled in or the long haul with Jacquian Williams on the weak side, Jameel McClain in the middle and rookie Devon Kennard on the strong side, moving ahead of veteran Mark Herzlich.

Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Kennard, one of two fifth-round draft picks this year, has only played in 53 snaps so far, this likely due to a hamstring injury suffered in Week 1 that kept him out of action until Week 5.  

As the strong-side linebacker, Kennard usually comes off the field when the Giants go into the nickel package, but he has done a nice job making the most of his snaps.

Per the Giants' weekly stat pack, the rookie out of USC has eight tackles, including one for a loss as a run-support specialist.

Kennard has shown himself to be a sure tackler who wraps up the ball-carrier well. He’s still mastering how to read his keys, but the process seems to be coming along for him considering the coaches now trust him to start ahead of Herzlich, the four-year veteran who PFF graded with a 5.0 mark in run defense. 

Kennard’s future, though, is probably going to be in the middle given his average athletic ability. Next season he will probably continue to split his snaps between the strong side and the middle.

It’s probably just a matter of time before he supplants Beason, who is probably one final injury away from reaching the end of the line.

The next step for Kennard as he prepares to take that leap between his rookie season and his second year will probably see him getting more opportunities to work in the middle as Beason’s understudy in 2015. 

With Herzlich, Williams and Spencer Paysinger all set to be unrestricted free agents after the season, it’s unlikely all three will be back, which will mean more chances for Kennard to carve out his niche.

Patricia Traina covers the New York Giants for Inside Football. Advanced statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus (subscription required) unless otherwise noted. Salary cap and contract information via Over the Cap. 

All quotes and information obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced. Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.