Who Should the Giants Build Around Entering 2015?

The New York Giants haven't won since Oct. 5 and have fallen four games back of two NFC East rivals with only six games remaining. In other words, their season is over—at least when it comes to competing for anything that matters. 

However, the evaluation process for next season should be fully underway because the Giants are going to have some major decisions to make come January, February, March and April.

With that in mind, here's a breakdown of who has probably secured a spot among the core, who still has something to prove and who should already have one foot out the door.

Locked in for 2015

Wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle

The rookie Beckham has been one of the hottest receivers in the league since taking over for the injured Cruz, while Randle is coming off the best game of his career (seven catches, 112 yards). The jury is still out on him because the 2012 second-round pick simply has to catch more of the passes thrown his way, but he does appear to be a more-than-suitable option to be the No. 3 receiver behind stars Cruz and Beckham. 

Receiver	REC	YDS	TD
1. Mike Evans	21	458	5
2. Odell Beckham	21	357	0
3. Demaryius Thomas	25	338	0
4. Emmanuel Sanders	20	320	3
5. Antonio Brown	28	309	2

Offensive tackles Will Beatty and Justin Pugh

There were serious concerns about Beatty last year, especially with that five-year, $37.5 million salary of his, but the veteran left tackle has gotten back on track in 2014. As shaky as the line has been, he's given up just 22 pressures and three sacks in 10 games, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which ranks Beatty as the best offensive player on the roster. 

Meanwhile, because Pugh was a first-round pick just a year and a half ago, his leash is relatively long. And he was solid as last season wore on, as well as early this year, but the Syracuse product has struggled a fair bit lately and has now given up six sacks while taking eight penalties. Still, he'd have to crash and burn in a major way in order to lose his starting role between now and the start of next season. 

Tight end Larry Donnell 

Since scoring three times against the Washington Redskins in Week 4, Donnell has just two touchdowns in six games. But he's still been quarterback Eli Manning's most reliable tight end target since Jeremy Shockey.

The 26-year-old caught all seven of the passes thrown his way Week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys and has only one dropped pass this season. Plus, he's graded by PFF as the second-best pass-blocking tight end in the league. There's no reason the Giants shouldn't bring him back as a restricted free agent. 

Defensive linemen Jason Pierre-Paul and Johnathan Hankins

JPP might never be the player many expected he'd become after a 16.5-sack 2011 season, and he's had another inconsistent year. But the 25-year-old is still the best pass-rusher the Giants have.

He's slated to become a free agent this offseason, but he should come relatively cheap considering his low sack numbers and some injury concerns. The Giants don't have a lot of other options and can't afford to become any less effective up front, so JPP needs to be re-signed. 

Meanwhile, Hankins looks like a Pro Bowler in the making. The 2013 second-round pick has the highest PFF grade on the team and has been consistently productive throughout the year as both a run-stuffer and a pass-rusher. PFF grades him as the second-most-productive pass-rushing defensive tackle in the game, which is scary considering he's only 22 years old. 

Linebacker Jon Beason

The Giants can no longer afford to rely on Beason, who has been lost for the year with yet another serious injury (this time to his foot). He's been a tackle machine when healthy, though, and New York lacks talent at linebacker.

He also signed a three-year contract in the offseason that guarantees him over $6 million, so Big Blue has to attempt to get more bang for their buck from the 29-year-old next season. I'd be shocked if he didn't enter Week 1 as the starting middle linebacker. 

Cornerbacks Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara 

As shaky as this entire defense has been, the prospect of kicking off 2015 with DRC and Amukamara as your top corners isn't bad. Rodgers-Cromartie has had some coverage gaffes and breakdowns, but he's also had some big breakups and is allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete only 53.3 percent of their passes against him, per PFF.

Amukamara was having a breakout season before suffering a torn biceps earlier this month. Assuming he gets healthy, he should probably be viewed as New York's No. 1 corner entering training camp.  

Something to Prove 

Quarterback Eli Manning 

It's not a good moment to debate Manning's future, as the 11-year veteran is coming off his second five-interception performance in the last calendar year. With new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo implementing a conservative, quarterback-friendly system, it looks as though No. 10 had finally gotten his mojo back, but here he is on pace to throw 14-plus interceptions for the ninth time in 10 full seasons. 

Manning is far too often a liability rather than an asset, which is why ESPN.com's Dan Graziano wondered aloud on Tuesday whether the 33-year-old was worth keeping around at a price exceeding $17 million. 

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Manning accounts for 17 percent of the Giants' salary cap this year. Assuming the cap rises to around $142 million next year, and they do nothing with his contract, he'd take up 14.4 percent of next year's cap. Only the Saints, Cowboys and Broncos are currently scheduled to spend a larger percentage of their cap on their starting quarterbacks in 2015. The Giants may still decide it's worth it for a player whose durability alone keeps them from the cringe-worthy quarterback juggling act you see half the teams in the league go through every year. But with so many other needs still to address, and as they think about what they're going to be on offense in the future, the question of cost looms larger than ever with regard to Eli Manning.

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Manning helped win this team a pair of championships and has two Super Bowl MVP awards to show for it, but the Giants can't let nostalgia cloud their judgment here. The reality is that if Manning continue to stink despite having Beckham, Jennings and Beatty healthy the next six weeks, New York should at least consider its options elsewhere. 

Running backs Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams

Jennings hasn't been bad when healthy. But take away that 176-yard effort he had against the Houston Texans in Week 3, and he'd be averaging only 3.7 yards per carry rather than 4.2. He hasn't received a ton of support from the offensive line, but the Giants would probably like to see more from the veteran back. 

They can cut Jennings loose for practically nothing this offseason, but the Giants won't likely do that unless Jennings really struggles down the stretch and/or the rookie Williams emerges. But don't count on that happening. The Boston College product's 2.9 average is the worst in the league among backs with at least 100 attempts. 

Back	Average	Attempts
Andre Williams	2.9	116
Ben Tate	3.1	106
Trent Richardson	3.4	115

Guards Weston Richburg and Geoff Schwartz

Barring a massive turn of events, both of these guys will be on the roster next year. The question is whether they'll still have starting jobs. Richburg has struggled in every phase of the game while taking too many penalties as a rookie. If the 2014 second-round pick doesn't improve mightily between now and the end of the year, the Giants have to force him to compete for a starting job next summer. 

It's the same deal with the veteran Schwartz, who is finally about to make his Giants debut after missing the first 11 weeks due to a toe injury. The 28-year-old signed a four-year, $16.8 million contract last spring, so the G-Men will keep him around. But unless he can hold up and perform well over the next six weeks, they'd be crazy to guarantee him a major role in 2015. 

Defensive end Damontre Moore

The 2013 third-round pick was supposed to complement Pierre-Paul, maybe even become the next Osi Umenyiora or Justin Tuck. But Moore has just two sacks in 25 career games. He's been getting more pressure this year but will have to become a better finisher before the Giants can rely on him in the starting lineup. 

Linebackers Jameel McClain, Jacquian Williams and Devon Kennard

McClain is an average starter who can bring some unexpected pressure but doesn't do much in coverage. He's serviceable but replaceable. Williams, who is a steady tackler, leads the linebacking corps with 25 defensive stops, and the rookie Kennard has a solid nine stops on 130 defensive snaps. 

Look for the Giants to keep all three as well as Beason and create some serious competition. Now's the chance each has to lock things in. 

Safety Antrel Rolle

Rolle will turn 32 in December, and he leads the team with 12 missed tackles. He doesn't rush the passer and isn't particularly good in run defense. He's a leader and is well-paid, so they'll keep Rolle around. But it's time for the Giants to begin looking for his replacement.

Forget About Them

Head coach Tom Coughlin

If indeed the Giants miss the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons, it'll be time for Coughlin to take a knee on his coaching career in New York. It's not as though he's the problem. But Coughlin is the oldest head coach in the league, and it just seems this organization is due for a fresh start. 

Of course, knowing the Giants, the Coughlin era won't end until the 68-year-old says he's ready for it to end. Here's hoping he comes to his senses and walks away six weeks from now. 

Time frame	Record	Playoff seasons
First five years	47-33	4
Next six years	46-44	1

Center J.D. Walton

The guy was a castoff in Denver and Washington, so I don't know why the Giants thought he'd right the ship here. PFF ranks Walton 36th out of 41 qualifying centers. The interior of the offensive line needs more attention this spring. 

Defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka 

The 31-year-old hasn't had more than six sacks since 2008 and doesn't lend much of a hand against the run. He's graded by PFF as the worst defensive player on the team and the second-worst qualifying 4-3 end in the NFL. He still has a year remaining on his contract, but it's time to cut the vet loose. 

Safety Quintin Demps

The Giants need to get younger at safety. The Will Hill experiment failed, Stevie Brown hasn't been the same coming back from injury this year and Rolle is an old man. The 29-year-old Demps should probably only be viewed as a fill-in for now, and that's a good thing because he's struggled in coverage and already has nine missed tackles. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFC East for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon