Free Agency or Draft: How Should New York Giants Fill Their Biggest Holes?

There are two major ways to fill a hole in your roster: sign a free agent or draft a rookie.

The New York Giants have plenty of openings on the depth chart, but six specific holes seem larger than the rest—three on offense, three on defense.

Starting next week, the Giants can start plugging these gaps with free agents. Then, on April 30, Big Blue can begin fleshing out the rest of its roster with draft picks. By the time minicamps roll around, no holes should remain.

For some holes that don't need an experienced starter to step in right away, I've suggested the Giants target a rookie in the draft. For others that need a player with a surefire, instant impact, I've suggested signing a free agent. And for the team's worst holes, I've suggested both.

Read on to see the six biggest holes and my plan to plug each one.

Right Guard/Tackle

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BOTH

Eli Manning is 34 years old and not getting any younger, so the Giants should make his protection a priority as he enters what figures to be the twilight of his NFL career. The quality of Manning's offensive line has gotten away from New York in recent years.

Even so, the Giants are one blocker away from a decent O-line in 2015. The unit's biggest hole is at right guard, assuming Justin Pugh stays at tackle.

The team must entertain all options when looking for a way to fill this void, starting with free agency. And the top two options on the open market project to be Orlando Franklin and Mike Iupati. Both players are 27 years old and could serve as a solution for the foreseeable future, so long as New York's able and willing to spend that kind of money.

Another plan of attack would be to sign an older veteran, one with starting experience that the Giants could confidently insert into the lineup. Then, pick another offensive lineman in the draft to eventually take his place.

And even if the Giants whiff in free agency, hope is not totally lost. They can still get by with the selection of Iowa's Brandon Scherff in the first round. Although he played tackle in college, NFL Media's Mike Mayock projects Scherff as the draft's top guard (h/t Jordan Raanan of NJ Advance Media).

The Giants heard this same "criticism" when it came to Justin Pugh in 2013 but still drafted him. Then, they spent a second-round pick on center Weston Richburg in 2014. If the Giants can't sign Franklin or Iupati, they should continue to rebuild the interior offensive line with early-round draft picks.

If New York somehow lands either Franklin or Iupati, the Giants would be free to spend their first-round pick on a defensive player—perhaps a pass-rusher.

Third Wide Receiver

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FREE AGENT

After offensive line, the Giants don't have many troubling holes on offense. That could change rather quickly, however, if Victor Cruz lags in his return from a major knee injury.

The Giants already have the league's most electrifying young pass-catcher in Odell Beckham Jr., as well as a serviceable secondary target in Rueben Randle (71 catches for 938 yards in 2014). Eli Manning needs to have one more reliable guy in the slot, though, to tie the receiving corps together.

However, slot receiver is a complex position that relies upon an impeccable timing with the quarterback—not to mention quick feet and sure hands. A rookie might not make the desired impact in such an intricate position, so the draft may not be the way to go.

Besides, free agents make better short-term solutions. Even if Cruz isn't himself right away, the Giants are expecting to have him back and fully healthy at some point; he's under contract through the 2018 season.

So, while scouring the open market for affordable options to replace Cruz, New York should consider Cecil Shorts III. The two players share a similar build (both are 6' and about 200 pounds) and are near each other in age (Cruz is 28; Shorts is 27). As long as his asking price isn't too high, signing Shorts as a temporary placeholder makes perfect sense.

A less popular option would be to re-sign Jerrel Jernigan. Although the former third-round selection has enjoyed extremely limited success during his four seasons with the Giants, Jernigan's biggest burst of production came in the final three games of the 2013 season (19 catches, 237 yards, three total TDs).

During that span, he was filling in for an injured Cruz.

Third Running Back

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DRAFT PICK

It's a luxury to have three effective running backs, but the Giants are a first-class organization and should aim to look that way on the field in 2015.

New York has a well-versed veteran on the roster in Rashad Jennings and an up-and-coming power back in Andre Williams. Although Jennings missed a ton of time due to injury last season, it afforded Williams with valuable reps as a starter during his rookie year.

Now, both backs are entering their second season as Giants.

With these two more adjusted to Tom Coughlin's brand of football than they were a year ago, New York should be on the lookout for something of a complementary back in the later rounds of this year's draft. The ideal selection would be an under-the-radar ball-carrier who could provide some potential in an area where Jennings and Williams lack impact.

The perfect pick would be a veritable home run threat, someone with the breakaway speed to take every handoff the distance. In short, the Giants could use someone to fill the role they always expected David Wilson to fill.

The late rounds of the draft are the best time to find these hidden gems, as there's one to be had almost every year. This year's most enticing option might be Missouri's Marcus Murphy.

Murphy's extremely lean frame (5'8", 193 lbs) won't make him the top back on any team's big board, but he can be dangerous out in space. Get him out on the edge, throw him the ball or let him return kicks/punts and he'll find ways to score six points.

This is the type of running back New York should hunt.

Safety

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BOTH

The Giants' biggest need on the defensive side of the ball is at safety. There projects to be some considerable turnover at the position, as New York's three most experienced safeties—Antrel Rolle, Stevie Brown and Quintin Demps—are set to become unrestricted free agents.

The magnitude of this potential loss requires the Giants to be proactive in addressing the deep defensive backfield this offseason; action must be taken in both free agency and the draft.

First, the Giants must at least try to retain Rolle's services. Nat Berhe should be able to replace either Brown or Demps, but no second-year player will be as reliable as Rolle has been since winning a Super Bowl in 2011 and becoming a team captain two years later.

If the Giants are unable to keep Rolle in New York, another option must be pursued on the open market. A top-of-the-line target like Devin McCourty is probably out of reach, but there are other starting-caliber safeties to investigate.

Thomas DeCoud is a 30-year-old safety who could keep Pro Bowl experience in New York's secondary for a more reasonable price. However, if the Giants don't mind taking a risk, Jeron Johnson is a more appealing option. Johnson, only 26, has the coveted Seattle Seahawks pedigree, but he has been relegated to mostly special teams duty behind Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas.

Whatever the Giants decide to do in free agency, it won't be enough. They must also take a serious look at safeties in the draft.

Alabama's Landon Collins will probably be available when the Giants pick, but he is more of an in-the-box safety. What New York really needs is a guy who can take everything away over the top. A ball hawk with great instincts like Louisville's Gerod Holliman could play the part.

Slot Cornerback

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FREE AGENT

The key to a strong secondary is to keep the cornerbacks healthy, and the Giants learned that the hard way last season. In 16 games, they went from formidable to limping to decimated.

When fully healthy, New York has two top-tier outside cornerbacks in Prince Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. If these two aren't on the field, though, the team's hole at slot cornerback is easily forgotten.

But if they are, the Giants need just one inside cover guy to field a dominant trio of cornerbacks. This player will need to be shifty enough to stick with the slipperiest of slot receivers. He'll also need to be a team player, since he won't be on the field every defensive down.

The perfect option would be a cornerback who's begging for another chance or someone who would value even the opportunity to try out for an NFL team.

New York won't have to look far to find this player. Walter Thurmond III is about to become a free agent again, after playing only two games for the Giants in 2014. In January, he told Paul Schwartz of the New York Post about his interest in returning for another season.

Thurmond is a quality player, and he shouldn't be very expensive to retain.

Another affordable option would be to provide an avenue for an undrafted free agent to make the final roster at slot cornerback. The undersized guys are always overlooked, but the smaller corners are usually the ones who thrive in the slot.

Find an undrafted player with a big enough chip on his shoulder and he might be New York's man.

Weak-Side Linebacker

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DRAFT PICK

Linebacker isn't usually a popular pick in the draft for the Giants, but they seem to have found a winner in last year's selection of Devon Kennard. He became New York's starter on the strong side after Jon Beason went down and Jameel McClain was bumped over to the middle to replace him.

That success story should motivate the Giants to target the other side of the formation in this year's draft.

Since joining the team in 2011, neither Jacquian Williams nor Spencer Paysinger has proven himself as a viable starter at weak-side linebacker. They've each had their moments, but Williams and Paysinger possess minimal long-term promise. It may be time to go in a new direction.

Washington's Shaq Thompson had some serious appeal as a first-rounder due to his athleticism, but scouts are concerned he'll never find a fit in an NFL defense after his performance at the combine, according to Lance Zierlein of NFL Media. They think 228 pounds is a little light for a linebacker, and a 4.64-second 40-yard dash is a little slow for a safety.

It might be a better idea to wait until the second round, where the Giants can target UCLA's Eric Kendricks. With a brother, Mychal, already carving out a considerable role for himself with the Philadelphia Eagles, Kendricks is a linebacker New York can count on to have the desire to succeed at the NFL level.

What's more likely is the Giants will wait until the later rounds to address the hole at weak-side linebacker. After all, Williams, last year's starter, was originally a sixth-round selection; Paysinger was undrafted.

If New York waits too long to address this need, they may end up taking a flier on another undrafted linebacker in 2015. If they aren't going to take this hole seriously, the Giants should retain either Williams or Paysinger for one one more season at the cheapest possible rate.