Biggest Needs New York Giants Have Yet to Address This Offseason

Although free agency is far from being over, things have drastically slowed down at this point for most of the NFL teams looking to fill needs on their roster. 

But that doesn't mean all the needs have been filled, at least not as far as the New York Giants are concerned.

Certainly, the NFL draft will provide the Giants with several missing pieces to the puzzle, specifically those positions they weren't able to address in free agency.

In this slideshow, we'll look at what the Giants still need to address and will propose a draft prospect for each need who fits their mold.

Linebacker

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

The Giants managed to re-sign two of their three veteran linebackers—Mark Herzlich and Keenan Robinson—but are probably not done with adding to the position.

That's because come next year, Robinson, Herzlich, Devon Kennard and Jonathan Casillas all become unrestricted free agents, and the odds of all four returning hover close to zero.

The most logical place for the Giants to look is in the draft. Per an ESPN report, general manager Jerry Reese was recently spotted at Vanderbilt's pro day, where he was presumably scouting linebacker Zach Cunningham (6'3", 234 pounds), among others.

Cunningham would be a perfect fit for the Giants if they agree with NFL.com's Lance Zierlein's scouting report that he is a three-down linebacker whose "downhill approach is made for attacking 4-3 defenses" which could make the 22-year-old "a good, early starter as a run-and-chase weak-side linebacker," a position the Giants are ultimately going to need to replace.

While it's true the Giants haven't drafted a linebacker in the first round since 1984 (Carl Banks), the feeling among the beat writers is that they had their eyes on Georgia's Leonard Floyd last year only to see the Bears jump ahead of them in the draft order to grab him.

If Cunningham is there at No. 23, the prayers of fans who for years have been screaming for the Giants to use a first-round pick on a linebacker might finally be answered.

Offensive Line

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

The Giants went into free agency this year with limited funds, and major needs at premium positions such as offensive tackle meant they had no choice but to sift through the bargain bin for help.

That's exactly what the Giants did, taking a flier on D.J. Fluker, the former Chargers first-round draft pick in 2013 whom they signed to a one-year "prove-it" deal.

Fluker might very well turn out to be a steal for the Giants, who tentatively have him penciled in at right guard, but his signing doesn't solve the offensive tackle problem, where—after losing Marshall Newhouse to the Raiders—the Giants' depth at tackle includes incumbent starters Ereck Flowers and Bobby Hart, and the versatile John Jerry.

Or does it?

Western Michigan's Taylor Moton (6'5", 319 pounds), whom Zierlein projects as a right guard at the pro level, could be the missing link.

Projected as a second-round prospect by NFL Draft Scout, if Moton can come in and function at right guard, that would allow the Giants to try Fluker at right tackle, where he would compete with Hart for the starting job.

Regardless of who wins that competition, the depth at offensive tackle becomes much better than a year ago, especially if one considers that John Jerry, re-signed to a three-year deal, can also kick outside to tackle.

Running Back

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Another position where the Giants have quantity but are still trying to find out about the quality is at running back.

New York cut veteran Rashad Jennings in February as part of a salary-cap move. They re-signed Orleans Darkwa, a seldom-used running back who has otherwise been more of a special teams contributor.

They kept Shane Vereen, their third-down specialist who is recovering from a torn triceps muscle, and added journeyman Shaun Draughn as a Plan B for Vereen. They also have Paul Perkins, a quick-twitch runner who last year moved ahead of Jennings in the starting lineup by the end of the regular season. 

Missing from the group is a power back who can push the pile between the tackles. Clemson's Wayne Gallman (6'0", 215 pounds) could be the missing link.

Projected by NFL Draft Scout as a third- to fourth-round prospect, Gallman, per Pro Football Focus, averaged 3.0 yards after contact per rushing attempt over the last three seasons, having shown the strength and technique to break tackles and get into the second level—something the Giants running backs last year had trouble doing.

To be more precise, almost 60 percent of his rushing yardage over the last three seasons (2,034 yards) came after initial contact with a defender.

In addition to being tough to bring down, Gallman has shown he has good hands as a receiver out of the backfield. He caught 81.5 percent of his pass targets (66 of 81) over the last three seasons for 454 yards, with only five dropped passes.

Tight End

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

The Giants moved on from Larry Donnell, but they have yet to hone in on that big pass-receiving tight end who is going to have success roaming the seam and drawing some of the attention Odell Beckham Jr. routinely receives.

That's why a tight end is almost certainly on this team's radar to round out a group that right now includes blockers Jerell Adams and newcomer Rhett Ellison, incumbent Will Tye and hopeful Matt LaCosse.

While Giants fans might be dreaming of seeing Alabama's O.J. Howard or Miami's David Njoku in blue, the chances are they won't be on the board past the first round.

Clemson's Jordan Leggett, 6'5", 258 pounds, projected as a third- to fourth-round prospect by NFL Draft Scout, appears to tick all the boxes as being a Giants fit in terms of skill, measurable and production.

Leggett would appear to be a perfect fit for the Giants in the passing game given his prior use in college, where he lined up all over the field. That kind of versatility would offer head coach Ben McAdoo a world of options regarding personnel formations that would give the Giants the advantage in matchups.

Defensive End

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Although the Giants finally got defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul under contract to team up again with Olivier Vernon, they could still use a solid third defensive end who is able to cover both Pierre-Paul and Vernon as part of a rotation.

Currently, the Giants have Kerry Wynn, Owa Odighizuwa and Romeo Okwara as defensive ends with experience. However, each of them comes with limitations to his game.

A solid draft prospect who potentially checks off most of the boxes for the Giants at this position is Tennessee's Derek Barnett (6'3", 259 pounds). Although he comes in a little light weight wise, his college production as a pass-rusher and edge-setter against the run has surely gained the Giants' attention.

Per Pro Football Focus, Barnett recorded double-digit sacks in each of the last three seasons and has 38 stops for zero or negative yardage in each of the last two years against the run.

Another reason why Barnett might be appealing to the Giants is his versatility. Per NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, the 20-year-old's skill set could even be effective as a stand-up pass-rusher.

The Giants have long believed that a team can't have enough pass-rushers. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's "Four Aces" package gained legendary status for the damage it did in the 2007 Super Bowl; imagine what another pass-rusher could do to that personnel grouping.  

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., in his latest mock draft, seems to agree that Barnett and the Giants are a fit for each other.

Kiper appears to agree that the addition of Barnett would give the Giants a three-headed pass-rushing rotation much like the 2007 and 2011 Super Bowl teams.

Quarterback

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Will they, or won't they?

That's the big question on the minds of many regarding the heir to quarterback Eli Manning. In January, Newsday's Bob Glauber, in an interview with ProFootballTalk.com's Mike Florio, reported that the team believes that Manning has two to three years left of quality football and that the team has already begun to notice a decline in the 36-year-old's play.

If the Giants want to ensure a smooth passing of the baton, they will need to start looking for Manning's heir a lot sooner than later.

The problem is this year's quarterback class hasn't exactly wowed national draft scouts. If the Giants agree, they might want to wait another year to draft Manning's successor, which would leave that prospect with less time to learn the ropes before the veteran rides off into the sunset.

Or the Giants could take a flier on a quarterback in this year's class, such as Virginia Tech's Jerod Evans, 6'3", 232 pounds, one of several signal-callers with whom they met at the combine earlier this month.

Evans holds eight single-season school records including touchdown passes (29), passing yards (3,546), total offense (4,392), completions (268) and rushing yards by a quarterback (846)—all of that accomplished in one season (2016) no less.

Evans is also potentially appealing to the Giants because he's mobile. In addition to his eye-opening 2016 season as a passer, he ran 204 times for 846 yards and 12 touchdowns. 

No Giants running back last season came anywhere close to matching Evans' rushing production, the best of the lot being now former Giant Rashad Jennings (181 carries, 593 yards, three touchdowns).

The Giants did protect themselves for the short term regarding the backup quarterback spot, adding former Jets quarterback Geno Smith and re-signing Josh Johnson to go along with Manning and Keith Wenning in that meeting room.

While at this point no one can be ruled out of the equation, it would be hard to see the Giants appointing any of those candidates as their next franchise quarterback.  

Unless otherwise noted, all advanced analytics are from Pro Football Focus and all draft prospects' heights and weights, and analysis are from NFL.com's Combine section. 

Patricia Traina covers the New York Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.