The New York Giants' NFL Draft plans just became a bit clearer.
The New York Giants have certainly been busy in free agency this week, making several key additions while also re-signing multiple players.
Among those retained was linebacker Micah McFadden, who missed most of last season with a foot injury.
It marked the second linebacker the Giants signed this offseason, as they also nabbed former Chicago Bears star Tremaine Edmunds on a multi-year contract.
New York's decision to keep McFadden while also adding Edmunds absolutely impacts its NFL Draft plans, as it minimizes the possibility of the team selecting Ohio State star Sonny Styles with the No. 5 overall pick.
The Giants had been linked to Styles quite a bit recently, especially after his impressive showing at the Scouting Combine. But all along, it never really made much sense for New York to select an off-ball linebacker with such a high draft choice.
That's not an indictment on Styles; he's a very impressive prospect, but in the modern NFL, the primacy of the linebacker position has been significantly reduced. Unless you're getting Ray Lewis or Brian Urlacher, you probably shouldn't be taking a linebacker with a top-five pick ... and Styles isn't either of those two players.
Sonny Styles. Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.Instead, the Giants seem more likely to focus on their more prominent needs. They have holes at wide receiver, defensive tackle, cornerback and the interior of their offensive line, all important positions.
It's actually looking more and more like New York will either select wide receiver Carnell Tate — Styles' former Ohio State teammate — at No. 5 or trade down for more draft capital, the latter of which has always been the ideal scenario.
But the chances of the Giants taking Styles just absorbed a massive hit. It would be very, very surprising if Big Blue still pulled the trigger on the Buckeyes star after the moves the club has made this week.
We'll see what else New York decides to do in the coming days and whether or not the Giants strike any significant trades, but there is no question that their NFL Draft direction has become quite a bit clearer in light of recent events.
Let's face it: taking a linebacker fifth overall was always a bad idea anyway.
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