The New York Giants have plenty of holes to fill this offseason after finishing the 2015 regular season with a 6-10 record for the second consecutive year and will look to bolster the defensive side of the ball as they struggled to stop any opposing offense from moving the ball down field. The Giants gave up the most yards allowed in the NFL last season and struggled to create any pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith would fill an immediate hole in the Giants' defense when healthy and should be a potential target for New York with the 10th pick in the draft. Smith was consistently all over the field for the Irish his junior season but has some teams worried after suffering an ACL and MCL tear in his left knee in Notre Dame's bowl game against Ohio State.
The linebacker is expected to make a full recovery from the injury and would fill a dual-threat role in the Giants' defense both as a pass rusher and in coverage. Smith is already recovering form the surgery, but it's unknown if he will see the field in his rookie season.
"If he did not get hurt, he'd be in the conversation for the first pick," said NFL Draft analyst Mike Mayock, via Pro Football Talk. "That's how good a season this kid had." Mayock said that Smith "is the most exciting" linebacker prospect that he has seen since Panthers' linebacker Luke Kuechly, according to Chase Goodbread of College Football 24/7.
"If (Smith) has a clean medical and you know you're going to get him for a half season-plus (as a rookie) and he's going to be fine, yeah, I think you pull the trigger on a kid like that," said Mayock, via NFL Network.
Smith is a talented pass rusher but can also drop back in coverage matching up with tight ends and running backs out of the backfield, and Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said during the 2015 season that he has never coached a talent like Smith before. That's including former Heisman Trophy finalist and San Diego Chargers starting linebacker Manti Te'o and is a statement of the tremendous talent he believes Smith will be at the next level.
Reviews on the Irish linebacker are mixed, as some see him as one of the top prospects in the draft while others believe he could drop to the middle of the first round. It will likely depend on his medical evaluation, but his versatility on defense is what makes him such a unique prospect. One team is going to take a gamble with Smith, and while Giants fans may want a player who will have an impact during Week One, Smith may be the smarter long-term decision. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound linebacker recorded 115 total tackles, nine tackles for a loss, and one sack his junior season, and won the Dick Butkus Award for being the best linebacker in college football.
It's unknown if New York's front office would make a push for a player that could have a major impact down the road like Smith, as general manager Jerry Reese knows he is heading into a season when he will be under much scrutiny. The Giants need team sacks in 2016, and while Smith can be considered a pass rusher there are other players in the draft that purely fill that need, which may make him more of gamble.
The Giants clearly have plenty of needs to fill this offseason, but the addition of a player of Smith's caliber could give New York a cornerstone player for the franchise for years to come.
