Micah McFadden, a fifth-round selection in the 2022 NFL draft, could come in and be an instant game-changer for the New York Giants this season.
The Giants’ depth chart is very thin when it comes to the inside linebacker position with practically no experience beyond Blake Martinez. This opens up the opportunity for rookie linebackers like McFadden and Darrian Beavers to come in and play significant snaps in Year 1.
Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports believes that the Indiana alum will have an early crack at things from the center of the defense due to his elite downhill ability.
McFadden’s film was a joy to study. He moves quickly and effortlessly in any direction, thereby making him a stud in coverage, particularly underneath. He reads and reacts to the offense’s collective movements as fast as any linebacker in the class, and while not blessed with freaky athleticism, McFadden rarely looks slow.
The Giants have needed quality linebacker play for some time now, and McFadden has “outplay his draft position” written all over him.
In Big Blue’s new defense under Wink Martindale, they will ask their linebackers to fly around the field and be in the backfield constantly. This is exactly what McFadden did in college as he earned Second-team All-Big Ten last season posting 15.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
This aggressiveness should give McFadden many opportunities as a third-down blitzer for Martindale and the Giants. It does not stop there as McFadden is an underrated coverage linebacker and the Giants are optimistic about his ability to cover from the linebacker position.
While McFadden may not get the Day 1 start at inside linebacker, expect him to play an essential role this season and eventually push for the starting job.
