Articles

By: Marco Imperati

Less then one week away from the NFL Draft, Giants fans have been patiently waiting for the team to address all the needs that plaqued them the last season.

One position that has been discussed, and depending how you view it, neglected, is Safety. Although the team targeted Devon McCourtey, they were very quiet on the rest of the safetys after McCourtey resigned with the New England Patriots.

General Manager Jerry Reese was questioned about the position in his annual pre NFL Draft Press Conference. Reese said, “We thought [McCourty]was the best player in free agency and after that we thought it was a drop-off. That is what happened”

37 days into free agency, the Giants signed journeyman safety Josh Gordy.

Of the safety’s on the roster, second year player Nat Berhe seems to be the front runner early on to start at one spot. His confidence shined through this week when he met the media. Berhe said, “ It’s funny to me. It’s funny how last year people were calling for young guys to play and they wanted us to play. And now that we’ve got the opportunity to play, it’s like ‘oh my goodness, the young guys are going to play.’ Everyone is scared, it’s kind of funny to me. I wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t play.”

The Giants like Cooper Taylor’s size, but the third year safety has shown little to nothing on the field due to injury. This is his biggest opportunity to contribute.

My sleeper on the roster is Bennett Jackson. Jackson is a cornerback drafted in the sixth round out of Notre Dame. He underwent microfracture surgery last year and has never played safety. But let’s see how he returns back. What intrigues me about Jackson is his versatility and toughness. Originally a wide receiver, he converted to corner. The Giants liked him so much, they decided to keep him over veteran Charles James. Of course much of this depends on how he comes back from the injury. I also like his confidence. Recently on twitter, Jackson tweeted:

Bennett Jackson Jr. ‪@B_Jax2‬
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Apr 21
Me & ‪@NatBerhe are about to take over! ‪#WaitOnIt ‪#NYG