Low risk? Sure. High reward? Not likely.
The Giants signed Aaron Curry after striking out on linebackers in the draft, causing all types of concerns heading into rookie mini-camps.
Curry, the fourth overall selection from the 2009 NFL Draft, was once considered one of the best linebackers in the nation back in 2008 when he won the Butkus Award.
Since then, his stumble from the top has been more like a free fall, bouncing back and fourth from Seattle and Oakland. The former Wake Forest standout has only 5.5 sacks and zero interceptions in his five-year career.
If the Giants believe they can continue to turn lumps of coal into diamonds, they have another thing coming.
Curry may have passed his physical, but he’s overweight by general manager Jerry Reese’s own admission, and is still rehabbing a knee injury he suffered last year.
The move is more of the desperation type than clever, as the Giants are extremely thin at linebacker, and seriously lack athleticism behind the defensive line.
Curry has never proven himself to be more than just a backup in the NFL, so the Giants will need to be creative with him if they expect any significant contributions. New York missed out on some very talented linebackers in the draft including Alec Ogletree, Kevin Minter, Arthur Brown, and Khaseem Greene.
With hardly any cap room, the Giants needed to draft a linebacker for a defense ranked near the bottom in rush defense. With a slew of running quarterbacks coming up for the Giants to face this upcoming season, New York needed young and athletic linebackers to help seal edges and keep quarterbacks contained, but instead drafted two slow lineman and signed a linebacker that no other team wanted.
Good luck.
@Kyle_McMorrow