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New York Giants Make Excellent Choice Trading Up For Landon Collins In 2015 NFL Draft

By Kenneth Teape

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In the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, the New York Giants traded up and selected Alabama Safety Landon Collins. It was another surprising move made by the Giants, who rarely make trades, but they hit a home run with this one as Collins offers value at that slot, and fills an immediate need.

The New York Giants surprised some people again at the start of the second round. Instead of waiting and hoping that the player they wanted continued to fall to them with the 40th pick, the Giants moved up to the 33rd pick, originally owned by the Tennessee Titans, trading their fourth and one of their seventh round picks in the 2015 NFL Draft. The Giants were then able to land their man in Alabama safety Landon Collins. This was an excellent move on all fronts by the Giants.

First off, what they had to trade to move up the seven spots was not an overly steep price. They had two seventh round picks, so shipping one of them off to move up and get a player they coveted doesn’t hurt too much. Also, the drop off from Collins to a safety that they could have selected in the fourth round is huge, as Collins was the No.1 rated safety on many boards. Also, there were supposedly other teams that were interested in trading up with the Titans to select Collins at 33, so it was nice to see the Giants get aggressive in acquiring the pick to get the player they want.

Getting him with the first pick of the second round is a steal for the Giants, which brings us to our next point. Like when they selected Ereck Flowers with their first overall pick, Collins fills a huge immediate need. The value people felt the Giants were losing when they selected Flowers was easily replaced with the value they found in selecting Collins.

Collins is a huge safety, as he is basically the size of a weakside linebacker in the NFL. That is a perfect fit for the Giants, who like to move their safeties all around the field. He is most comfortable in the box, as he delivers bone crushing hits and plays the run extremely well. That is a key for the Giants, who struggled mightily in stopping the run last season. Collins will improve them in that front right away, as his strength was an area of weakness for the Giants, making them a perfect match.

He also fills a massive need for the Giants. The Giants currently have three safeties on the board, but none of which they are sure can handle the responsibilities of heavy playing time. Second-year player Nat Berhe played mostly special teams as a rookie, but the Giants are confident in his talents. Third-year player Cooper Taylor has only four career tackles. Combined, the two have zero NFL starts.

The only player the Giants have at the position with any real playing experience is Josh Gordy, who has played in 59 games and started 11 in his five year career. He should have the edge to playing time out of the gate, but the Giants are extremely confident in what Berhe brings to the table, and is someone that will receive a legitimate shot as well.

Collins will definitely have a role right from the offset, as his ability to play against the run will earn him playing time right off the bat. His size enables him to be used as a linebacker if the Giants choose, giving Steve Spagnuolo a ton of flexibility and moving parts at his disposal.

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He does have some things to work on, as his coverage skills could use some improvement. He will struggle in 1-on-1 coverage if constantly asked to shadow slot receivers, but he is athletic enough to matchup with tight ends and bigger receivers. He does have some playmaking abilities, as he broke up 13 passes and recorded five interceptions in his 23 games. Those are solid numbers for a safety, but don’t paint the whole picture as Collins is nowhere near as advanced in his coverage skills and abilities as he is in the run game.

Even with those struggles, the positives he brings to the table clearly outweighs the negatives. His ability to play against the run is something the Giants were sorely lacking, and they killed two birds with one stone filling that lack of production with a position they had a glaring need at. The Giants hit a home run with this selection, as they didn’t lose much in the way of assets to select him, and he will provide an immediate impact.

Next: Who Could The Giants Target On Day 2?

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