New York Giants get an edge rusher on day two
By Ed Stein
Coming into this year’s draft, the New York Giants were in desperate need of an edge pass rusher. In the third round, they selected linebacker Oshane Ximines from Old Dominion.
The New York Giants were without a second round pick after trading up to number 30 in the first round for cornerback Deandre Baker. Big Blue had to wait until the tail end of the third round to make their fourth selection of the draft. They used the 32nd pick in the third round (95th overall) to select Oshane Ximines an outside linebacker from Old Dominion.
When doing our mock draft compilation earlier in the week, one expert, Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports, had the Giants selecting Ximines in the third round. It seemed a bit out there, but upon doing some research, at the time, it wasn’t so out of line. I like this pick and here’s why.
Ximines (pronounced Zim-ah-nes) was a standout at ODU in Norfolk, Virginia. He played four seasons for the Monarchs, accumulating 157 tackles, which is average. The exceptional part was his 51 tackles for loss, 32.5 sacks, and 11 forced fumbles. He also dropped back in coverage, knocking down a dozen passes.
. Edge Rusher/ OLB. New York Giants. OSHANE XIMINES. B
He has great size for an outside linebacker at 6-3, 253 pounds. The scouting reports on Ximines are very good. Evaluators love his speed and quickness. Ximines comes off the snap quickly and gets into the backfield fast that is helped by his ability to quickly turn the corner. He has a good move set which he uses to avoid head-on blocks while on the run. Once the North Carolina resident gets into open space he can close on the ball fast.
As with many players selected at this point in his draft, Ximines has plenty to work on. Although he is fairly strong, power is not his game. He weighs 253 but is quite lanky and will need to add weight (muscle) to be a consistent NFL player. His biggest problem is engaging blockers straight up, especially in the run game. Ximines doesn’t shed blocks well and can get knocked off balance. That’s an issue which can be exploited by bigger and faster NFL offensive linemen.
Next. Grading the players Gang Green selected on Day 2. dark
Early in his professional career, Ximines will be a situational player used on passing downs. When he adds more bulk and gets some pro level coaching, he has the ability to become an effective three-down defender. Additionally, his speed will help on the Giants on special teams.