After impressing against Lions, Micah McFadden leading the way for Giants’ open ILB spot
The Giants are still looking for someone to step up and fill the second inside linebacker spot alongside free agent signing Bobby Okereke.
Darrian Beavers, who is working his way back from an ACL injury, was listed as the starter on the initial depth chart which was released last week. According to Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale though, the lead dog in that competition right now is Micah McFadden.
“I thought Micah played really well in the game, he did a lot of good things,” Martindale told reporters Tuesday. “Micah’s got a year under his belt, he’s definitely leading right now. We’ll see where that goes and where it takes him.”
The second-year backer has been standing out in practices early on in training camp, and as mentioned by Martindale, he put together an impressive performance in Saturday night’s preseason opening loss to the Lions.
McFadden played just 14 defensive snaps but he assisted on a run stop and added another tackle with the special teams unit on the opening kickoff. He graded out as the highest rated Giants defender, according to PFF.
Though their time as teammates has been short, McFadden recently drew some praise from the veteran Okereke for his improved play.
“I love Micah. I think he’s a technician, great player, and smart guy,” Okereke said. “Micah’s always on it. There’s a lot of maturity there. He’s plays fast, he plays physical, and he’s got a lot of confidence in himself.”
The Giants sense that maturity as well from the 23-year-old who came into camp looking a new and improved version of himself.
McFadden was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Indiana. During his four years with the Hoosiers he saw his role gradually increase and he earned a pair of All-Big Ten honors.
He appeared in all 17 games during his rookie campaign, making seven starts, and recorded 59 tackles, a pair of sacks, and a forced fumble. McFadden did experience some growing pains, though, particularly in pass coverage.
He’s looked strong so far in camp and will need to continue overcoming those hurdles in his sophomore campaign, but Big Blue is hoping he’ll only get better as his role increasee as he did at Indiana.
We’ll see if Beavers can make his return to gameplay or if McFadden continues separating himself from the rest of the pack in Week 2 of preseason action as the Giants return to MetLife Stadium to take on the Panthers Friday at 7:00 p.m.
