New York Giants: Nikita Whitlock Still A Defensive Option?
Last season, fullback Nikita Whitlock was called upon by the New York Giants to play on the defensive line due to the fact that the team was running out of defensive line options due to injury.
Nikita Whitlock was a converted defensive lineman from Wake Forest who went undrafted and signed by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2014 to play fullback.
Whitlock’s college experience as a defensive lineman became a blessing once defensive linemen began going down in droves for New York in 2015.
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Whitlock accomplished a rarity in today’s NFL: He actually played in all three phases of the game (earning the nickname “swiss army knife”) before injuring his knee with a few weeks to go in 2015, forcing him to injured reserve. He played fairly well, recording several pressures on defense as well as a sack.
So will the Giants use Whitlock the same way in 2016, or keep him on the offensive side of the ball only? There are several arguments as to why allowing Whitlock to play the same defensive role in 2016 makes sense.
First of all, while the Giants spent a lot of money on the defensive side of the ball, and specifically on the defensive line, they still need depth there. This is especially true when you consider the fact that the Giants have been towards the top of the league in players sent to I.R. over the last few years. In 2015, per Sportrac.com, the Giants were third in the NFL in lost players to injured reserve.
Whitlock showed that while undersized, he has a decent motor and could spell Johnathan Hankins or Damon “Snacks” Harrison a play or two to keep them fresh. And the drop off from those marque interior defensive linemen to Whitlock isn’t as bad as you might think.
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According to Pro Football Focus, Whitlock was the second-highest rated interior defensive lineman for the Giants last season, as he was given an overall 70.7 grade. That put him ahead of former third-rounder Jay Bromley (66.3) and Cullen Jenkins (65.9). While somewhat an indictment on how bad the G-Men were on defense in 2015, having Whitlock as an option in a rotation, especially on pass rushing plays (where he was given a 75.7 grade), isn’t a bad alternative.
Secondly, Whitlock did next to nothing on offense as a fullback in terms of offensive pass catching or rushing production. While a competent blocker, the Giants offense isn’t designed to ask much from the full back position, and Whitlock shouldn’t get burned out where he couldn’t contribute on defense.
Lastly, with the Giants having other offensive holes to still focus on with free agency and the draft, the team can’t bring in a ton of other players on D. They need to make what they currently have on the roster work as best as they can. While that doesn’t mean they won’t potentially draft a 3rd stud pass rusher or a young safety, the fact is they still need a No. 2 receiver and some offensive line help.
Whitlock might make it much easier for Big Blue to look elsewhere when it comes to passing on a 3rd or 4th round pick on an interior defensive lineman. And who knows? If the Giants let Whitlock focus solely on defense he could blossom into an even bigger presence on that side of the field.
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The bottom line is this: when you have a player with the versatility of Whitlock, you need to take advantage of it. Hopefully the Giants don’t look at 2015 as an anomaly with Whitlock in terms of defense and let him play on the defensive line in 2016.