With the New York Giants deliberate decision to avoid a veteran free safety in free agency, it’s clear now that the team must look to the draft yet again for a player with talent and durability to step into a starting role for Big Blue’s defense at this important position.
I say “again”, because the Giants grabbed Landon Collins last year in the 2nd round of the draft, and he appears to be their box safety for the foreseeable future. But they still need someone they can trust to cover the back-end of the secondary and occasionally even step into the nickel corner role when needed ala Antrel Rolle. Since the Giants are committed to go young here, they better put someone back there that’s shown big talent against NFL-quality players.
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Enter Vonn Bell from Ohio State.
Bell possesses the range, speed and coverage skills that none of the 2015 Giants crop of free safeties had. He excelled at man to man coverage both at safety and sometimes in the nickel corner role, flashing great ball skills and instincts during the last two years at Ohio State as the starting free safety.
Per Dane Brugler of cbssports.com, Ohio State’s head coach Urban Meyer said of Bell, “I’ve been lucky to have been around a lot of good safeties and he’s as good as I’ve ever had.” That’s pretty lofty praise from a coach that has had a lot of great players pass through his locker rooms over his coaching career.
Bell projects well as an NFL free safety instead of a strong safety as he isn’t the hardest hitter, but the Giants don’t need him to be. The previously mentioned Collins is filling that role well, but struggled in coverage in his rookie campaign.
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Bell is more of a ball hawking player that specializes in timely plays on the ball; a skill that led Brugler to compare Bell to Tashaun Gipson, a player that many fans would have loved to see in Giant blue as he was a marquee free agent this off-season.
New York most likely won’t look to add a free safety with their 1st round pick, and Bell doesn’t project to be one. He grades as a 2nd or 3rd rounder, and if he is there when the Giants are up he is definitely worth it. Currently, the Giants have no real trusted players on the roster that have shown the ability to play free safety; Bell at worst would compete for the starting role and have a great chance to win it.
The GMEN spent a lot of money in free agency at several key positions on defense, and it would be a shame to see that go to waste because they can’t stop the deep ball or opposing teams tight ends. If New York puts the same players out there at free safety in 2016 that couldn’t stay healthy in 2015, they might regret neglecting the position.
While Bell is no guarantee to be a rookie game changer, drafting and starting him at free safety would show the Giants aren’t OK with just “getting by” at the position. And if you aren’t going to put a marquee veteran out there, the next best thing is a young play-maker with big upside. With 22 passes defended and nine picks in 28 games started, that is Bell in a nutshell.
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The Giants have no clear answer for the back-end of their defense. Bell, if drafted, could forge a dynamic duo with Collins for years to come.