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Dante Fowler Makes Most Sense for New York Giants in 2015 NFL Draft

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By @GregSulik

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There were plenty of things that went wrong for the New York Giants during this season’s disappointing 6-10 campaign, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Giants ranked 29th in total defense and 22nd in scoring defense, and it is absolutely essential that they start to rebuild the defense this offseason. The team has a number of high profile free agents on that side of the ball, including Jason Pierre-Paul, Antrel Rolle, Stevie Brown, Jacquian Williams, and Mike Patterson.

The Giants have the No. 9 overall pick in the draft and they should strongly consider investing it in a defender. Personally, I think they’ll end up bringing back both safeties, and the organization has long held a policy of not investing heavily in the linebacker position. Although the Giants might end up being able to bring Pierre-Paul back, drafting a defensive lineman high would allow them to start rebuilding a once feared line.

One of the best fits for the Giants would be Dante Fowler from Florida, a versatile defensive lineman who would be able to contribute in a variety of ways. Fowler played defensive end, outside linebacker, and defensive tackle for the Gators, recording 8.5 sacks in his final season with the team.

At 6’2″, 261 lbs, Fowler has plenty of size to play as an end in a 4-3 defense. He is not a typical tweener because those players are generally seen as being caught between positions, whereas Fowler is versatile enough to effectively play in multiple roles. Fowler would initially be used at end, but he could slide inside to tackle in passing situations or move out to linebacker if the Giants wanted to use a hybrid front. That type of versatility makes him a very valuable player because of the flexibility it offers the coaching staff.

Fowler is a pretty well balanced player, but he definitely as room to improve against the run. Like most young defensive linemen, he will have to get stronger at the point of attack to be a successful run stopper at the NFL level. However, Fowler is widely regarded as a high character, coachable individual who will put in the work needed to get better.

With Eli Manning entering the final year of his contract and Tom Coughlin on arguably the hottest seat in the league, the Giants need players who can come in and contribute right away. With his versatility and well balanced game, there is no player likely to be available at No. 9 who offers more to the Giants than Fowler. While there will certainly be other positions under consideration, Fowler would be a very strong pick as the Giants start to rebuild their defense.

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