Scout's Take: New York Giants
Underrated: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
He gives up some plays, but everyone does. In New York, any blemishes are put under the magnifying glass, but Rodgers-Cromartie is a quality NFL cornerback. He can play man, he can play zone, he’s capable of matching up with teams’ No. 1 receivers and doing a good job on them. The guy is athletically gifted, and all of this is without much of a pass rush. This was the worst defense in the league last year. They had a revolving door of safeties, but it’s unfair to put the brunt of that on DRC. When you study the film, he was one of the lone bright spots on that defense a year ago.
Overrated: Olivier Vernon
He had 7.5 sacks last year and he’s getting paid $84 million? He might as well be a leprechaun who found a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. He’s talented, but he’s not on the level of Von Miller or J.J. Watt. Absolutely not. He’s not a difference-maker in our league. In Miami, he had Cameron Wake on the opposite side and Ndamukong Suh inside. Who is getting double-teamed? Wake, Suh, or Vernon? It’s probably not option three. He had a number of single blocks and he did do some good things, but it just seems like a rich price to pay for the production he’s put on tape to this point.
Extra Point
Everybody thinks that because former offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is now the head coach, there will be continuity, and there are expectations that they can win immediately with the argument that he’s been there for two years as a coordinator. In this scenario, though, it almost works against him. Coach McAdoo is keeping different things that former coach Tom Coughlin set in place. That can be dangerous because some players may feel like, “Get your own act. This is Coach Coughlin’s deal. What are you bringing? How are you different?”
