Giants Fifth Round Draft Summary: Continued Push to Fill Depth Needs

The Giants add an inside linebacker, defensive lineman and offensive lineman to their arsenal in the fifth round.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Apr 30, 2022 3:25 PM EDT

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The Giants continued their quest to fill roster holes with quality players in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft.

With the first of their two back-to-back picks (Nos. 146 and 147) in the fifth round, New York added linebacker Micah McFadden out of Indiana and interior defensive lineman D.J. Davidson out of Arizona State, and then with Pick No. 173, the Giants added offensive lineman Marcus McKethan out of North Carolina.

Jul 23, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers linebacker Micah McFadden speaks to the media during Big 10 media days at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

In 42 games, the 6-foot-1, 240-pound McFadden recorded 216 tackles, 36 tackles for loss, and 14 sacks. Primarily a box player, McFadden is PFF's 16th ranked inside linebacker. He played 12 snaps as a true freshman before winning a starting job in his sophomore season playing in a blitz-heavy Indiana defense.

McFadden's 92.0 pass-rushing grade, per PFF, led the all of college football's off-ball linebackers. Dubbed the most experienced Blitzer in his class, McFadden is good with diagnosing and blowing up screens and isn't afraid to et his nose dirty n the trenches.

In coverage, McFadden allowed 48 of 65 passes to be completed (73.8 percent) for 493 yards and four touchdowns. He recorded four interceptions and six pass breakups for a 90.1 rating.

NFL Draft Bible lauds McFadden for his football IQ and his old-school style of play:

Teams are going to like how productive McFadden was in college. He is an old-school linebacker who relies on his football IQ and experience to make plays as a middle linebacker. With that being said, his lack of athleticism and small tackle radius are evident on film. If he is asked to do too much at the next level, McFadden could struggle. Right now, he is a bottom-of-the-roster player with the chance to be a backup in the right situation.

ASU defensive lineman D.J. Davidson (98) warms up during practice in Tempe August 18, 2019.
Michael Chow/The Republic via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Davidson, 6-foot-5, 327 pounds, has roughly an equal amount of experience lining up across from the A- and B-gaps. In 34 games played, he's recorded 137 tackles, including 15.5 tackles for loss and five sacks.

Notes NFL Draft Bible of Davidson:

Davidson’s game is mainly about his power, pad level, and size. He’s got a tremendous skill set for a nose tackle, and playing in a two-gap system should be a perfect fit thanks to his strength and 33-inch arms. He won’t offer much against the pass, but he can be a starting nose tackle in the NFL as he gets more polished with his hands and eyes.

With their final pick (No. 173) in the fifth round, the Giants picked interior offensive lineman Marcus McKethan out of North Carolina. McKethan is 6-foot-6, 340 pounds, and according to his NFL Draft scouting profile, he recorded 543 knockdown blocks his senior year at Barnwell High School.

A starter at right guard, McKethan earned honorable mention All-ACC honors in 2020 and 2021.

McKethan is purely a developmental prospect who, according to NFL Draft Bible, has a lot of work ahead of him before he's ready to contribute regularly in the NFL.

Massive bodied, heavy-handed but heavy-footed, waist bender. Projects as a developmental guard with upside to be a below average starter in the level. McKethan has ultra-long arms for the position with near 36 inches. He uses that length to his advantage plenty, but he is over-reliant on it, lacking in hand technique and knee bend.
At such a big size on the interior, it is expected that McKethan is going to sacrifice parts of his game in his pass blocking. Coaching him to narrow his base will help him sit back more; McKethan is a big clunky body who fails to move well in space, which limits his projection based on the lack of athleticism and tools to work with.