Despite their secondhalf swoon and late-season meltdown, the Giants do not possess a roster devoid of talent, and there are few glaring deficiencies. A case can be made that there is only one position where a first-round pick in this week’s NFL Draft would have any realistic chance to start on Day 1.
That spot? Middle linebacker.
The loss, first to injury then the release of Antonio Pierce left a hole in the center of the defense, an absence that certainly contributed to the despicable way that side of the ball went in the tank down the stretch. The Giants allowed 40 or more points five times and in the last two games gave up a ghastly 85 points.
The possibilities to fill the job from within are Jonathan Goff, Chase Blackburn and Gerris Wilkinson. Goff took over the middle in the final five games and his play makes it a stretch to assume he’s ready for a full-time starting role. Blackburn is suited more for special teams and backup duties, and Wilkinson has been injured so often that he has made little progress and now will be tried in the middle after being a washout on the weak side.
It’s not an appetizing array of options, which is why on Thursday night it certainly makes sense for the Giants to use the 15th overall pick to find an athlete to take over at middle linebacker.
“I think we could improve our team at every position probably — not just linebacker, any other position,” general manager Jerry Reese said. “We are looking for seven good players who can give us depth or maybe be a starter at any position — not necessarily linebacker.”
Of course, Reese wasn’t about to tip his hand and proclaim, “We’re targeting a linebacker come hell or high water.”
It is quite possible that there is just one linebacker — Rolando McClain of Alabama — worthy of the No. 15 pick. And in the likely event he’s gone, Reese isn’t going to take the next-best linebacker (probably Sean Weatherspoon of Missouri) to fill a need if that player isn’t rated as one of the Top 15 or so players on the Giants draft board. “We try to get value and need,” Reese said. “That is never going to change.
We try to get a combination of both. Sometimes you can get a good combination of both. But we are skeptical of drafting need.”
The first round could take the Giants on several different paths. They could trade up if they are salivating over McClain, a man-sized 254-pounder who looks ready for the NFL grind and is easily the top inside linebacker in the draft. But if McClain is gone and running back C.J. Spiller from Clemson is sitting there, he will be impossible to pass up, as special players must be added and Spiller is projected to be special.
If McClain and Spiller are gone, don’t be surprised if the Giants fortify a fairly well-stocked position by taking Florida’s Joe Haden, considered the best cornerback available.
Another possibility is massive Dan Williams, a 327-pound defensive tackle from Tennessee who should solve any team’s runstopping problems. Offensive line is not a pressing need with Will Beatty entering his second NFL season, but if road grader guard Mike Iupati of Idaho is staring the Giants in the face, he would be difficult to pass up.
If the Giants don’t get a linebacker in the first round there is plenty of quality likely to be available midway through the second round, with Sean Lee (Penn State) and Brandon Spikes (Florida) among the candidates.
“Every position on our football team, I think there could be some improvement in every area — defensive front, the linebackers, secondary, offensive line, running backs, receivers, quarterbacks — it really doesn’t matter,” Reese said. “We are looking for good football players. And really that is what is important to us.
“We try to stockpile good players and try to create competition,” he said. “That is what is important, to create competition.”
paul.schwartz@nypost.com
GIANTS THREE DRAFT NEEDS
Middle linebacker
There’s a hole at the center of the defense, and no one on the roster appears capable of filling it. Someone from the outside must be able to step in and contribute right away. The Giants would love to snatch up Rolando McClain of Alabama, but he likely won’t fall to No. 15.
Running back
The top two runners, Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, are coming off surgeries to their lower bodies (Jacobs left knee, Bradshaw both feet and right ankle) and Andre Brown missed his rookie year after rupturing his Achilles tendon. Big Blue could target C.J. Spiller if they don’t take a linebacker in the first round.
Safety
Even with the offseason signings of Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant, this spot could use some help — unless Kenny Phillips comes back and returns to form following tricky left knee surgery. Taylor Mays of USC could slip to the Giants.