The Giants do not have to draft their middle linebacker of the future in the first round. They should draft C.J. Spiller instead . . . even if they have to trade up to get him.
They should draft C.J. Spiller because:
Eli Manning needs more help, and Spiller is a multi-faceted playmaker who accounted for 21 touchdowns of 50 or more yards at Clemson.
Brandon Jacobs is not the second coming of Marion Motley.
Spiller (36-503 receiving with four TDs) can be the safety valve who can get chunks of yards at any given moment that Manning has missed since Tiki Barber retired.
He fumbled only twice (in 980 touches).
He can get Manning prime field position with his dynamic kickoff (four TDs) and punt returns (one TD).
They should draft Spiller not because he is an every-down, 200-pound back, but because he is an elusive playmaker who can make life easier for Manning and his young receivers.
They should draft Spiller, team captain, because he is trouble on the field and absolutely no trouble off it.
I asked him: “What would you tell an NFL team if it asked you why it should draft you?”
“The coach and organization,” he said, “will be able to sleep at night.”
The kid is too good to be true. He graduated in 3½ years with a degree in sociology, and earned a standing ovation from the Clemson board of trustees. He put the initials of his hometown church — Victory Christian Center — on his eye black. He likes bowling, spaghetti, video games . . . and watching film.
“I just love studying film,” Spiller said. “The more you become a student of the game, the better player you’ll become.”
You want tough? Here’s tough — 1,615 combined rushing and receiving yards with 16 TDs last season playing through turf toe.
You want humble? Here’s humble:
“You’ve been compared with Marshall Faulk.”
“Just to be in the same company as him is an honor,” he said.
“Do you think there are similarities?
“I have yet played an NFL down,” he said. “That’s still to be determined.”
“Can you be this year’s Chris Johnson?”
“No, sir. I can only be C.J. Spiller this year.”
“What kind of impact can you make as a rookie?”
“The only thing that matters to me is winning games and winning the Super Bowl and just bringing a lot of them to that organization.”
Spiller wore No. 28 because of former Bucs/Falcons scatback Warrick Dunn. “I just love the stuff he does off the field,” Spiller said. “He gives homes to single mothers with the foundation he has.”
His favorite basketball player is Kobe Bryant.
“He wants the ball, and that’s what great players do,” Spiller said. “When the game’s on the line, they want the ball in their hands.”
“Do you want the ball in your hands with the game on the line?”
“I want the ball in my hands so I’ll be able to make a play for my team.”
He wants to make a difference in the return game.
“Special teams can win or lose a game for you,” he said.
Spiller met with Giants coach Tom Coughlin at the NFL Combine.
“I came away very, very impressed,” Spiller said. “Hopefully they came away impressed with my presentation.”
He flies into New York tonight for his very first visit, a long way from Lake Butler, Fla.
“A small country town,” Spiller said. “Probably four red lights in the whole town. Everyone knows everyone.”
He can’t wait. “I’ve heard some different stories about how it’s very crowded there,” Spiller said, “how the city never sleeps. I definitely want to see the Empire State Building . . . Times Square . . . just as much as I can.”
“How would you feel about playing for the Giants?”
“Wherever I go, I’m gonna feel great. The opportunity to play in the NFL, it’s a privilege. It’s an honor.”
A giant honor.
