Shortly after selecting Indiana linebacker Micah McFadden in the fifth round of the NFL Draft Saturday afternoon, Giants GM Joe Schoen crowed about a similar trait he hyped in many of Big Blue’s later-round selections: versatility.
“Another guy with very good size, speed. He was a captain, he's athletic. I think he'll help us out,” Schoen said. “He can play inside, outside, and he's a good blitzer as well. Again, another versatile piece.”
Indeed, on that last point, new defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale is noted for blitz-heavy schemes, so McFadden is excited to play a similar style as he did at Indiana.
“I can't wait. Really excited to be part of the team. Honored that this organization drafted me. I just can't wait to get to work and perform,” McFadden said. “My game is physical. I think I can get after the quarterback, but I think I'm great dropping back in pass coverage and just getting a hat on guys and being a dominant force in the middle, too.”
McFadden spoke with Giants scouts at the combine, and had a Zoom with the team’s two linebackers coached in early April, but he wasn’t sure how interested the Giants were, especially knowing he was coming off a turf toe injury that held him out of the East-West Shrine Game and lingered into his prep for the Combine.
He was excited when hearing his name called, though, and even more excited to now get to play alongside an idol in Blake Martinez.
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“He’s somebody I definitely look up to and admire his game and the way he plays and just what he's done over the past few years,” McFadden said. “Really excited to learn from him and just getting in the locker room and the linebacker room with him and I think we're tied up with the same agency. So that's pretty cool as well. I'm just really excited to learn from a player like him.”
And, he knows that as a fifth-round linebacker, special teams is a place where he may have a chance to make a more immediate impact – and is ready to do that if needed.
“I played a good amount (of special teams at Indiana); freshman year I started on three and then played a lot of punt as well,” he said, “then sophomore and junior year, I started on punt and kickoffs, played those while I was starting at linebacker as well. Then then this past year, I think I started pretty much every defensive rep, so I was mainly just taking punt reps after that.”
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