2017 NFL Mock Draft: NFL Conference Championship Edition

Some great draft picks and free agent signings have helped the New York Giants develop their defensive into a respectable one. However, the play from the linebackers could be improved, and they could use a playmaker on that second level who can stop the run or effectively drop back into pass coverage.

This year’s class of linebackers has a handful of interesting names at the top, including Vanderbilt’s Zach Cunningham. He doesn’t come from the biggest football program, but Cunningham’s 125 tackles, including 16.5 for loss, are hard to ignore.

Cunnigham has great size for a linebacker at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds. He also has some great instincts that put him in the right place at the right time on a consistent basis. He can shed blockers with easy to get to the ball carrier or drop back into pass coverage to break up passes.

My biggest problem with Cunningham is that he misses way too many tackles and can sometimes take bad angles. Yes, he’s usually in position to make the right play, but that doesn’t matter if you can’t take the ball carrier down.

Those weaknesses are coachable, however, and the New York Giants could really use an impact player like Cunningham to help improve the middle of their defense.