Surprising Choice Named NY Giants' Most Promising Building Block

The New York Giants are in the thick of a rebuild in trying to get a floundering program back on track. 

While the hope of that goal being successful rests on the team’s bigger names and high draft picks, Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton has a different pick for the Giants’ most promising building block in 2025: inside linebacker Micah McFadden.

A 2022 fifth-round draft pick out of Indiana, McFadden has quietly become one of the most reliable and productive players on the Giants' defense. And though he’s not a household name, his consistent play and upward trajectory have made him one of the team’s most underrated players.

McFadden stepped into the starting role in 2023, finishing third on the team in tackles. This past season, he finished first on the Giants in tackles, showcasing an aggressive, downhill style that made him a difference-maker against the run. 

His best game was against the Saints, where, per NFL Pro, McFadden recorded six stuffs on Saints rushing attempts for no gain, the week’s best production by a defender.  

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The downside to McFadden’s game has always been in coverage. Last season, he finished with a 114.4 coverage rating, just slightly lower than his rookie year rating (119.4), but way higher than his 2023 rating of 82.8.  

McFadden was targeted for an average of 3.8 yards, the highest average he’s faced in three seasons. He also surrendered two touchdowns in coverage, equalling the total from his first two seasons, and opponents were able to log 155 air yards against him after just 70 air yards in his first two campaigns.

At just 24 years old, McFadden is entering the prime of his career and a contract year. Spotrac hasn’t yet set a projected market value for McFadden. Still, it’s hard to fathom the Giants going all out to re-sign him unless he takes a significant step forward in coverage to justify a nice payday moving forward. 

It’s also hard to agree with Moton’s pick of McFadden as the key building block, not when the choices include Malik Nabers, Tyrone Tracy, Jr, Abdul Carter, Dexter Lawrence, and Brian Burns, just to name a few who are far better options.