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Kiwanuka makes Giant move
BY RALPH VACCHIANO
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Monday, April 30th 2007, 4:00 AM
The Giants found some much-needed linebacking help, and they didn't need to use one of their draft picks.
Mathias Kiwanuka, the Giants' first-round pick last year, is switching positions from defensive end to linebacker, coach Tom Coughlin and GM Jerry Reese revealed after the draft ended yesterday. Coughlin called the move an "experiment" that he'll watch closely during spring drills. But Reese said, "We have (Kiwanuka) penciled in as our starting (strong-side) linebacker right now. There's no question he can make the transition to outside linebacker. No question about it. He can play SAM (strong-side) linebacker for us. He's athletic, he's long, he's tall. You want your SAM to have some height. He can do all that stuff."
"Our idea there is to try to get as many quality players on the field at the same time as best we can," Coughlin added. "I think he can play well in that position."
In a way, he already has. In the hybrid 4-3/3-4 defense that former defensive coordinator Tim Lewis often ran for the Giants last season, Kiwanuka, who has been a defensive end since high school, was called on several times to drop off the line of scrimmage and into coverage. He performed well enough to make two interceptions. With new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo expected to play more of a traditional 4-3, Kiwanuka might not get those opportunities if he stayed at end.
Also, if he did, he'd be stuck as a backup behind Pro Bowlers Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. Dropping him to linebacker gives the Giants a huge, speedy, impact player at that position - the kind they've been seeking for years.
The Kiwanuka switch is why the Giants didn't make linebacker a first-day priority in the draft. Despite having a seemingly glaring need on either side of middle linebacker Antonio Pierce, they went cornerback (Texas' Aaron Ross), receiver (USC's Steve Smith) and defensive tackle (Penn State's Jay Alford) in the first three rounds.
"I told you guys (Saturday), we have linebackers," Reese said with a smile. "I didn't tell you Kiwanuka was a linebacker, but I told you we had linebackers. It wasn't a pressing need for us."
Now they have a glut of linebackers after drafting Brown linebacker Zak DeOssie - son of former Giants linebacker Steve DeOssie - in the fourth round yesterday. Reese said DeOssie can be penciled in as Kiwanuka's backup, which could be bad news for Reggie Torbor. The weak-side starter either will be second-year pro Gerris Wilkinson or free-agent signee Kawika Mitchell, who said he was going to play the strong side when he signed with the Giants a few weeks ago.
BY RALPH VACCHIANO
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Monday, April 30th 2007, 4:00 AM
The Giants found some much-needed linebacking help, and they didn't need to use one of their draft picks.
Mathias Kiwanuka, the Giants' first-round pick last year, is switching positions from defensive end to linebacker, coach Tom Coughlin and GM Jerry Reese revealed after the draft ended yesterday. Coughlin called the move an "experiment" that he'll watch closely during spring drills. But Reese said, "We have (Kiwanuka) penciled in as our starting (strong-side) linebacker right now. There's no question he can make the transition to outside linebacker. No question about it. He can play SAM (strong-side) linebacker for us. He's athletic, he's long, he's tall. You want your SAM to have some height. He can do all that stuff."
"Our idea there is to try to get as many quality players on the field at the same time as best we can," Coughlin added. "I think he can play well in that position."
In a way, he already has. In the hybrid 4-3/3-4 defense that former defensive coordinator Tim Lewis often ran for the Giants last season, Kiwanuka, who has been a defensive end since high school, was called on several times to drop off the line of scrimmage and into coverage. He performed well enough to make two interceptions. With new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo expected to play more of a traditional 4-3, Kiwanuka might not get those opportunities if he stayed at end.
Also, if he did, he'd be stuck as a backup behind Pro Bowlers Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. Dropping him to linebacker gives the Giants a huge, speedy, impact player at that position - the kind they've been seeking for years.
The Kiwanuka switch is why the Giants didn't make linebacker a first-day priority in the draft. Despite having a seemingly glaring need on either side of middle linebacker Antonio Pierce, they went cornerback (Texas' Aaron Ross), receiver (USC's Steve Smith) and defensive tackle (Penn State's Jay Alford) in the first three rounds.
"I told you guys (Saturday), we have linebackers," Reese said with a smile. "I didn't tell you Kiwanuka was a linebacker, but I told you we had linebackers. It wasn't a pressing need for us."
Now they have a glut of linebackers after drafting Brown linebacker Zak DeOssie - son of former Giants linebacker Steve DeOssie - in the fourth round yesterday. Reese said DeOssie can be penciled in as Kiwanuka's backup, which could be bad news for Reggie Torbor. The weak-side starter either will be second-year pro Gerris Wilkinson or free-agent signee Kawika Mitchell, who said he was going to play the strong side when he signed with the Giants a few weeks ago.
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