Devon Kennard
Similar to Odighizuwa, Devon Kennard’s upside has been hindered by his inability to stay on the field. In his first two seasons in the league, he has missed a total of 11 games due to a multitude of injuries.
His rookie campaign was nothing short of superb. After recording 43 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 7 run stuffs in only 12 games, expectations were high for Kennard. He showed prowess rushing the passer as well as stopping the run. After only one season, he was already seen as a defensive leader and a player the Giants could build their defense around. However, he took a step backwards in 2015—when nagging injury issues forced him out of seven games, and limited him in the nine others.
Now, the question for Kennard heading into his third year is if he is going to be another name on the list of talented Giants draft picks whose injury issues prevented him from reaching his full potential. Only time will tell, but the Giants surely need Kennard on the field—as he is one of the few three down linebackers the team has on the roster. If the defense is to improve its 30th ranked pass rush, Kennard will have to stay healthy and play at the talent level he flashed as a rookie.
