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The New York Giants have found a number of young players in the East-West Shrine game, and this year may be no different. In 2014, there were reports of a young pass rushing defensive tackle from Syracuse who was consistently making waves and turning heads in practice.
The Giants eventually drafted Jay Bromley in the third round that year.
This year South Carolina State Bulldogs' defensive tackle Javon Hargrave is causing a stir after dominating the FCS.
Measurables
Pros
- Strangely fluid defensive tackle. Uses his arms well in either swim or rip move, but shows a surprising ability to "get skinny" as he shoots gaps. Almost seems to flow around blockers.
- Impressive ... "Bubble." Hargrave has a powerful lower body to go with good leverage. Can bully offensive linemen if he gets under their pads
- Quick first step out of his stance. Is on linemen before they have a chance to react, and is difficult to cut block.
- Dominated level of competition. Despite playing DT, Finished fifth in the FCS in both sacks and tackles for loss.
- High motor, always seems to be in pursuit
Cons
- Jump in the level of competition is always a concern for FCS players coming to the NFL. Lineman are all stronger and more athletic than he is used to
- Possibly overly reliant on a swim move. He has good power and flashes a rip move, he'll need to use them and not be a "one trick pony"
- Sometimes appears to lose track of the ball.
- Quick in a short area, but sometimes appears slow on stunts, twists, or loops.
Prospect Video
Big Board Rankings
CBS - 179th overall
Draft Tek - 362nd overall
Does He Fit with The Giants?
Hargrave should be a good fit with the Giants' defense
In Spags' first run as defensive coordinator, the Giants favored quicker, gap-shooting defensive tackles like Barry Cofield and Jay Alford. Hargrave isn't quite as long an athlete as Alford or Cofield, but he does have the ability to penetrate into the backfield and be disruptive.
But whether or not he fits with the Giants largely depends on what Steve Spagnuolo wants to do with the front seven of his defense. He has a quartet of very large tackles already on the roster in John Hankins, Jay Bromley, Montori Hughes, and Louis Nix. Hargrave would be the smallest tackle by about 20 pounds.
If they are looking for a gap-shooting interior rusher to contrast with the current tackles, then Hargrave certainly fits.
Final Thoughts
If you are going to draft a player out of the FCS, then you want them to dominate their competition, and Javon Hargrave certainly does that. To be top five in the country in both sacks and tackles for a loss is impressive. To do it as a defensive tackle who plays every technique is very impressive.
At the time of this writing, Hargrave is getting some very favorable reviews from Shrine Game practices and is apparently continuing to give linemen fits, even at a higher level of competition. If he continues to do so, Hargrave will definitely make himself some money this winter.