Is Giants ILB Micah McFadden's Stock on the Rise?
Feature (Series) - June 19, 2023
Among all the surprising storylines to come out of the New York Giants 2022 season, one of the most pleasant was the arrival and performance of inside linebacker Micah McFadden. A native of Tampa, Florida, the 23-year-old Indiana product landed in East Rutherford last spring after being selected in the fifth round of the 2022 draft and quickly rose to the occasion when his name was called amid injuries to the position.
Before the NFL, McFadden played four seasons with the Hoosiers. As his role in the defense increased each year, he amassed 216 tackles (149 solos), 37 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, four interceptions, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. His tackles-for-loss still ranks sixth in program history, and all his impressive numbers helped him earn two All-Big Ten team nods and two inter-team recognitions.
The rookie began earning significant snaps in Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks when he made his first NFL sack and had his best outing of the year in both run and pass rush defense. In the second half of the season, McFadden notched seven games with at least 30 snaps and was one of the best tacklers on the Giants, with an average missed tackle rate of 9.1%.
Unfortunately, McFadden was inactive for the Giants' postseason contests in Minnesota and Philadelphia, but his regular season stat line finished fifth-best on the defensive leaderboard. It was a pretty impressive debut for the aggressive rookie, and he’ll look to maintain his presence in the interior of the defense next fall.
*** A piece of our 2023-24 Giants roster preview series, featuring my installment on Giants linebacker Micah McFadden and the best- and worst-case scenarios for his future with the team and a final expectation for his place on the roster.