Anything that has not happened in 33 years is probably not worth counting on, so linking the Giants to a linebacker in the first round of NFL draft on Thursday night is strictly an at-your-own-risk proposition.
But it could happen and, depending on how the first 22 players come off the board, it is more likely to happen this time than in many of the previous years, when the linebackers came off and the Giants looked away.
Lest we forget, one year ago, the Giants were hot on the trail for Leonard Floyd, a rangy linebacker from Georgia, a player they rated above all others. Had he been there at No. 10, the Giants would have blessed their good fortune and sprinted up to the podium to embrace him. The Bears, though, traded up two spots and stole Floyd away with the No. 9 pick. Somewhat reeling, the Giants took cornerback Eli Apple out of Ohio State.
So far, it has worked out for the Giants. Floyd did not make a huge impact in Chicago, slowed by concussion issues as a rookie. Apple got better and better as he developed within an emerging defense. Still, the Giants wanted an impact linebacker and did not get one. Perhaps they try again this year.
Jarrad Davis (Florida), Zach Cunningham (Vanderbilt) and Haason Reddick (Temple) are three linebackers who figure to be first-rounders, probably falling out of the top 10. Might all three be gone at 23? Possibly, but not likely.
Of the three, Cunningham is most similar to Floyd in terms of speed and size, but Cunningham is not the pass-rush threat that Floyd was in college. Cunningham had the longest arms and wingspan of any linebacker at the scouting combine and is unmatched when it comes to racing sideline-to-sideline to pursue a ball-carrier. He needs to get stronger and add muscle, but he can fly.
“That’s definitely been a knock that I’ve heard about me,’’ Cunningham said. “Being able to have that strength, playing at the linebacker position. I’ve been around 225-230 [pounds]. So most of the questions I’ve gotten is would I be able to put on, say, 10 more pounds and play at that weight. And that’s something I would definitely be open to.’’
Davis is a thicker athlete and a harder hitter.
“When he hits somebody, he rocks their world,’’ said a national scout contacted by The Post who likes the idea of Davis at No. 23 to the Giants.
Davis is also the most versatile, capable of playing inside or outside and packing a punch wherever he lines up. He has a history of leg issues, and missed four of his last five games at Florida with a sprained ankle. He did not participate in drills at the combine, but a strong showing at his Pro Day proved he is ready to roll.
“I’m a very hard-working guy, very dedicated,’’ Davis said. “Football is not all I have, but I treat it like it’s all I have. I treat it like it’s everything, and I feel like that separates me from a lot of guys.’’
Reddick is a Camden, N.J., product who is not as tall (6-foot-1) as scouts would like and vaulted up the charts after a breakthrough senior year (22.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks). He might be better suited as an edge rusher in a 3-4 defensive front.
“He’s just a natural linebacker and an explosive kid who plays hard every down,’’ the national scout said. “He’s a better pass rusher than the other two.’’
The Giants have not put a linebacker in the Pro Bowl since Antonio Pierce in 2006. You have to go all the way back to Jessie Armstead to find a homegrown linebacker to make it to the Pro Bowl, which Armstead – a 1993 eighth-round pick – did five times (1997-2001).
There is not a glaring hole at linebacker on the roster, and the Giants haven’t taken one in the first round since Carl Banks in 1984. There is no dynamism, either.
Jonathan Casillas is the defensive captain, Devon Kennard is a strong run-stopper and Keenan Robinson was re-signed as a cover linebacker. None has ever come close to Pro Bowl consideration. B.J. Goodson is waiting in the wings after a rookie season spent on special teams. Expect Goodson, an inside thumper from Clemson, to challenge for a much larger role on defense. If the Giants take a linebacker high in the draft, the competition gets even more heated.