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The Giants might very well have drafted their middle linebacker of the future in fourth-round pick B.J. Goodson. However, the rookie, who should end up with a spot on this roster, could still be a year away from being ready for full-time duty.

In the interim, the Giants signed three middle linebacker candidates—Jasper Brinkley, Keenan Robinson and Kelvin Sheppard—to one-year contracts.

Brinkley is the incumbent of the group and, if there were a depth chart, will probably be atop of the list come the start of camp.

The Giants, however, saw enough on tape to like Robinson, the former Washington inside linebacker who has dealt with some injuries of late.

According to Pro Football Focus, Robinson has never posted a passer rating higher than 91.8, the mark he set last year. Meanwhile, Brinkley’s best coverage rating in his career was last season’s 106.4 mark, and Sheppard saw his 82.6 coverage rating in 2014 shoot up to 134.9 last year.

Ideally, the Giants would probably like a middle linebacker who can be counted on both against the run and in coverage, especially as they continue to sort through the safety and slot cornerback situations.

Going into camp, Brinkley probably has the slight edge for two reasons.

The first is his familiarity with the system—he was here last year to pick up the pieces after the health issues and performances of Jon Beason and Uani ‘Unga left the Giants crossing their fingers for the best out of Brinkley, a player they acquired just prior to their first game last season.

Another advantage Brinkley offers is that he's, statistically-speaking, the best of the three veteran candidates when it comes to run defense, per PFF.

Toward the end of the spring, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo also tried both Robinson and Sheppard in the middle with the first-team defense. As he told reporters afterwards, though, there is only so much he can gauge in practices where the players are not engaging in contact.

“All of the defensive spots, you find out most when you put the pads on and that one especially,” Spagnuolo said.

“There is a little bit further to go there and that hasn’t really ironed itself out as far as who is playing where, who is starting, who is one and who is two. That is going to be an interesting battle in training camp.”

It sure is.