5 years agoNew York Giants newly added linebacker Blake Martinez has been one of the best players on the Green Bay Packers over the last three years. He was drafted in the fourth-round of the 2016 NFL Draft, but he has far surpassed his draft capital with his production. Over the last three seasons, he has led the Packers and the NFL in total tackles, and in 2019 he finished with a career-high 97 solo tackles and 155 combo tackles, second in the league behind only Bobby Wagner. He fills a desperate need for the Giants in the middle of their defense, and he should have plenty of opportunities to make plays since the Giants finished 27th in time of possession in 2018, and fell to 30th in 2019. “Machinez” is also incredibly durable, as evidenced by only missed 3 games since his sophomore season in college, all of which were in his rookie season in the NFL, and he has played in every game for the Packers since 2017. The former Stanford linebacker joins his Packer teammate Kyler Fackrell in the Big Apple along with Lorenzo Carter, Ryan Connelly, Oshane Ximines, and last year’s breakout linebacker Marcus Golden, though Golden can sign with another team until July 22, 2020. Regardless of exactly how the linebacker core shakes out for Big Blue, Martinez will lead the charge and likely finish inside the top-five in total tackles once again. Draft him comfortably as one of the first IDP players off the board due to his consistent tackle production (9.5 per game over the last three seasons).--Frank Dyevoich, Esq.