With the injury to Micah McFadden, an opportunity opened up for New York Giants rookie linebacker Darius Muasau in the season opener, and the rookie impressed in his NFL debut.
Darius Muasau was impressive in his Giants’ debut
Despite the tough 28–6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Muasau was a bright spot for the Giants. He recorded an interception in the third quarter and had four solo tackles, one of which was for a loss. Though there were a lot of negatives from the season opener, this performance is one of the more encouraging for the G-Men.
McFadden was initially tabbed to be starting despite suffering a hip injury in the preseason, but the Giants opted to play it safe by giving Muasau an opportunity, planning to only go to McFadden if the rookie struggled.
However, Muasau played so well that McFadden’s services weren’t needed at all, allowing him to gain additional rest in hopes that he will be fully healthy for Week 2. While McFadden has already proven worthy of holding the starting spot alongside Bobby Okereke, the Giants have to find a way to get Muasau playing time while he is playing well, as he could be another impactful player on their defense.
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Muasau was a star in college
Muasau was drafted in the sixth round by the Giants in this year’s draft. During his college career, he spent three years at Hawaii before transferring to UCLA. In five total college seasons, he recorded 440 combined tackles (40 of which for a loss), 16.5 sacks, five interceptions, 14 pass deflections, and six forced fumbles. His college resume also includes two First-Team All-Mountain West selections and a Second-Team All-Pac-12 selection in 2023.
While it is too soon to conclude that that high level of talent will fully translate to the pros, Muasau has gotten his career off to a great start and the hope is that the Giants will have found a late-round gem in him to provide a positive impact for a while.
