Darius Muasau forcing way into Giants linebacker mix

There is no 40-yard dash time or bench-press counter to measure Darius Muasau’s ability to diagnose plays.

He just has to trust that the Giants coaches are noticing it as he bids for a bigger role in the defense during his second season.

“I’m not the biggest, I’m not the fastest, I’m not the strongest, but when I get out there I feel like what makes me unique is just my instincts,” Muasau said. “That’s why I’m able to play at this level, and that’s why I got to the NFL.”

The Giants return starting inside linebackers Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden, but Muasau has supporters inside the building who think he has a bright future.

It might be a stretch for him to win a starting job out of training camp, but head coach Brian Daboll annually has shown a quick trigger with lineup changes before Week 2.

If nothing else, the Giants will cut into the reps of Okereke and McFadden (contract year) to find packages to further Muasau’s development.

“He’s earned playing time because of his performance,” Daboll said. “Kind of put him and [slot cornerback] Dru Phillips in a category … where they’ve grown into their roles — communication, production out on the field, not making a lot of mistakes. If they do [make a mistake], they come back and they fix it. So Darius is right in the mix here. He’ll play.”

The scouting report last year on Muasau as a rookie sixth-round draft pick was that he would be a kick coverage specialist. He played one of his five college seasons under Giants special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial at Hawaii.

“I think the way you have to attack every day is, ‘I’m competing for a starting job,’ ” Muasau said. “Although I might not be starting … any way that I can contribute to the team. That’s really what I’m all about.

“I came in with a chip on my shoulder, being thought of mostly as a special teams guy, but I’m trying to develop my game. I felt a lot of growth throughout the year.”

Muasau had the defense’s only interception over the first 12 games last season. Then he wound up starting the final five — after Okereke suffered a season-ending injury — and contributing more significantly to a rookie class (Malik Nabers, Tyler Nubin, Phillips, Theo Johnson and Tyrone Tracy Jr.) that helped to save jobs and caught the attention of veterans Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence.

“They’re always coming up to the rookies from last year,” Muasau said, “like, ‘Aye, you guys are the future of this program. You have to put the team on your back at times because everything is coming down to what you guys put on tape, how you guys carry yourself around the building. The staff is always looking at you guys.’ ”

One of Daboll’s highest forms of praise is to describe a player as “instinctual.” How did Muasau earn that label?

“Just from hours and hours studying film, learning certain techniques that are used not only from my teammates but other linebackers in the league,” Muasau said. “Taking the good things from their games and learning from their mistakes.”