The New York Giants have yet to play a down in 2024, but there is much optimism surrounding parts of the team, specifically the defensive front, which saw two players land on the top-100 players list compiled by Dallas Robinson of Pro Football Network.
Nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II came in at No. 19 on the list, which is no surprise given how dominating his game has become. Lawrence, arguably one of, if not the best, interior defensive linemen in the game today, has seen his production skyrocket once he switched to playing more of a nose tackle role.
One of the things that makes Lawrence so special is how effortlessly he moves despite his size (6-4 and 340 pounds). This was not lost on Robinson, who added, “While most defensive tackles his size merely take up space, Lawrence finished seventh among interior defenders with 65 pressures in 2023.
Lawrence managed that production despite playing most of his snaps in the A gap, aligned head-up over the center, where he was regularly double-teamed at a 71% rate. He already owns the top two QB-hit seasons (28 in 2022 and 21 in 2023) among players weighing at least 340 pounds.”
Only one defensive tackle was ranked higher than Lawrence, Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs, who came in at 16th. With the retirement of Rams star Aaron Donald, the spot for the league’s best nose tackle is up for grabs, with Lawrence, Jones, and Quinnen Williams of the Jets all battling it out this season.
The other current Giants player to be listed is outside linebacker Brian Burns. Burns, previously of the Panthers, is coming off of an eight-sack campaign in 2023, and, as assistant general manager Brandon Brown noted in the third episode of Hard Knocks airing Tuesday night, Burns has more sacks than any other edge rusher in his draft class that’s already been paid.
It’s not unrealistic to wonder if, had the Panthers been in their games late into the third and fourth quarters last year, Bruns would have had even more sacks since the opponents wouldn’t have had to lean on running the ball as much to drain the clock.
“An athletic marvel, Burns was incredibly consistent for the Panthers, posting at least eight sacks and 18 QB hits in four straight years,” Robinson said. “Big Blue will blitz less often under new DC Shane Bowen, so they need Burns to help incumbent EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux get after opposing quarterbacks.”
When the Giants traded for Burns, they made him the third highest-paid edge in the league, which means they’re hoping he can transform into an elite presence on the defensive line. Adding him to a unit with Lawrence and Thibodeaux should do wonders for Burns’ next step toward becoming a more dominant player.
The Giants are counting on their defense to get home this year under pressure and force a few turnovers. Last year, the Giants were second in the league in blitz rate (45.4 percent) but 18th in pressure percentage (20.9 percent).
Blitzing is fine if you are turning those plays into pressures, but if not, then a team risks exposing the back end of the defense, which can lead to an opponent getting a fresh set of downs.
Last season, the Giants’ defense allowed 191 receiving first downs to be recorded by opponents, 18th in the league. New York is hoping that between the new scheme installed by defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, which puts more emphasis on the front seven getting home and protects the back end a little better than previous defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s more aggressive style of play, the defense will be a little more difficult to deal with this season.
