Giants Get Pass Rush Help in Todd McShay's Mock Draft Version 1.0 Edition
Could the New York Giants be in line to get some pass rush help?
That’s the opinion of ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay, who in his first mock draft of 2021 has Miami (Fla.) sophomore edge rusher Gregory Rousseau projected to the Giants at No. 11 overall.
Here’s what McShay had to say regarding his projection:
The Giants managed 40 sacks this season, thanks in large part to Leonard Williams bouncing back and getting 11.5 of them. But few would argue against the Giants needing edge-rushing help to take a much-improved defense to the next level, particularly if they don't return Williams, who played this season on the franchise tag. Rousseau opted out this season, but he had 15.5 sacks for the Hurricanes in 2019 and has speed and power coming around the corner. Alternatively, offensive line, wide receiver, or cornerback could be areas to keep an eye on for New York.
Let’s first tackle the idea of adding an edge rusher for a Giants team whose sack total was the 13th best in the league.
While you can probably make an argument that Leonard Williams has developed into a player capable of keeping opposing defensive coordinator up at night these days, if the Giants truly want to take that next step, they’re going to need more than one player capable of getting home to the quarterback on a semi-consistent basis.
Edge rusher Lorenzo Carter looked like he was starting to arrive as a pass rusher until a torn Achilles ended his season early. Carter also looked like he was developing into a well-rounded edge player who could also hold up against the run.
As for the rest of the Giants young pass rushers, they’re still very much works in progress, including Oshane Ximines, who is working his way back from a season-ending shoulder injury, and rookies Carter Coughlin and Cam Brown, both of whom showed some intrigue as pass rushers, have not yet shown they’re every-down players.
Rosseau, who opted out of the 2020 season and declared for the 2021 draft, racked up 19.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks in 2019., which isn’t bad production by any stretch of the imagination.
Would the Giants use a high draft pick on a player that sat out this season and who, as a result, might have a longer curve in becoming NFL ready? Only they can answer that question but considering how well the defense functioned last year in the pass rush. At the same time, the offense struggled to produce points, so a very early guess is that the Giants, in the first round, will probably look for an explosive playmaker.
