New York Giants DL Darius Alexander: The Good, The Great, and The Ugly

We take a look at the positives and negatives from Darius Alexander's first season with the Giants.

New York Giants defensive tackle Darius Alexander | John Jones-Imagn Images

The New York Giants struggled in 2025, but their rookie class gave fans plenty to be excited about. One of those rookies was third-round pick defensive lineman Darius Alexander. 

After a rather quiet training camp and preseason, the versatile interior defender was able to carve out a substantial role for himself on the defense. He showed why many believed he was a steal as a third-round pick. 

His ability to anchor and hold his position in run defense, or even in his pass rush, makes him a great schematic fit. 

Even with his explosion needing to improve, he should be trending towards a starting position on this defense in 2026. 

Let’s take a look at the good, the great, and the ugly from Alexander's rookie campaign.

The Good: Ability to Anchor in Run Defense

The Good of #NYGiants rookie defensive tackle Darius Alexander is his ability to anchor and control his gap in run defense. pic.twitter.com/SmUBEH6cip

— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) February 10, 2026

Alexander understands how to anchor down when necessary, especially in run defense. He does a good job of controlling his gap and understands how to drop his center of gravity when being blocked. 

He uses his arms to press blockers and keep them off his body. He also knows when to shed blockers and attack the ball carrier before they get up the field. One of his better traits is his ability to fight against the double team. 

He knows how to wedge his body in between both blockers to keep from getting knocked off the ball.

Many times, you will see the ball carrier heading towards the gap where Alexander is being doubled, and they have to change direction because he has clouded the rushing lanes around him.

The Great: One-Gap Control in the Pass Rush

The Great of #NYGiants DT Darius Alexander is his ability to control one gap in the pass rush. He will continue to bring a steady controlled rush on the interior. pic.twitter.com/Q6fcBUITKW

— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) February 10, 2026

Alexander is not going to overwhelm you with his speed as a pass rusher. He is also not going to be demonstrative with power moves. But what he does really well is control his gap so that when a quarterback looks to escape, he's right there to make a play. 

When he attacks a gap as a pass rusher, he does a great job of using his leverage hand to occupy the blocker while displacing them several yards into the backfield. 

He can then use his free hand to swipe off or shed the blocker and make a play on the quarterback if they try to escape. 

He forces interior linemen to keep their feet moving; if they get lazy, he can turn them and create a path to the quarterback. While he still doesn't possess all of the fancy pass-rushing moves of his edge-rushing counterparts, his ability to own his gap anywhere vertically has made him successful in the pass rush as a rookie.

The Ugly: Lack of Violence and Explosion in Pass Rush

The Ugly of #NYGiants DT Darius Alexander is his lack of violence or explosiveness especially in his pass rush. Something he will need to work on in the off season. pic.twitter.com/NW78aWXJhl

— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) February 10, 2026

For as good as Alexander is at owning his gap, it never looks violent, and it rarely looks explosive. His ball get-off is just normal; he doesn't move with the same quickness or urgency as some of the other interior linemen. 

He also never seems to jolt an offensive lineman. While he can get movement and knock them back, it is usually only after he has built up a head of steam. Rarely do you see him fire off the line, shoot his arms, and truly jolt an opponent. 

Because he doesn't seem to be seeking out the violence, he gets washed away or runs around the quarterback a lot of times in the pass rush because he's not fighting to keep his vertical line. 

You can see him get pushed out and run around the quarterback in those instances. There are too many instances in which he finds himself in the backfield near the quarterback, yet he is never a threat to him. That is a legitimate problem.

Coach's Corner

This is a big offseason for Alexander—not because he's under any pressure, but because he has a legitimate opportunity to claim a starting position in what seems to be a defense that will rely on a three-man front. 

He needs to continue improving his explosiveness off the line, work on his punch, and use his long arms to generate momentum and jolt offensive linemen. If that happens, he could find himself in a starting position next season.

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