Grading New York Giants Third-round Pick Darius Alexander (Toledo)

The New York Giants entered Day 2 of the NFL draft with just one pick available and selected interior defensive lineman Darius Alexander from Toledo.

"Where we are, we felt we needed to add some youth to the defensive line, and this kid is just under 6'4", 315 pounds, 34-inch arms and freaky athletic," said Giants general manager Joe Schoen.

"Down at the Senior Bowl and he had a really good week, and (defensive line coach) Dre Patterson, thinks the world of him and (assistant defensive line coach) Bryan Cox and getting a guy like this that can come in and develop with the depth that we have. Again, a high ceiling for this player, so we're excited to add another player to our front seven."

The Giants have now used two of their three picks on the defensive front, fully embracing the mindset of “the quarterback can’t see with tears in eyes.”

Alexander will be inserted into a perfect situation for him to thrive with first-round pick Abdul Carter, the dynamic duo of Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux on the edge, and all-world nose tackle Dexter Lawrence.

The opportunity to earn immediate playing time will be there for Alexander, who can line up at any spot on the interior and cause havoc. He’ll likely primarily play the 3-technique next to Lawrence, but when Lawrence takes a break, he can handle occasional nose tackle duties.

Getting after the quarterback is the name of the game now, and it’s also Alexander’s bread and butter, picking up 37 pressures for Toledo in 2024.

Alexander's pass-rush plan is the most impressive part of his game. He uses his length and acceleration to initiate his rush, but he also uses a club and swim to penetrate, and when those don’t work, he can counter them.

My questions about Alexander revolve around factors that are no longer in his control, like the fact that he's a 25-year-old rookie who played in the MAC.

Age won’t matter if Alexander hits. If Alexander is a contributor who can make it to a second contract, that would easily justify the third-round pick.

Playing in the MAC just raises the question about the level of competition, but that will be answered early on when he starts competing against NFL offensive linemen.

This selection is just one more in what I think is a very strong Giants draft class. The Giants have added two potential franchise players, Carter and quarterback Jaxson Dart, whom they traded up for on Day 1.

Schoen is pleased with how the front seven has taken shape this offseason.

"There's a lot of depth there. I'm excited about the group. Again, we've got to do a better job stopping the run this year, and I think we helped that with some of the depth," he said.

If we can get to 3rd down we've got a lot of options in terms of where guys can line up in terms of versatility. (Defensive lineman) Chauncey (Golston) has got some versatility.

"Darius has got some versatility. Obviously with (linebacker Abdul) Carter, there are some versatile pieces in there that can move around, and that can be difficult for offenses."

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