Where Giants Stand Ahead of Draft at Edge Rusher

The Giants tied for the second-fewest sacks in the NFL in 2019, and the departure of their leading pass rusher Markus Golden put's the unit in deep water ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Giants haven't invested a first-round pick on a pass rusher in over a decade. Could this be the year they finally break that streak?

On The Roster

Lorenzo Carter, Oshane Ximines, Kyler Fackrell, David Mayo

Off The Roster

Markus Golden (Unsigned), Kareem Martin (Cut)

The Breakdown

The Giants' edge rush is the thinnest unit on the entire roster. It's seen the least investment in both draft capital and overall salary cap of any current position group on defense. And there is a legitimate concern that general manager Dave Gettleman's skimping on the unit to this point will hold the defense back in 2020 if it's not given substantial priority in the upcoming draft.

Carter and Ximines represent the only draft picks that Gettleman has invested in the Giants' pass rush, and they have not proven thus far to be the premium investments needed to fulfill what is one of the most premium position groups in the NFL.

Carter and Ximines, both third-round picks, each put up 4.5 sacks in 2019, which is something, but more is needed. And the only free agent Gettleman added this offseason in Fackrell, is coming off a less-impressive season with just one sack as a follow-up to his 10.5 sack season of 2018.

The loss of Golden opens up the potential for Carter and Ximines to see more snaps in 2020, but the depth behind the two youngsters is nearly barren.

Fackrell boasts a record as a prominent pass rushing option, with a double-digital sack season in 2018 under his belt, but is that one good season enough to warrant the expectation that he replaces Golden's 10-sack production in 2020?

Between the three, Ximines presents the most hope for the pass rush, as he tallied all 4.5 of his sacks and ten quarterback pressures with the least playing time in 2019.

Ximines only started two games last season, and with the unit as thin as it is, one should expect him to compete for a full-time starting role in Patrick Graham's defense.

Ximines showed development at the NFL level, especially considering his small-school background, with a 0.0% missed tackle rate, 25 total tackles and five tackles for a loss as a rookie.

If his second-year jump resembles his jump from college to the NFL, then he should be the favorite to emerge as the top player in a thin edge-rushing unit.

Carter's role did see a prominent second-year jump, as he started 12 games in 2019. Carter also matched Ximines' sack total while playing a variety of other roles in the previous regime's defensive schemes.

The majority of Carter's snaps last year put him in pass coverage and limited his opportunities to rush the quarterback.

If Graham gives Carter more pass-rushing opportunities in 2020, then it could manifest in a higher individual sack total, but then again, Carter was not seen as a pass-rushing specialist coming out of Georgia in 2018.

Meanwhile, Fackrell, as the veteran of the group, is playing with a lot at stake in 2020. Fackrell comes to the Giants on a one-year deal, needing to put up big numbers to earn a real contract after this year.

It's a similar opportunity that the Giants extended to Golden last offseason. While the Golden signing yielded the Giants their only double-digit sack artist in 2019, it ultimately still left them with one of the lowest team sack totals in the league and now a gutting departure.

The fact that replicating Golden's situation is the best-case scenario for the Fackrell signing just goes to show how frail the Giants' edge-rushing unit truly is.

"You can’t manufacture it, and you can’t overpay for it," Gettleman said of the pass rush. "What it really comes down to is it doesn’t matter who gets the sacks, it’s about how many sacks you get. It is about how much pressure you apply. Some of this is going to have to come through scheme.

"Obviously, we haven’t gone through the draft yet. With where we’re at, would I not want two defensive ends that are 25 sacks a year, guys? Who doesn’t? We are not in that position right now, so we will keep building it."

Reinforcements Coming?

So far, Gettleman has opted to skip on the high-profile free agents that hit the pass rush market this offseason. Jadeveon Clowney is still unsigned, and Yannick Ngakoue appears to be available via trade, but Gettleman has limited his options after his off-season spending spree on other positions.

Meanwhile, Golden is still unsigned, but bringing him back might ultimately bottleneck the development of potential long-term pass-rushing answers in exchange for above-average short-term results.

That leaves the draft as the Giants' best well for finding more sacks in 2020. With the fourth overall pick, the Giants probably won't have a chance at Ohio State's Chase Young, and beyond Young, there might not be a pass-rusher worthy of a pick that high.

Even then, despite the edge-rushing group being the weakest unit on the Giants' roster, Gettleman is still expected to target an offensive tackle with the fourth pick. When the Giants pick at 36th overall in the second round, who might be available?

Between Wisconsin's Zack Baun, Notre Dame's Julian Okwara, Michigan's Josh Uche, Alabama's Terrell Lewis, and Boise State's Curtis Weaver, at least one will be available when Gettleman picks on the second day. Waiting any deeper in the draft to address the edge will prolong the Giants' cycle of missing on necessary pass-rush options and an annually regressing sack total.

But even a second-round pick might not be enough to supplement the Giants' pass rush enough. The move to acquire an additional first-round pick, just as Gettleman did last year to take cornerback DeAndre Baker, could net the Giants a chance to get a player that offers more impact. Some possibilities include LSU's K'Lavon Chaisson, Penn State's Yetur Gross-Matos, and Iowa's AJ Epenesa.

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