With the deadline to host top-30 visits arriving on Wednesday, the New York Giants will begin to wrap up their slate with a defensive lineman.
Aaron Wilson reports that the Giants will host Virginia Tech’s Pheldarius Payne in East Rutherford on Tuesday.
Virginia Tech @HokiesFB defensive tackle Pheldarius Payne (6-3, 285 pounds, 4.85 speed, four sacks, one forced fumble last season) has 30 visit Tuesday with #Giants per a league source @KPRC2 https://t.co/1QdDggvTfq
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 16, 2024
The 6-foot-3, 276-pound Paye also met with the Giants via Zoom in early April.
After missing the 2022 season due to an Achilles injury, Paye returned in 2023 and appeared in 13 games, recording 31 tackles (10 solo, 10 for a loss), one forced fumble, one pass defensed, and 4.0 sacks.
Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network believes Paye is a player who should be on everyone’s draft radar.
Payne’s Pro Day was also an eye-opener for teams, as he flew in the 40-yard dash at 286 pounds, clocking in at 4.85 — a time that would have ranked second among all NFL Combine participants in his positional group. His 1.65 10-yard split, a threshold that showcases a player’s initial explosiveness off the line, also would have ranked second only to LSU’s Mekhi Wingo in Indianapolis.
Combining athleticism and the knack for making plays as a football player is something NFL evaluators drool over. While not all athletes are good football players, teams in need of a defensive presence with twitch coiled up in a nearly 300-pound frame could find Payne to their liking as the draft winds down and boards begin to thin.
Paye is expected to be a mid-to-late-round draft pick but his stock is rising.
