Pro Football Focus recently ranked all NFL defensive lines by separating them into tiers — six in total. The New York Giants fell under “Tier 5: Relying on younger players to make the leap” at No. 22 overall.
The lowest tier, tier 6, is titled “Question marks at multiple positions,” so, in theory, it could be worse.
The Giants’ defensive front has a high ceiling, but that’s reliant on Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari performing at a high level in their first and second NFL seasons, respectively. Thibodeaux has ideal pass-rush traits off the edge that led to a 91.5 pass-rushing grade at Oregon in 2021, but it can sometimes take players in the trenches a season or two to find their footing once jumping to the NFL. Ojulari does have one of those years under his belt already — earning just a 56.9 PFF pass-rush grade despite some success in the pressure column (42).
Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence form a nice foundation on the interior, but the Giants need Thibodeaux and Ojulari to hit to really elevate the unit.
