The 2011 New York Giants didn’t exactly roll into the postseason looking like juggernauts. They finished 9-7, gave up more points than they scored, and looked mediocre at multiple points during the season.
But the moment the playoffs started, everything clicked — and that front four wreaked absolute havoc. The pass-rush trio of Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora was unstoppable.
But if the G-Men had a soft spot defensively, it was stopping the run. Yes, they still won the Super Bowl — 21-17 over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots — but with the benefit of hindsight, you can’t help but wonder: what if New York had doubled down in the trenches and taken a run-stuffer like Marcell Dareus instead of Prince Amukamara at No. 19?
That’s exactly what Pro Football Focus did in their reimagined 2011 NFL Draft. Instead of sticking with Amukamara, New York selects Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, a former No. 3 overall pick, to beef up the interior of their defensive line and create an unstoppable inside-out force.
Marcell Dareus gives Giants a dominant interior presence in 2011 re-draft
Dareus never turned into the pass-rushing menace some expected, but what he did bring was high-end production against the run and the ability to plug up lanes in a way the Giants could have utilized.
PFF notes: “Dareus recorded PFF overall grades of just 69.9 and 65.8 in 2011 and 2012, respectively, but his 85.4 mark in 2013 started a run of six consecutive seasons with 78.0-plus PFF overall grades. His best work always came in run defense, but he never developed into a standout pass rusher.”
And that would’ve been perfectly fine in New York. With Tuck, JPP, and Umenyiora handling the edges, Dareus could’ve slotted right into the rotation and eaten up blockers without needing the sack numbers to follow. He finished his NFL career with 37.5 sacks and 365 total tackles — a resume more than worthy of bolstering that 2011 Super Bowl team.
Amukamara, to his credit, was a solid player and did contribute to that Super Bowl team. He logged an interception in his debut season and made a few tackles in the playoffs, but injuries consistently derailed any momentum he built.
He played more than 13 games just once during his five years with Big Blue.
In this alternate reality, New York sacrifices a reliable, if unlucky, cornerback for a disruptive interior lineman who might’ve made their 2011 title run even easier. No one’s rewriting history — the ring is the ring — but Dareus might’ve helped turn a 9-7 nail-biter of a season into something far more brutal for opposing offenses.