Which Clemson DE Should The New York Giants Draft?

Either through the draft or free agency or both, the anemic New York Giants pass rush will need to be addressed. Jerry Reese seems interested in re-signing both Robert Ayers and Jason-Pierre Paul, but even if both defensive ends are on the roster in 2016, more help is required.

As the combine wraps up, the Giants and Reese will have two Clemson defensive ends pretty high up their draft board. Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd played on opposite sides of the line in college and terrorized QBs during their tenure at Clemson. But which pass rusher is a better fit for the Giants?

Lawson’s performance at the combine could only raise his already lofty draft stock. He ran a 4.70 in the 40-yard dash, which was fourth-best among defensive linemen. At 270-pounds, Lawson’s explosiveness was in question before he worked out. His 4.21 in the 20-yard shuttle should be enough to silence those doubts.

Dodd has prototypical size at 6’5”, 275 pounds, but showed off his underrated speed at the combine. He clocked a 4.86-second 40-yard dash, just .06 slower than Noah Spence, another target for the Giants. Dodd notched 12 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss in 2015, but it was his first year as a starter, so there’s room to improve.

So, how will Reese evaluate these two Clemson prospects? Aaron Brenner of The Post and Courier wrote, “It’s a slim difference… If you look at the body of work, you would go Lawson. If you look at this one year, and certainly the way he played in the championship game, you would go Dodd.”
Both these Clemson DEs have a first-round grade with Lawson having a slight edge over Dodd. Who would you rather see playing alongside Ayers or JPP next season?