Jason Pierre Paul: 10 sacks in 2016
Jason Pierre-Paul had a combined 29 sacks in his best two seasons (2011, 2014). Over the other four seasons of his six-year career, he has 14 total. Returning from a gruesome fireworks accident which mangled his right hand last year, Pierre-Paul recorded only one sack in eight games.
This year, the Giants’ defensive line appears to be its strongest unit. The sturdy Johnathan Hankins will once again anchor the middle, with fearsome free agent signee Damon “Snacks” Harrison now by his side. Opposite Pierre-Paul, the Giants brought in Olivier Vernon, giving them a two-headed monster on the ends not seen since the days of Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora.
Opposing offensive lines won’t be able to block all of them, but they will want to focus on one. That will likely be Pierre-Paul. He’s the most disruptive player on the unit and his freakish athleticism is a rarity, even in a league full of freakish athletes.
Pierre-Paul’s value is bigger than his sack total. When he dominates his match-up, he frees up the rest of the line as well as the linebacker behind him. Pierre-Paul is also good against the run. He will make a big impact in 2016, but don’t expect offenses to let him go one-on-one too often.