NY Giants: 5 breakout candidates for defense in 2021

No. 4 Oshane Ximines – LB

Second-year edge rusher Oshane Ximines could have fit either on the defensive line or in the linebacker corps. And that’s one main reason he is in for a big year in 2021.

Ximines unfortunately missed the last three-fourths of the season. But in his small sample size he looked ready to pick up where his rookie season left off.

He started three out of the four games he played in 2020, but only played the majority of the defensive snaps in Week 3.

His final stats in the small sample show Ximines was on his way to have at least as a productive season as his rookie campaign. Across four games, he had five tackles, one of which was a tackle for loss, and did not miss a single tackle.

For reference, he played all 16 games in 2019 and recorded 25 tackles, nine quarterback hits, and 4.5 sacks.

Of the 110 plays he was on the field in 2020, Ximines was sent on 11 blitzes. He pressured the quarterback five times, knocked him down three times, and hurried him twice. The knockdowns and hurries matched his rookie totals on far fewer blitzes, which is great. But he did not record a single sack, which is not.

But he got close. And as a pass rushing specialist, he made his presence in the backfield known.

Ximines would fit best in special situations, such as a designed blitz. But he’s talented enough to be on the field to play complementary to Martinez, covering the flats and establishing a presence on the outside. And at 6’4”, 252 pounds, Graham can even throw him on the defensive line.

Oshane Ximines is a hybrid weapon who should work like a kind of pass-rushing swiss army knife. If he can stay healthy, he should thrive in Patrick Graham’s defense.