The strength of the NY Giants’ 2020 season lied with its defense. These five players will help make it even stronger in 2021.
Like many of the more exciting and dominant teams of their past, the NY Giants in 2020 had a dominant defense.
The defense, led by the brilliant Patrick Graham and put together through a great offseason by Dave Gettleman, drastically improved itself from the year before. And in their first season together, the defense laid a foundation on which future success will now be built.
Though there is still plenty of room for improvement, this team is moving in the right direction.
The Giants’ defense went from 25th overall in 2019 to 12th overall in 2020. The defense as a unit proved it could create opportunities to win the game, while individual defenders showcased talents that resulted in new contracts, weekly awards, as well as trips to the Pro Bowl.
New additions to the team like Blake Martinez, Logan Ryan, and James Bradberry became dominant players. And their veteran experience will continue to play an important role in the development of younger playmakers.
Previous question marks like Jabrill Peppers and Leonard Williams also broke out. The former is finally winning over doubters of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade while the latter is gaining support from fans and analysts to be signed long term.
And while signing key players like Williams and fellow defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson should be priorities, the realistic expectation tells us that not everyone who wore Big Blue in 2019 will be back in 2020.
But that will only allow the younger players on this impressive defense to show how much they learned in 2019 and how much they improved this offseason.
From the D-line to the secondary, these five young players have a bright future on an up-and-coming defense, and are big-time candidates for a big breakout season.
No. 5 – Dexter Lawrence – DT
In just his second season on the NY Giants’ defensive line, Dexter Lawrence is beginning to show he could be a dominant force.
Lawrence was second on the defensive line in tackles and sacks, behind only Williams. His 53 tackles (four less than Williams) was eighth overall on the Giants, and his four sacks were tied for second.
Lawrence was a disruptive playmaker, often getting into the backfield and blowing up plays before they begin. He had seven tackles for loss, 16 quarterback pressures, six quarterback hurries, and six quarterback knockdowns. He only missed two tackles all season.
The most promising aspect of Dexter Lawrence’s progression is that he improved in every category while seeing about 100 fewer snaps.
Lawrence only had 38 tackles, missing five of them, in 2019. He added 2.5 sacks on 15 pressures that season, and also finished with five quarterback hurries and five quarterback knockdowns.
He saw plenty of time as a rookie. He played all 16 games, and he was on the field for 702 defensive snaps, or 63%. In 2020, he also played in all 16 games, but was on the field for 603 defensive snaps, or 60%.
While it would be most ideal to keep the line the way it is, it’s highly unlikely that the Giants can retain both Leonard Williams and Dalvin Tomlinson.
The best case scenario would be to keep Williams and Lawrence together. Lawrence led Tomlinson in all categories outside tackles for loss (Lawrence had 7 vs. Tomlinson’s 9.5) and pass deflections (2 vs. 4).
But here, too, Lawrence improved from his rookie season. Lawrence only had 4.5 tackles for loss in 2019, and one pass deflection.
Lawrence is a bigger body lineman than Tomlinson, but is far more agile as a pass rusher. He has a bright future in the NFL, and his star will only rise 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.
No. 3 Tae Crowder – LB
Mr. Irrelevant of the 2020 NFL Draft proved to be one of the best picks during his rookie campaign. And where Oshane Ximines could become a breakout specialist player, Tae Crowder has the chance to become an every down force as a NY Giants’ linebacker.
Crowder finished fifth on the Giants’ defense in tackles, with 57. Impressive enough, but what really stands out is the time it took him to rack up as many tackles as he did.
He was the only player in the Giants’ top five defenders who played in fewer than 15 games. In fact, he was the only player in the Giants’ top ten defenders who played in fewer than 15 games.
In his first two games (Weeks 2 and 3), he primarily played special teams. He only recorded one tackle between both games, in Week 2, when he didn’t get a single snap on defense. He played two snaps on defense in Week 3 but did not record a single tackle.
In eight of his nine subsequent games (he missed Week 7 – Week 11), he was on the field playing the majority of defensive snaps. He started in six games.
The Giants would be wise to keep starting Tae Crowder. In addition to his 57 tackles, he pressured the quarterback four times on 21 blitzes, and added a sack, a hurry, and a knockdown.
Crowder does have room to improve in his pass coverage; quarterbacks averaged a rating of 96 when he was covering the targeted receiver. That happened 24 times, and receivers had 18 catches for 181 yards on him.
But the good sign there is that he did not allow a single touchdown while in pass coverage.
The Giants’ defense has been in a linebacker drought since Antonio Pierce was on the field. Blake Martinez, who finished third in the NFL in tackles with 151, will be the anchor, the leader, and the voice of the defense going forward.
But Tae Crowder proved that he can hang. And if his rookie season is any indication, he’s in for a big year in 2021.
No. 2 Xavier McKinney – S
The Giants knew coming into the 2020 season that they needed help in the secondary. So, they drafted Xavier McKinney from Alabama in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Unfortunately McKinney missed the majority of the season.
But he hit the field in Week 12, and since then McKinney’s shown promise to become everything Dave Gettleman hoped he could be when drafting him.
After getting his feet wet on special teams in Weeks 12 and 13, McKinney started the last four games. And both his production and his percentage of game plan increased with each game.
He recorded four tackles in Week 14 and again in Week 15, then recorded eight tackles in Week 16 and eight more in Week 17. But his game-sealing interception late in the fourth quarter will be the reason fans should get excited to see more.
McKinney proved he has a good nose for the ball, something vital for a safety to thrive. It is easy to forget that he should have had two interceptions in Week 17. Just four minutes into the game, McKinney intercepted a short pass by Andy Dalton, but it was called back due to defensive holding. Further, he also recorded his first pass deflection in that game against the Giants’ in-division rivals.
He finished the year with 25 tackles, one tackle for loss, an interception, and a pass deflection.
He’s also done well in pass coverage. On 13 targets, he’s allowed 12 completions, but for only 96 yards. He hasn’t let up a touchdown, and quarterbacks only average a rating of 65.4 when looking his way.
Xavier McKinney was expected to come into 2020 as an NFL-ready starter. It took a little while to heal up, but once he started playing, fans saw those expectations become reality.
McKinney only got better the more he played in his rookie season. Look for him to continue that trend in 2021.
No. 1 Darnay Holmes – CB
The cornerback position is the weakest link in the Giants’ defense. But, Darnay Holmes, the team’s fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, showed he could help fortify that hole.
Holmes played in 12 games, starting in 5. The most impressive aspect from his rookie campaign is that Holmes led rookie DBs in targets without allowing a single touchdown.
Holmes was targeted 44 times and allowed 33 completions for 339 yards. He had five pass deflections and one interception. Opposing quarterbacks averaged a rating of 87.2 when targeting the rookie.
He found other ways to make himself useful on Patrick Graham’s defense. Holmes was sent on 23 blitzes, recording half a sack, a hurry, and a quarterback knockdown on three pressures. He finished with 30 tackles, but has some room to improve in this arena; he missed seven tackles.
With a healthy Xavier McKinney starting along the emerging Jabrill Peppers, the corner position will no doubt improve. Logan Ryan can now play his natural corner position opposite Pro Bowler James Bradberry.
But teams know if they are going to beat the Giants’ defense, they’ll need to do so through the air. And Darnay Holmes showed enough potential for fans to feel confident.
He’s unlikely to take a starting position away from Ryan or Bradberry. But pending what scheme the defense is in, or if someone misses time or needs a rest, Holmes would make for a promising option.
If you happen see Darnay Holmes on the field, expect to see him making plays.