Giants' forgotten draft pick is trending upward at the perfect time

Arvell Reese’s arrival earlier this offseason only furthered the mounting speculation about a possible Kayvon Thibodeaux trade. 

Lost in the shuffle is another young New York Giants pass-rusher, albeit one even the most loyal fans may have forgotten. The Giants used a third-round pick on Toledo defensive end Darius Alexander last April, and he picked up 3 ½ sacks and four tackles for loss.

Most of that production came in an overtime loss to the Lions last November, when he became the first Giants rookie with multiple first-half sacks since Jason Pierre-Paul in 2010. Don’t plan on seeing Alexander changing teams anytime soon, not if he can further justify Joe Schoen’s decision to draft a mid-major defender. 

What Giants fans must know about Darius Alexander

The Dexter Lawrence trade, as well as Roy Robertson-Harris’ season-ending Achilles injury, created major problems for the Giants’ defensive line. 

Veterans Shelby Harris and DJ Reader are expected to start on the interior, and sixth-round rookie Bobby Jamison-Travis has garnered much attention throughout the offseason.

Then, there’s the 6-foot-4, 310-pound Alexander. Alexander worked his way into 16 games last year, and he was an accomplished defensive lineman at Toledo. He recorded nine sacks, 22 tackles for loss, and a pick-six over five collegiate seasons. It was a quiet rookie season, but it was not without reasons for optimism.

Pro Football Focus didn’t think highly of Alexander, ranking him No. 121 of 134 qualified interior defensive linemen. He especially struggled against the run, earning an abysmal 30.3 run defense grade from PFF.

The easy knock against Alexander is that he played at a Mid-American Conference program. But, as anyone who pays attention to the sport knows, you don’t play college football by accident. 

College sports are not youth programs where everyone plays. Schools come calling for the best athletes worldwide. Look how many mid-major standouts, whether they’re in the MAC or Division III, are ending their college careers with Power 4 teams. 

Alexander saw firsthand what happens when you give coaches a reason to play you. It’s always noteworthy when a mid-round pick earns regular snaps, even if it’s on a miserable 3-14 team. 

Do we expect Alexander to finish with more sacks than Reese, Thibodeaux, and Abdul Carter combined? Absolutely not. 

Is it nonetheless possible that Alexander will find a home in Dennard Wilson’s defense? Absolutely.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow