The 10 best defensive linemen in the history of the NY Giants

The NY Giants are one of the most legendary teams in the NFL, boasting a 100-year history and four Super Bowl championships. Behind this legacy is an abundance of defensive units that defined the eras in which they played. The backbones of these defenses? Their defensive line.

During their illustrious history, the Giants have seen some of the most talented defensive linemen the league has ever seen. From early-NFL legends, to modern-day superstars, these are the 10 best defensive linemen in team history.

Criteria for selection:

With all this defensive line talent throughout the Giants' history, it's hard to narrow down who deserves to make the list. However, we developed criteria to make it a bit easier. For starters, we can't go purely based off of stats, as sacks weren't officially recorded until 1982, and didn't record solo tackles until 1994. While there are some official estimates on what players recorded, it doesn't make it any easier to judge talent on stats, especially when it comes to different positions on the line.

Alongside this, team success plays a big factor as well. If a player puts up big numbers on bad teams, they're likely to be a little lower than someone who has won multiple championships. Then there's overall talent, this won't play a huge factor, as someone from today's NFL is likely a better overall talent than that from the '50s, but it's still noteworthy to look at.

Finally, we have longevity. If a player spent the majority of their career with the Giants while racking up big-time numbers and potentially winning Super Bowls, they're going to be regarded higher than a guy who just spent a couple of seasons in New York.

Here are the 10 best defensive linemen in NY Giants history

10: Dexter Lawrence

Years with NY Giants: 2019-current
Accolades with team: Two-time Pro Bowl, two-time Second Team All-Pro

If this was based on pure talent, Dexter Lawrence would have a real case to be in the Top 3, as his level of production is genuinely unheard of for a pure nose tackle. However, since he's only been with the team for five seasons, and has just one playoff win under his belt, it's hard to put him much higher. Despite this, Lawrence has been arguably the best defensive tackle in the NFL over the last two seasons and if he keeps this up, he will undoubtedly be much higher by the time his career is over.

9. Arnold Weinmeister

Years with NY Giants: 1950-1953
Accolades with team: Four-time First Team All-Pro, four-time Pro Bowl, Pro Football Hall of Fame member

It's hard to judge a guy like Arnold Weinmeister, as he has almost no stats recorded and played just six seasons in the NFL, four with the Giants. However, during his time with the team, he was incredibly dominant and is credited as one of the first big-time names on the defensive side. Unfortunately, the lack of stats, success, and context around his game makes it difficult to place him much higher.

8. Jason Pierre-Paul

Years with NY Giants: 2010-2017
Accolades with team: Two-time Pro Bowl, First Team All-Pro, 2011 Super Bowl champion

Jason Pierre-Paul had a rather up-and-down career with the Giants. However, his highs more than make it easy to put him on our list. His 16.5-sack season in 2011 was pivotal to the team's eventual Super Bowl victory. While injuries and other issues would cut his prime a bit short, Pierre-Paul was the definition of dominant and an icon of the Giants' defense at the time.

7. Justin Tuck

Years with NY Giants: 2005-2013
Accolades with team: Two-time Pro Bowl, two-time All-Pro member, two-time Super Bowl Champion

There are few defensive linemen who showed up more in the postseason than Justin Tuck, as in the two Super Bowl appearances he played in, Tuck racked up nine combined tackles, four sacks, and four tackles for loss. Even in the regular season, Tuck was dominant, racking up four 10+ sack seasons on some truly dominant Giants defensive lines.

6. Osi Umenyiora

Years with NY Giants: 2003-2012
Accolades with team: Two-time Pro Bowl, two-time All-Pro member, two-time Super Bowl champion

The duo Osi Umenyiora formed with Tuck in the 2000s was one of the best in the entire NFL. However, it's not a stretch to say that Umenyiora had a better prime. His 2005 season saw him come fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting and in 2010, he had a league-leading 10 forced fumbles on top of 11.5 sacks. Umenyiora was a Giants icon for nine years and dominated nearly every season he was with the team.

5. George Martin

Years with NY Giants: 1975-1988
Accolades with team: 1986 Super Bowl Champion

The first player who spent their entire, complete career with the NY Giants, George Martin was a dominant force for the Giants for 13 years, being a critical part of their 1986 Super Bowl victory. His 96 sacks are good enough for third all-time in team history. He may not have the Pro Bowls that Osi has, but Martin defined what it means to be a Giant longer than most players in team history

4. Leonard Marshall

Years with NY Giants: 1983-1994
Accolades with team: Two-time Pro Bowl, two-time All-Pro member, two-time Super Bowl champion

Martin, Leonard Marshall, and Lawrence Taylor formed arguably the most dominant pass-rushing trio in the NFL for more than a decade. As for Marshall himself, he had a truly dominant prime, racking up 15.5 sacks and a whopping 99 tackles in 1985. Alongside this, he was a vital part of both of the Giants' Super Bowl wins in 1986 and 1990.

3. Jim Katcavage

Years with NY Giants: 1956-1968
Accolades with team: Three-time Pro Bowl, three-time All-Pro member, 1956 NFL Champion

The name Jim Katcavage is one the casual Giants fan may not know, as he played back in the '50s. Despite this, he was absurdly dominant, racking up 20.5 sacks in 1963 according to Pro Football Reference. While he would only win one championship during his rookie season, that doesn't change the prime he had. In just the nine seasons that have sacks recorded for Katcavage, he has 91.5 total, which ranks fourth all-time in Giants history

2. Andy Robustelli

Years with NY Giants: 1956-1964
Accolades with team: Five-time Pro Bowl, six-time All-Pro member, 1956 NFL Champion, Pro Football Hall of Fame member

He may not have spent his entire career with the NY Giants, but he was with New York for the majority of his prime and was nothing short of dominant. There are just five seasons in which Andy Robustelli has any sacks recorded, all at the end of his career, and he racked up 52.5, so we can only imagine how many Robustelli would have if they were recorded throughout his entire 14-year career.

1. Michael Strahan

Years with NY Giants: 1993-2007
Accolades with team: Seven-time Pro Bowl, six-time All-Pro member, 2001 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, NFL record holder for most sacks in a season, 2007 Super Bowl Champion, NFL Hall of Fame member

As if there was ever any doubt as to who would be No. 1 on the list. Michael Strahan is not only the best defensive lineman in NY Giants history, but one of the best the NFL has ever seen. Despite all the highs and lows, Strahan stuck with the Giants for 15 long years and it all paid off in 2007 when the team finally won a Super Bowl with him. His 2001 season will live on forever in the minds of NFL fans, as it was arguably the most dominant year a pass-rusher has ever had.

The 10 best defensive linemen in NY Giants history by solo tackles