Last season, we saw the NY Giants defense take a bit of a leap into becoming one of the better cores in the NFL. Now, entering 2023 with multiple improvements having been made, the Giants are looking to hopefully have a repeat season in terms of success. The odds of this happening rely heavily on the defense's top players continuing their strong level of play.
These seven guys mean the most to the Giants' defense. Without them, the team would be much worse than they currently are. However, the question must be asked; which player on the Giants' defense is the most important to their cause? Here, we rank the top seven defensive studs for Big Blue:
7. EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux
Keep in mind that this is based on importance, not who's the best. If it were the other way around, Kayvon Thibodeaux would likely be much higher. However, with some of the players the Giants added, Thibodeaux was pushed down a couple of spots. This doesn't mean he isn't super important, though, don't get us wrong.
Thibodeaux may not be as big of an impact player compared to others, but he's still incredibly important to the Giants' defense. Last season, he racked up 49 combined tackles, four sacks, five pass deflections, and two forced fumbles. In addition to this, Thibodeaux was also responsible for multiple game-changing plays throughout the 2022 season.
Entering 2023, Thibodeaux will likely make the leap into stardom and shoot up our list of important defenders. He was already a game-changer at times in his rookie season, so we can only imagine what an offseason of improvement could do for the former No. 5 overall pick.
The pair of Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari has the chance to be among some of the best pass-rushing duos in the entire NFL. While this mostly relies on Ojulari staying healthy, we're confident in the abilities of Thibodeaux and what he'll be able to do heading into next season and beyond.
6. CB Deonte Banks
Last season, one of the biggest holes on the Giants' defense was the lack of a consistent outside corner to play opposite of Adoree' Jackson. However, after being selected No. 24 overall in this year's draft, it seems like Joe Schoen finally found the Giants guy at CB2. This is what makes Banks so important. He may have his ups and downs as a rookie, but he is filling an incredibly important position.
The Giants need Banks to provide a skillset the team hasn't had in a long time now. He doesn't have to be perfect, but the bar for a second outside corner is so low that he could just be on the field and it would be an improvement. However, we know Banks will be great on Day 1 - there's a reason Schoen and the Giants' front office were so high on him.
Throughout his final season at Maryland, Banks allowed 26 receptions on 60 targets for 258 yards and four touchdowns. Alongside this, Banks snagged an interception and broke up eight passes. Prior to the draft, Banks was considered to be arguably the third best corner in the draft, making him a huge steal at 24th overall.
If Banks pans out, he could singlehandedly change the Giants' pass defense. No longer will they have to consistently run a soft zone in order to counter their lack of elite CB play. Pairing Banks and Jackson could allow more press-man schemes to be run while focusing on rushing the passer.
5. DL Leonard Williams
He may not be the dominant pass-rusher he once was. However, Leonard Williams has shaped into one of the better run-stopping defensive lineman in the NFL and he has been a core piece of the Giants' defense since he was traded for. Entering his fourth full season with the NY Giants, Williams is looking to continue being a big factor for the team's defensive line.
While he dealt with injuries throughout last season, his presence was still felt when on the field. In the 12 games he played, Williams racked up 45 combined tackles, five tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and 33 pressures. Williams was also the 19th highest-graded defensive lineman in the NFL according to PFF.
If Williams returns to full health next season, expect some more domination between him and Dexter Lawrence. The duo these two have formed in recent seasons has become one of the best in the NFL. The impact Williams and Lawrence have had makes it almost impossible to tell that the Giants haven't had a starting-caliber linebacker in over five years.
Hopefully, Schoen works out an extension with the 29-year-old standout in order to keep him around for the next couple of years. With all the additions the Giants have made they can't afford to lose someone as important as Williams.
4. CB Adoree' Jackson
While he has missed a decent amount of games since joining the NY Giants, Jackson has been a beacon of consistency when healthy. The Giants have struggled to find footing at the corner position since the days of Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. However, since signing, Jackson has been the team's most consistent player on defense.
In two seasons with the Giants, Jackson has allowed 63 receptions on 115 targets for just 642 yards, four touchdowns, one interception, and 12 pass deflections. To put how good he's been into perspective, Jackson has allowed fewer yards and touchdowns in two seasons than Trevon Diggs allowed in just 2022. Despite being the clear better player, though, Jackson has zero Pro Bowls to his name.
This goes to show how underrated Jackson has been in recent years. He may not be a superstar, but he's consistently been an incredibly solid corner since being drafted. There were several moments where Jackson looked like a Pro Bowl caliber player last season before he suffered a leg injury.
The duo Banks and Jackson will create on the outside in the coming years will be incredibly exciting to watch. Jackson is just 27 and has many years left of his prime. Pairing that next to a top rookie CB in Banks will make for what could be a top CB duo.
3. S Xavier McKinney
During the periods in which Xavier McKinney missed time due to injuries, his absence was incredibly apparent. The impact McKinney has on the Giants' defense is quite underrated and without him, the team's defense was notably worse, especially when it came to their ability to stop deep passes.
When on the field, opposing offenses fear McKinney's ability to track down any ball that goes deep in the secondary. His presence on the field changes the way opposing offenses play a lot of the time. This is why he didn't have as many interceptions in 2022 as he did in '21. His skillset wasn't as known in 2021, so teams weren't afraid to test him. Now, teams know just what he's capable of.
Hopefully, McKinney can remain healthy for the entirety of the 2023 season. They need him to be considering that they lost Julian Love and have a big question to answer about who will be playing next to McKinney. The defense needs the consistency and elite ball-hawking skills McKinney brings to the table all season long.
Expect the noise surrounding McKinney to get much louder in '23. Not only will he continue to improve, but with how well the Giants looked last season and going into next, the media will be all over this team. It's only a matter of time before everyone's made aware of McKinney's talent.
2. LB Bobby Okereke
For the first time in years, the Giants finally have a starting-caliber linebacker manning the position. Okereke may not have been the best player at his position available this offseason. However, the deal Schoen signed him too alongside what he brings to the table is a match made in heaven for both sides.
Gone are the days of Tae Crowder and Jaylon Smith. Now, the Giants have a bonafide star manning the linebacker position and fans couldn't be more excited. Through 17 games last season, Okereke racked up 151 combined tackles, six tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. In addition to this, Okereke isn't a complete liability in coverage. He certainly isn't a specialist, but by no means is he a bad coverage 'backer.
The lack of a starting-level linebacker has been one of the biggest issues on the Giants' defense and it has finally been solved. Okereke will make a massive impact on the defense as a whole. Adding the sort of player to what the Giants already have on defense could turn their core into one of the best in the league.
Okereke will make the lives of Williams and Lawrence so much easier. This could allow them to put more of an emphasis on their pass-rushing abilities. This would be absolutely terrifying for opposing offenses. The Giants already had a great pass-rushing core last season. Allowing two of its best players to put more focus on attacking the QB could have incredible results.
1. DL Dexter Lawrence
Was there any doubt? Not only is Lawrence by far the NY Giants' most important player on defense, but he's one of the best defensive players in the NFL. The jump he took in 2022 was not only unprecedented, but just flat-out absurd. Lawrence had come off of three seasons of being an average DT and in one season he became arguably the best player at his position.
Last season, Lawrence racked up 68 combined tackles, 7.5 sacks, 63 pressures, and two forced fumbles. Not only was Lawrence arguably the best pass-rushing nose tackle, but he was also incredibly elite as a run stopper.
This jump Lawrence made last season was the exact thing the Giants needed to propel themselves into the playoffs. The defense had plenty of solid players, but they were really lacking in a sure shot star. Not many may have expected it, but I guess we can say it was pleasant surprise.
After signing a massive extension this offseason, it's up to Lawrence to continue playing at such a high level. If he can continue to improve like he projects to, the league will have a massive problem to deal with in the trenches.
READ MORE: 5 star players the NY Giants could have drafted in the past 5 years