The New York Giants Top Three Defensive Picks and Signings During the Offseason

The Giants’ management has struggled to make things happen over the course of the past few years when it comes to the rebuilding of their team. Their choices during the draft have been a bust, and they have done decently to continue building the team. This year, they had a big focus on what they were going to do with the defensive line. It is one of the weakest points that the Giants have had within the last few years. There have been many openings, and a lot has been dependent on both Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence to make the stops happen. The Giants realize this cannot be the case, so they made some big decisions over the course of the offseason as to whole they should add and some of them have already set the tone for the stronger line this year, Paulson Adebo, Abdul Carter, and Darius Alexander all show what they are going to do during this coming season. 

Paulson Adebo 

Adebo’s move to New York has already been an area where the Giants have really turned things around. He is primarily a veteran cornerback but comes bearing with versatility, especially in nickel and heavy pass rushing packages. Adebo was always someone there to help make moves happen on the defensive line. In 2023, when he was playing for the Saints, this cornerback recorded a total of 76 tackles, 18 pass deflections, and managed to get four interceptions and two forced fumbles all within 15 games. An area the Giants have struggled in for the last couple of years. Having him signed to their roster and knowing what he’s capable of has already brought some of the defense up to par with where it needs to be for this season. This veteran did suffer a femur injury in the 2024 season, finishing with 52 tackles, 10 PDs, three interceptions, all in over seven games. However, that is not stopping him this year. The Giants were smart to jump on him when the free agency market opened because he was able to help put an end to anyone getting by and getting the Giants the ball back. 

Abdul Carter 

Carter has been the talk of the Giants since the moment he was the Giants’ third overall draft pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. He is also a monster and a force to be reckoned with. Carter was a leader when he was at Penn State. This young rookie linebacker led the nation with 23.5 tackles for loss and tallied 12.0 sacks. Carter earned honors and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He is already considered one of the greats for the Giants with how well he has done in OTAs. The Giants needed to add one more to their defensive line for this year, and he is the perfect guy to add in with both Burns and Lawrence. He has the ability to finish plays and brings upgrades to the pass rush that is already led by Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Lawrence. 

Darius Alexander 

One of the last areas that the Giants made the decision to rebuild on the defensive line was in the choice made with Alexander. He was the 65th overall pick in this year's 2025 NFL Draft. Alexander is already polished. He has been to the Senior Bowl while he was in college, and was a multi-year starter for the past several years while he was there. As a defensive tackle, he recorded over 40 tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss, and notched 3.5 sacks, earning him second-team honors. He is expected to soften interior run lanes and free up areas for Lawrence. 

All three of them were perfect choices for the Giants this coming season. Giants general manager Joe Schoen really put a lot of thought into beefing up the defensive line this coming season. Together, they build a very clear blueprint of what the Giants’ defensive line should look like. The choices will really show what the Giants wanted defensively for this coming season.