Giants Trade Prediction Disrupts Super Bowl Pass-Rush Formula

Would the New York Giants attempt to break up their new linebacker trio of Kayvon Thibodeaux, Brian Burns and Abdul Carter?

With the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter, further strengthening the G-men's elite defensive line.

The move places Carter next to fellow pass rush stars Kayvon Thibodeaux, the Giants' first-round pick in 2022, and Brian Burns, who was traded for last offseason.

This trio should terrorize opposing offensive lines if defensive coordinator Shane Bowen can create unique formations to utilize their skillsets.

However, Bleacher Report - as they typically do - says it's too good to be true and predicts that New York will trade Thibodeaux in search of improving other areas on the roster.

"A potential Kayvon Thibodeaux trade has made sense ever since the New York Giants drafted Abdul Carter to team up with Brian Burns," writer Brad Gagnon said.

Then, in contradictory fashion, Gagnon defends why the Giants would want to keep Thibodeaux.

"However, having three good pass-rushers isn't a bad thing and it's possible the Giants hold on to their 2022 first-round pick for a while."

This "isn't-a-bad-thing" formula may be one of the biggest factors in how the organization has reached the pinnacle of the sport in years past. The Giants won two of their Super Bowls with three menacing pass rushers like this.

In 2008, Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck got the job done. Then in 2012, Tuck, Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul saw the same success.

The Giants could be following this recipe again, so why trade Thibodeaux?

The former Oregon Duck has been the center of trade discussions for months, even leading up to the Draft. The idea of trading him isn't a surprise ... until the Giants made the decision to pick up his fifth-year option which keeps him in the Big Apple for at least 2025.

Last year wasn't a big season statistically for Thibodeaux, but with the addition of Carter, he could face less blocking attention and have more one-on-one opportunities to rush the backfield.

If the Giants are going to have success on defense this season, the focal point will be this rush, so breaking it up may not be as beneficial as it seems.

New York hopes that if it's worked in the past, it could work now.

They have all the reasons to be excited about that outlook with this trio in tact.