Most of the focus towards the Giants' draft class has revolved around their two first-round picks, and rightfully so after general manager Joe Schoen was able to add perhaps the best player in the draft in Abdul Carter and a potential franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart.
But the big boost that the team's defensive front received from the draft goes beyond the selection of Carter.
With their lone pick on Day 2, the Giants added another big body with the selection of Toledo defensive tackle Darius Alexander. As excited as they are about the addition of Carter, the Giants seem just as excited about throwing Alexander into the mix up front.
"Darius Alexander, a 3-technique that we did a lot of work on," Schoen told the media after drafting the tackle out of Toledo. "He came in on a 30 visit as well, was down at the Senior Bowl, and just where we are, we felt we needed to add some youth to the defensive line, and this kid is just under 6-4, 315 pounds, 34-inch arms and freaky athletic.
"Down at the Senior Bowl and he had a really good week, and (defensive line coach) Dre Patterson thinks the world of him and (assistant defensive line coach) Bryan Cox and getting a guy like this that can come in and develop with the depth that we have. Again, a high ceiling for this player, so we're excited to add another player to our front seven."
As Schoen mentioned, the Giants now have a lot of depth on their defensive front. Alexander joins free agent additions Roy Robertson-Harris, Chauncey Golston, and Jeremiah Ledbetter as the new guys in the interior, a group led by three-time Pro Bowl tackle Dexter Lawrence. The unit also features veteran Rakeem Nunez-Roches and younger guys such as Elijah Chatman, Jordon Riley, D.J. Davidson and others.
The 24-year-old rookie showed some promise as a pass rusher at Toledo, picking up 7.5 sacks across his final two seasons. But his strength truly lies in his ability to stop the run, an area the Giants have struggled with in recent years.
"Alexander has excellent size, length and athleticism for his position," NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah wrote about the defensive tackle. "He is an older prospect as a sixth-year senior, but I believe he will be a Day 1 impact player on all three downs."
The rookie tackle is undoubtedly entering a great situation. When it comes to opposing offensive lines, Lawrence obviously draws the most attention on the inside. When you add in Carter, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux as options off the edge, it's easy to see how the player lining up next to Lawrence on the inside should see plenty of one-on-one situations.
It's clear the Giants saw Alexander as someone who could complement their three-time Pro Bowler on the inside and take advantage of those single matchups.
"We always talk about four hands," Schoen said after Day 2 of the draft. "Oftentimes there are four hands on Dexter Lawrence, so if you can get somebody on the opposite side of Dexter that can win one-on-ones, that's going to see a lot of one-on-ones, and has the ability to win those match-ups consistently, that makes it difficult, as well."
- How Abdul Carter fits with Giants: 'You can't have enough pass rushers'
- Jaxson Dart 'can't wait' to learn in veteran-laden quarterback room
- Experts grade 2025 New York Giants Draft Class
- 25 stats to know about Giants' 2025 draft class
- Toughness runs ‘all the way through’ Giants’ draft
- Abdul Carter, Jaxson Dart fans of Giants legends (and each other)
It should not come as a surprise that Alexander is equally as excited to line up next to Lawrence.
"I think it's a great thing," Alexander said after being drafted about pairing up with Lawrence. "I think they get two guys out there who want to go play hard, play balls to the wall, just be able to go in there and learn from him and be able to pick up things from him and install into my game to see how I can use it as a weapon on the field is what I'll be looking for. Just a chance to go out there and compete with another great guy, so I'm looking forward to that and I want to have fun."
Alexander added: "I like to see how he plays with power. Even though he's a bigger guy, he's still got some quick twitch to him. He's able to be elusive out there and make plays in between every gap. I love watching how dominant he is and the force he uses to push guys back and they can't stop him."
Perhaps the biggest difference between the current defensive front and last year's, other than the general influx of new talent, is the versatility that the new group offers. While Alexander primarily lined up in the B-gap at Toledo, he did see some snaps at just about every position across the defensive line.
This was a common theme among many of the Giants' additions up front this offseason.
"If we can get to third down we've got a lot of options in terms of where guys can line up in terms of versatility," Schoen told the media. "Chauncey has got some versatility. Darius has got some versatility. Obviously with Carter, there's some versatile pieces in there that can move around, and that can be difficult for offenses.
"I'm excited about the group. We'll see how they all come together... We're going to have some really good depth and competition in the front seven."
Speaking of trends, there seemed to be a commonality between many of the Giants' 2025 draft picks. After the draft, coach Brian Daboll talked about how toughness was something they were looking for with their selections this year.
It's safe to say Alexander fits that description.
"I love taking my opponents will and just watching them go to the sideline and I know what to say to the coach," Alexander said at his introductory press conference. "I feel like that's something they do well here, too. That's a great group of D-line guys, and I feel like I come in and do that, as well."
