The New York Giants are in a rebuilding year, and naturally, they have some big gaps to fill. The team brought in Golden Tate to replace Odell Beckham Jr., but that doesn’t fix the other hole that was left by the trade with the Cleveland Browns, which sent Olivier Vernon to Cleveland in exchange for guard Kevin Zeitler. If the Giants choose to not take a quarterback as many expect them to in the draft this year, they may just decide to address the need to add to the pass rush.
Gary only played in nine games last season but was a three-year starter on a tough Michigan defense, under well renowned defensive coordinator Don Brown. With only 9.5 career sacks during those three years, Gary doesn’t have numbers for a defensive end that will jump out at scouts immediately. However, his athleticism makes him one of the higher ranked prospects at the defensive line position anyway, with The Draft Network saying this about him.
Rashan Gary offers an intriguing tool box and his ceiling is high should he develop. His power, short area quickness and heavy hands lay a solid foundation to work with. That said, his hand technique, processing skills and inconsistent motor must improve.
According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Gary is meeting with NFL teams at the Michigan pro day despite deciding not to work out.
Michigan DT Rashan Gary isn’t working out at pro day, but he is meeting with teams. He told me the first one this morning was with … the #Giants. More later on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/ShssyLfmzK
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 15, 2019
One of those meetings was with the Giants, who have a new need at the position. Of course, this is a fairly routine practice and doesn’t determine anything fully one way or the other in the long run. But could Gary potentially be the player to fill the gap at the edge rusher spot for the Giants? As a projected top ten draft pick, it would be costly for the Giants to get Gary, but on the other hand, the team does have the sixth overall pick.
It’s just a matter of whether or not the front office wants to take a quarterback or improve the defense, with the former seeming like the most likely option by far.