The New York Giants invested a third-round pick into Georgia standout pass-rusher, Lorenzo Carter, in the 2018 NFL Draft. Since his inception into the NFL, Carter has racked up just 8.5 sacks, but he has shown the ability to burst through the offensive line and use his incredible bend and length to get after the quarterback.
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The Giants just finished piecing their coaching staff together, and one of the names mentioned was Kevin Sherrer, who previously coached Carter at Georgia. This could be an excellent hire for the Giants and their third-year pass rusher, as the youngster hasn’t fully unlocked his potential, and Joe Judge will be looking to keep the best and leave the rest.
As a rookie, Carter logged 43 tackles, four sacks, and flashed the promise to become a talented pass rusher at the NFL-level, but he lost snaps to Oshane Ximines last season and couldn’t cement himself as a reliable option. While Sherrer will be coaching the inside linebackers, his familiarity with Carter might go a long way in allowing him to open up and improve his efficiency.
The New York Giants will be changing things on defense:
It’s possible that Carter fits more of a traditional defensive end role than an outside linebacker, since his lankiness and speed off the line gives him the leverage he needs to beat opposing tackles. Dropping back into shallow coverage or spying on the run isn’t his strength, and new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham should be aware of that going in 2020.
The defense will likely feature a hybrid of 3-4 and 4-3 looks, focusing on keeping quarterbacks confused and allowing players like Carter to excel. They say that “third year’s a charm,” so, with the overhaul in the coaching staff and a hard-nosed HC like Joe Judge taking over, Carter theoretically should see an uptick in production. Nonetheless, the Giants desperately need him to take a big step forward.