There’s been a lot of holes in the New York Giants roster over recent years and one that’s existed notably for the past couple has been at the position of pass rusher. Whether it’s defensive end or outside linebacker, the Giants have hardly had a dominating figure at the position and have had to be satisfied by flashes from players like Markus Golden, who may not even be on the team this season.
For that reason, pass rusher is high on the list of positions the Giants may be looking to upgrade in this 2020 NFL Draft which is rapidly approaching. According to SNY, the Giants have a specific kind of player in mind to target – and they want someone that fits the mold of one specific great Giants player from the past: Michael Strahan.
One team source said the Giants are definitely looking for that “Michael Strahan-type player” who can change the approach of an opposing offense all by himself. But unless Young falls to them at 4, they’re skeptical that such a player exists in this year’s draft. They’d have to take a shot at a second-tier player on the second day, like Wisconsin’s Zack Baun, Notre Dame’s Julian Okwara, or Penn State’s Yetur Gross-Matos.
Chase Young, from Ohio State, is the most likely player to pan out like Strahan – but when the Giants picked up wins towards the end of the season, they fell out of a position to draft him. The Giants, if they want Young, will now have to rely on other teams passing on him for quarterbacks… Three times.
However, shifts in demand could see three quarterbacks taken with the first three picks, which would give the Giants a chance to take Young at four. Assuming they don’t trade down and acquire more picks, that is.
If Young is taken within the first three picks, it looks like the Giants are leaning towards going offensive line or trading down and taking Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown – the latter move being the more controversial one. Neither of those options, however, quite fills one of the largest needs for the Giants in 2020: pass rush.