The New York Giants have a major weak spot on defense. The Giants have invested heavily to build up their defensive line and their secondary. They have even invested to improve their linebacker corps. However, the edge rusher position has not been prioritized as much.
The Giants have drafted a couple of mid-round edge rushers and shopped in the bargain-bin during free agency. This could be because of the Giants’ defensive scheme. New defensive coordinator Patrick Graham runs a blitz-heavy defense that generates pressure through the scheme, rather than through the players.
The defensive scheme could explain the lack of a top-tier edge rusher on the Giants’ roster. But of the edge rushers on the Giants, what can we expect? In particular, what should be expected of their 2018 third-round draft pick Lorenzo Carter?
Sophomore Regression
Lorenzo Carter was a solid player during his 2018 rookie season. The former Georgia Bulldog looked promising in his limited playing time. Carter played just 40% of the team’s defensive snaps. When he was on the field, though, Carter was impressive. In 441 snaps, Lorenzo Carter totaled 4 sacks, 19 pressures, and 43 combined tackles.
Lorenzo Carter followed up his rookie with only 4.5 sacks in 723 snaps in 2019 (65%). His pressure rate of 59% plummeted to 29% as a sophomore as he posted only 23 pressures. Giants fans anticipated a breakout season from Carter in 2019 after a promising display as a rookie. Fans believed an expanded role would lead to better production. Carter’s expanded role did not lead to a better season, though.
An Improvement In Year Three?
After a disappointing 2019 season, what will 2020 have in store for Lorenzo Carter? With the key addition of Kyler Fackrell and the impressive play of Oshane Ximines in 2019, Carter could see his role decrease. The Giants might now view Carter as a specific rotational pass-rusher. He performed well in 2018 on 40% of the defense’s snaps, so the Giants could play him in that capacity in 2019 and hope that he plays better in a more refined pass-rushing role.
The Giants could also look to change Carter’s role entirely. Lorenzo has proven to be pretty good in coverage for an edge rusher. His lanky build and excellent athleticism allow Carter to cover ground and create problems in coverage.
Lorenzo Carter was actually more of a coverage linebacker in college, but he was also an efficient pass-rusher at Georgia. This is similar to Vikings’ star linebacker Anthony Barr. Barr is a weakside linebacker that is also an efficient pass-rusher, but his athleticism and versatility allow him to play in coverage. The Giants could look to use Lorenzo Carter in a similar fashion and see if he continues to thrive in coverage as a linebacker.