PFF ranks the Giants’ linebackers 5th in the NFL

It’s been a while since we could say this, but the New York Giants have one of the best linebacking corps in the NFL.

At least per Pro Football Focus, who rank the Giants’ linebackers fifth in the NFL.

PFF has been rolling out their preseason positional rankings in advance of training camps, with their linebacker rankings coming out on Thursday. They have this to say about the Giants’ linebackers,

The Giants are solid at their starting linebacker spots. Bobby Okereke’s 78.9 PFF grade ranked 13th at the position in 2023, and Micah McFadden came in at No. 46 in his second season in the league. They also have Isaiah Simmons, who hasn’t lived up to his billing as a top-10 draft pick but was a useful depth player for the team last year, earning an 82.7 PFF coverage grade on 203 snaps.

Their analysis of of the Giants’ linebackers has to be a breath of fresh air for a fanbase with great memories of players like Harry Carson, Carl Banks, Pepper Johnson, and of course Lawrence Taylor.

Okereke had a great first year with the Giants, while Micah McFadden took a great step in his sophomore season. It’s notable that Simmons is listed as a “Safety / Linebacker” on the Giants’ roster. The athletic utility player was referred to as a “nickel” and “money” by new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. But regardless of what his position is called, he’ll likely be spending most (or almost all) of his time at the second level of the defense.

It’ll be interesting to see how the linebackers play in Bowen’s defense, which favored a 3-3-5 Nickel alignment and quarters coverage at Tennessee. Their overall athleticism should fare well in a more zone-based scheme, though they might not have quite as many opportunities for splash plays.

Defensive line

PFF also released their defensive line rankings earlier this week, and the Giants didn’t fare quite as well. They ranked the Giants’ defensive front of Dexter Lawrence II, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Brian Burns 18th in the NFL.

Dexter Lawrence is a unique player, winning at a greater rate and with far more volume than any other nose tackle in the game when rushing the passer. Adding Brian Burns in the offseason gives the Giants a much better threat on the edge, and now the team needs Kayvon Thibodeaux to take a step forward. Though he got into double-digit sacks in Year 2, he had just 43 quarterback pressures from 520 pass-rushing snaps and his PFF pass-rushing grade declined from his rookie season.

It’s honestly surprising for PFF to consider the linebackers the strength of the defense, and the defensive line to be middling. Lawrence is an elite player and might be the best defensive tackle in the NFL, while the duo of Thibodeaux and Burns could be dynamic. They’re probably being underrated here, likely due to the teams’ (very) high blitz rate the last two years.

The Giants had the 11th best pass rush win rate in the NFL last year, but quarterbacks tended to get rid of the ball exceptionally quickly. For instance, Matt Stafford averaged 2.28 seconds to throw against the Giants in Week 17 — it’s almost impossible to get a pressure that quickly.

It remains to be seen how the new defense will gel, but keeping the ball in quarterbacks’ hands will be key to improving their pass rush numbers.

Offensive line

And while we’re talking about rankings from analytics outlets, Sharp Football Analysis expects the Giants’ offensive line to be “dead last” in the NFL, ranking them 32nd in the League.

The Giants’ offensive line ranked dead last this season after finishing 29th in our 2023 rankings. New York has poured a lot of resources into their line including a pair of first-round picks on their starting tackles and a second-round pick on center John Michael Schmitz.

They were pretty on the money with their prediction a year ago. The Giants finished 24th in ESPN’s Pass Block Win Rate metric, and 31st in Run Block Win Rate, which would average out to 27th or 28th overall. The Giants are hoping that Evan Neal will improve with better coaching and good health after struggling with injury in his first two seasons. They’re also counting on Jon Runyan Jr. and Jermaine Eluemunor to be significant upgrades at the guard positions.

The optimistic view is that there’s plenty of room for improvement and opportunity for the offensive line to prove people wrong.