Draft Prediction: Giants Won't Land a Top Pass Rusher, And It's Their Own Fault

You're probably thinking that it's pretty obvious the Giants won't take a pass rusher with their 1st round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. The Giants aren't thin at defensive end. They have all-pro "Chief" Osi Umenyiora at right DE. They just re-signed DE Justin Tuck, a future all-pro, who can pass rush from either DE spots or a DT spot. Future hall-of-famer Michael Strahan will probably be back for another year at left DE. And Mathias Kiwanuka, a former 1st round pick, can rush the passer from either the strong-side linbacker position or as a defensive end. Not to mention, DT Fred Robbins gets a few sacks here and there, and Jay Alford is a DT specializing in rushing the passer. With all those guys, even the casual fan has to step back and say, "Wow, the Giants are loaded with pass rushers."

So, it would make sense for the Giants to use the draft to strengthen a different position that currently has little depth, right? I mean, that's generally what teams do in the draft. They take players that can strengthen a weak spot on their team.

But that's not why the Giants won't take a pass rusher in the 1st round. Giants general manager, Jerry Reese has stated to the media several times, "you can never have enough pass rushers." The Giants are one of those teams that likes to put tremendous pressure on the quarterback. In order to do that you have to have a lot of pass rushers on your roster to rotate them and keep them a step quicker than the opposing offensive lineman. Nobody thought the Giants would take Kiwanuka in the 1st round of the 2006 draft. But they did. They value pass rushers more than jut about any other position.

So, why am I writing this article stating that I don't think the Giants will take pass rusher in the 1st round?

They won't take one because their won't be one available that is worth picking with the 31st overall selection. Not because this is a weak draft class for defensive lineman, but because the Giants proved to the league that you can't, in fact, have too many pass rushers.

The Giants led the NFL in sacks during the 2007 regular season with 53 and also in the post season with 8. The New England Patriots were 2nd in the NFL with 47 sack during the regular season and 5 in the post season. Is it any coincidence that these two teams played each other in the Superbowl? Probably not.

In Superbowl 42, the New York Giants were heavy underdogs because the Patriots electric offense and great pass rush carried them to 18-0. The Giants had some inconsistency on offense through the middle of the season, but their defense, and most notably their pass rush, carried them into a wild card spot. What happened next, will go down as one of the great Superbowls in the history of the NFL. The Giants sacked Tom Brady 5 times and stole the Superbowl away from the favored Patriots.

That was a smack in the face to the rest of the league. It opened their eyes to two facts: defense wins championships and the key to a great defense is the pass rush.

So, in reality, it is the Giants own fault for showing the world, so blatantly, that you need pass rushers to win. Pass rushers will be in huge demand early and often in the upcoming draft. There are several teams that don't even have a good starting tandem, let alone a group of 4 or more quality pass rushers. And, therefore, this is the biggest reason why I just can't see the Giants being able to select a pass rusher with the 31st pick in the draft.