Giants’ Joe Schoen prioritizing defensive line: ‘not great’ depth

INDIANAPOLIS — Two words is all it took for Joe Schoen to steer us in a direction he is going to be heading in free agency and the upcoming NFL draft. 

“Not great,’’ the Giants general manager said Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine. 

That was how Schoen assessed the Giants’ depth on the interior of their defensive line. 

“Not great’’ in early March is not alarming, but “not great’’ once the pads go on in the summer is reason to sound the alarm. 

The Giants are thrilled with Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams as their starters in the middle of their defensive line, but there is not much behind them.

Building up that position is a priority for Schoen.

The Giants finished 27th in the NFL in run defense in 2022, allowing 144.2 yards per game, and unless they come up with significant upgrades, Wink Martindale’s defense is going to have holes up front when backups are on the field. 

When the Giants put in the card for the No. 25-overall pick in the draft, it would be surprising, but not shocking, if the name of a defensive tackle is on it.

More likely, Day 2 of the draft, in the second or third rounds, is where an addition at defensive tackle will take place, if it is not addressed beforehand in free agency. 

“That’s a premium position,’’ Schoen said. “Talk about allocating resources to a position. That’s important. We gotta be better next year stopping the run. I think some of that is our depth where Dexter doesn’t have to play the amount of snaps he played or Leo doesn‘t have to be out there as much as he was out there. That’s important, not only there but we have to improve the depth across the board.’’ 

Lawrence played 82 percent of the snaps on defense in 2022.

His workload was so demanding on a 340-pounder that head coach Brian Daboll often gave Lawrence a practice day off during the week, a rarity for a player who’s just 25 years old.

When veteran Nick Williams, who started seven of the first eight games, landed on injured reserve at midseason, whatever depth the Giants had along the interior of their defensive line was severely thinned out. 

Players at the spot who could be in the mix in the first two or three rounds for the Giants include Bryan Bresee (Clemson), Calijah Kancey (Pittsburgh), Karl Brooks (Bowling Green), Tuli Tuipulotu (USC) and Byron Young (Alabama). 

Kancey will be downgraded on some draft boards because of his size — more precisely, his lack of it.

He is 6-foot and 280 pounds and that usually does not cut it in the NFL.

He had 14 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss the past two seasons and, based on his body and his college, it is natural to liken him to Aaron Donald.

No one is comparing Kancey to the one-and-only Donald, but there are some similarities. 

“I’ve definitely watched tape on him,’’ Kancey said. “I watch tape on a lot of guys who are around my height and weight. I’ve watched a few guys of that caliber. But [Donald] is a great guy and a great mentor. 

“I just know I have to play with great technique and use my speed to my advantage. It’s my speed and my quickness. Playing with good leverage, getting underneath the thigh pads of bigger offensive linemen, that’s my advantage I have against bigger offensive linemen.” 

As for those who maintain he is too small, Kancey has a plan to answer those critics. 

“I play to prove myself right,’’ he said. “I don’t play to prove anyone else wrong. I just prove myself right.” 

Kancey proved himself fast on Thursday, running the 40-yard dash in 4.67 seconds, the fastest time of any defensive tackle at the combine since 2003. 

Bresee, one of the top recruits in the country in 2020 coming out of Damascus (Md.) High School, could be the third defensive tackle off the board, after only Jalen Carter of Georgia (assuming his legal issues don’t affect his draft position) and Clemson teammate Myles Murphy.

Bresee should be able to contribute immediately as a run defender, but his pass-rush skills lag behind and will need to be developed. 

“I think I’m a unique player,’’ Bresee said. “I’m a big, athletic, strong player with just a super-competitive drive to me with a no-quit attitude.’’ 

On the third day of the draft, Keeanu Benton, a four-year starter at Wisconsin, could be available.

He is a traditional nose tackle, a spot where the Giants are bereft of reserve strength. 

“My freshman year, I was just a big guy, a power rusher, now I’m feeling the leverage, kind of push-pulling guys, trying different moves,’’ Benton said. “I feel like my run game is there. I can hold a block, I can split a block, take on double teams.’’