Four hands.
That is what Dexter Lawrence has to contend with too often when he lines up at nose tackle on the defensive line.
Four hands all over him means he is getting double-teamed at the point of attack and for as athletic and agile he is for a 340-pound man, not even Lawrence can defeat two-against-one on a consistent basis.
This is why the Giants went into this NFL draft hoping to find a defensive tackle capable of taking some of that attention off Lawrence. That is why Friday night they selected Darius Alexander from Toledo on the first pick of the third round, at pick No. 65, and he certainly has a chance to compete for a starting job alongside Lawrence.
“Oftentimes there’s four hands on Dexter Lawrence so if you can get somebody on the opposite side of Dexter that can win one on ones and has the ability to win those matchups consistently that makes it difficult as well,” general manager Joe Schoen said.
Perhaps Alexander can be that tag-team partner for Lawrence. He is best as a three-technique with his ability to penetrate with his quickness.
Alexander, 24, spent six years in college and played up and down the defensive line. Schoen called him “freaky athletic’’ and now he gets a chance to line up alongside of the NFL’s best defensive linemen.
“For me to be able to go in there and learn from him and be able to pick up things from him and see how I can use it on the field is what I’ll be looking for,’’ Alexander said.
It was no secret the Giants wanted to add to their depth on the defensive interior, with Rakeem Nunez-Roches, D.J. Davidson, Jordon Riley and Elijah Chatman filling up the depth chart. They made edge rusher Abdul Carter the No. 3 overall pick to play alongside Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
“I’m excited about the group,’’ Schoen said. “We’ve got to do a better job stopping the run this year and I think we helped out with some of the depth. If we can get to third down, we’ve got a lot of options in terms of where guys can line up and versatility. That can be difficult for offenses.’’
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This was the one and only player the Giants added on the second day of the draft, as they traded their second rounder (No. 34 overall) in the trade-up to get to No. 25 in the first round to get quarterback Jaxson Dart. That meant they had to watch as player after player came off the board.
“Yeah, it was a long couple of hours waiting to pick,’’ Schoen said. “Yeah, it can be painful sometimes watching that.’’
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Alexander in 2024 started 12 games and had 40 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He said he had the chance to leave Toledo for bigger programs but stayed because “it’s a loyalty thing for me.’’
At the Senior Bowl, the Giants spent time with Alexander and came away impressed. He definitely helped himself that week.
“I feel like a lot of people had me underrated, thought I couldn’t play with the best or go out there and compete,’’ Alexander said, “so that week I wanted to go out there show I could dominate the game and dominate other players out there as well.’’
