Can Durant take another step forward in 2025?
Could the New York Giants look to reinforce their defensive line again in 2026?
Rakeem Nunez-Roches will likely be a former Giant, as may be Jordon Riley and D.J. Davidson. The top of the Giants’ depth chart should be stout with Dexter Lawrence and Darrius Alexander, but their depth may once again be suspect.
If so, Zane Durant out of Penn State might already be a familiar face who’s caught their eye.
The Giants have scouted Penn State heavily in recent years, drafting Theo Johnson in 2023 and Abdul Carter in 2024. Durant is undersized for a defensive tackle, but he’s also explosively powerful and athletic.
Durant has taken a step forward in each of the last two years. Is he on the verge of breaking out?
(Durant is the Penn State iDL wearing No. 28, with short sleeves and short pants.)
What he does well
Durant is, first and foremost, a freak athlete.
He’s made Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List” the last two years and was ranked 18th on the 2024 edition — just a few spots below Abdul Carter at 12th. Per Feldman, Durant set a record for the Penn State defensive line by squatting 660 pounds at a bodyweight of 290. He has a remarkably thick and powerful lower body, so the squat number is definitely believable.
He also, reportedly, ran a 4.66-second 40-yard dash at that same bodyweight, so he hasn’t sacrificed speed for strength. He’s also reportedly bench pressed 425.
Durant is truly explosive off the line and plays with great leverage. Not only does he have natural leverage, but he’s good at keeping his pads low to keep blockers from getting under them.
His raw strength and explosiveness, as well as speed and agility, allow Penn State to use him in a variety of ways. He was used everywhere from nose tackle to 5-technique, depending on the down, distance, and subpackage called. Durant’s power and leverage allow him to stand up to guard-center double teams, while his explosiveness off the ball make him disruptive when attacking individual gaps.
Durant plays with solid competitive toughness and offers very good effort when the play is within his range. He has good awareness and processes quickly, which allows him to identify misdirection and retrace to pursue the ball.
What he needs to improve
First and foremost, length will always be a concern for Durant, unless his arms measure out to something like 34 inches. He’s listed at 6-foot-1, 294 pounds, and while his legs certainly make the weight believable, he might be closer to 6-foot. That could be a real problem for teams if his arms are short as well.
Speaking of arms, Durant needs to continue to work on his technique. He flashes the ability to attack blockers’ hands and prevent them from latching on, allowing him to attack into the backfield or make plays off of blocks. However his hands are still mostly blunt objects and he didn’t show much precision or diversity in his moves (at least in the tape viewed).
Skilled linemen who are ready for his explosiveness can blunt his rushes or latch on when run blocking. Durant usually winds up tangled in blocks in those instances and isn’t a consistent factor.
Final thoughts
I feel as though I’ve been saying this for years now, but what are they putting in the water down at Penn State?
Every year it seems as though they’re putting another freak athlete into the NFL. Even among powerhouse schools, they seem to be more common at Penn State than anywhere else.
As for Durant himself, it will be fascinating to see what the NFL makes of him next spring. Teams are getting better about recognizing that traits aren’t necessarily skills, and players with uncommon traits for a position can be successful because they don’t fit into the archetype. Ultimately, it might come down to just how productive Durant is this season, and how well he tests in the Draft Process.
If he takes another step forward in his technical development, his production this year should continue to improve. And if he isn’t too short (height and arm length), he could see his draft stock soar.
