Survey results: The front seven has fans excited

An overwhelming number of fans are excited for the Giants’ defensive front

New York Giants fans are a bit split on how they feel about the team as a whole.

But regardless of whether a fan embraces optimism or holds on to skepticism regarding their team, most people will agree that there are at least aspects of the 2025 Giants to be excited about. Whether it’s the change at quarterback, the growth of young players on offense, or the potential of the defense, there’s something for everyone.

It’s that last one, the defense and the front seven in particular, that has fans the most excited.

I can’t say that I’m surprised that most fans are excited for the front seven, though I did think the results would be closer than this.

The Giants’ defensive front is definitely something to be excited about, and could be a truly feared unit in 2025 and for years to come.

Part of the excitement is due to the additions of Abdul Carter and Darius Alexander.

We’ve already talked plenty about the potential and versatility that Carter brings to the Giants’ defense. He has the ability to be an instant impact player and defensive line coach Andre Patterson compared his pass rush ability to that of Elvis Dumervil.

And while we haven’t seen Alexander on the practice field yet, he has impressive potential in his own right. The 65th overall pick had one of the highest pass rush win rates in college football last year (12.9%) and is also a very capable run defender. He very well could have been a second, or even first round, pick in a different draft class.

But it’s not like the Giants’ defensive front wasn’t good before.

Last year the Giants finished eighth in sacks despite seeing the third fewest pass attempts from opposing offenses. Making that even more impressive, they were missing Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux for significant stretches of the season — and Brian Burns was played through multiple injuries.

The defensive line should be improved with Lawrence, Thibodeaux, and Burns all healthy. The additions of Carter, Alexander, and free agents like Chauncey Golston should make the line even better.

The Giants’ linebackers should continue to improve as well. We recently learned that Bobby Okereke was playing through a back injury prior to his season ending early last year. He was one of the very best linebackers in the NFL in 2023, and could regain that form with a return to health. Micah McFadden, meanwhile, had a breakout season (107 tackles, 41 of which are credited as “stops”) that saw him all over the field after Okereke went down.

McFadden might see his snap load decline thanks to the presence of Carter, but that’s one of those “good problems” for a team to have.

We shouldn’t get carried away by the potential of the Giants’ defense. They’re young and development isn’t linear. But the possibility is there that Big Blues’ defensive front combined with a revamped (and more opportunistic) secondary makes them a team nobody wants to play in November and December.