Big Blue View
The pass rush is commonly cited as the New York Giants greatest strength, certainly on the defensive side of the ball. And that’s with good reason, as the Giants did in fact field one of the NFL’s most dangerous pass rushes, and were collectively fifth in pass rush win rate.
Their pass rush production was driven by Brian Burns, who had a monstrous career-best season. Burns had 16.5 sacks, 31 QB hits, 22 tackles for a loss, 3 forced fumbles, and 7 passes defensed last year.
That season was good enough for ESPN to rank Burns among the NFL’s 10 best pass rushers, but only barely — He only just made the list and was ranked ninth.
Before we get to their explanation, we’ll let ESPN explain its methodology:
Here’s how it works: Voters gave their own top 10 players at a position, then we compiled the results and ranked candidates based on the number of top-10 votes, composite average and dozens of interviews, with research and film study help from ESPN NFL analyst Matt Bowen as well as ESPN Research. More than 70 voters submitted a ballot on at least one position, and in many cases all positions. Additional voting and follow-up calls with those surveyed contributed to placements.
This was not a five-year projection or a career achievement award, but meant to answer a simple question: Who are the best players right now?
Top 10 pass rushers
And here’s what ESPN had to say about Burns’ ranking:
Highest ranking: 6 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
Age: 30 | Last year’s ranking: Honorable mentionBurns put it all together in Year 7, finishing second in the league with 16.5 sacks on his way to a second-team All-Pro nod. The sack total was the highest by a Giants player since Jason Pierre-Paul in 2011.
Burns’ talent was obvious when he entered the league in 2019. But production has been spotty throughout his career, and some evaluators wanted to see him routinely play with more power.
“He was different than in years past,” said an NFL coordinator. “He was more of a force consistently, more of a pain in the ass to play against.”
Burns’ 31 quarterback hits in 2025 ranked fourth among all defensive players. He was the NFL’s lone player with five multiple-sack games last season. Burns was a top-10 selection in past years before falling to honorable mention in 2025.
Someone go put this on Burns’ locker, because it’s about as disrespectful as a “Yo Momma” joke.
I just want to restate Burns’ stat line from 2025:...
