Big Blue View
Defensive linemen take center stage at Combine
If the New York do not select a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025, edge defender Abdul Carter of Penn State and defensive tackle Mason Graham of Michigan could be in play.
Both were in demand on Wednesday as defensive linemen and linebackers spoke to media at the NFL Combine.
The Giants already have edge defenders Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns. Would there by enough snaps for Carter for the Giants to justify taking him at No. 3?
Carter said he would be ready to prove his worth.
“My goal is to come in and be the guy,” Carter said. “If I go to a team that already got established, I want to earn my spot anyway, so I want to come in and compete right away.”
Carter, who some have ranked as the top prospect in the draft, wasn’t shy about saying that “I want to be the No. 1 pick.”
That, of course, means he would not be a Giant.
“I feel like I’m the best player in the country and the best player should be selected No. 1,” Carter said.
The image below from the great Mina Kimes tells you what people think of Mason Graham, the 6-foot-3, 320-pound Michigan defensive tackle:
What does Graham think of himself?
“I feel like I affect every snap, run or pass,” Graham said. “I feel like I’m a dominant player, one of the most dominant players in this class.’
What does he do best?
“I just feel like physicality, you know, doing your job every play,” Graham said. “Us as D-linemen, we’re told to do the same thing playing throughout, maybe like 70 snaps a game. So, I mean, do the same thing over and over again is probably the hardest part, and I feel like, you know, D-linemen, I pride myself on doing that.”
Howard Cross II played tight end for the Giants for 13 seasons, and has a Super Bowl ring to show for it.
Now, his son, Notre Dame defensive tackle Howard Cross III, is draft eligible. The idea of playing for his father’s team, his hometown team, has the Paramus, N.J. native thinking.
“It’s just like a legacy thing. I think it would be kind of cool. I would definitely be cracking jokes and stuff like that,” Cross said on Wednesday. “If I ever got a chance I think it would be really cool. I’m not going to lie to you.”
Cross was born after his father’s playing career had concluded. The Giants, though, were always front and center.
“I can’t be in a Giants household and start rooting for the Eagles. If I said the words J-E-T-S I would have gotten kicked out,” Cross said. “But it’s also Jersey. Jersey is a small area. It’s either the blue or the green so I was in a blue area, solidly...
