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 question with Carter
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.
‘I’m a dominant player’
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:
Every day until the draft I will do my best to post a comp on here. This is Michigan DT Mason Graham.
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes.bsky.social) 2025-02-25T23:41:30.202Z
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.”
All in the family
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 Giants stuff everywhere you go. I was indoctrinated with the Giants.”
Cross, a smaller defensive lineman at 6-foot, 285 pounds, is expected to be a Day 3 selection.
“I’ve told teams, and I’ll tell anybody, I will do any position that helps the team win,” Cross said. “I want to be great at whatever position it is. If that’s being a shield on punt I’ll be an All-Pro on shields. That’s the mindset I have. So versatility. I feel like I can do anything.”
Cross knows what he can’t be.
“I am not going to have the same game as Dexter Lawrence or someone like that. I have a different thing going on. It’s speed and versatility and skill, that’s kind of my thing,” he said
“I’m a nerd, so I look at it like Superman and Batman. Batman doesn’t have a lot of powers, he doesn’t do a lot of stuff, but he knows how to get around people. I’m a film guru. I sit down and I’ll watch film for an extremely long period of time, maybe even longer than I should, but I look and read and do everything I can to make sure I do everything I can to beat you. Obviously Dexter Lawrence is probably one of the strongest people in the league, so I think I would complement that well.”
We’ll see if he gets the chance.
‘Ladies first’
In a handful of the early mock drafts I have done, I have selected Maryland defensive tackle Jordan Phillips for the Giants at some point around Round 4. So, of course I wanted to stop by Phillips’ podium on Wednesday to hear the young man talk.
I wasn’t disappointed.
This is a gracious, well-spoken young man who would have made his mother proud had she heard him on Wednesday.
When two reporters, a man and women, simultaneously asked Phillips questions, he said this:
“I apologize, sir. Ladies first.”
He took the question from the female reporter, then graciously responded to the man’s question.
Phillips wouldn’t mind playing next to Dexter Lawrence.
Maryland DT Jordan Phillips on the idea of pairing with Dexter Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/6kYIGMWIdG
— Big Blue View (@bigblueview) February 26, 2025
Phillips also said this:
“Transparacy. Leadership. Accountability. I plan on earning my teammates’ trust, and I plan on doing that by working hard and proving myself every day, and being productive on the field.”
Mountain of a man
Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant, the other half of a tremendous tandem with Graham, is a 6-foot-3, 340-pound mountain of a man.
Grant is built like Giants star Dexter Lawrence, and hopes to play like Lawrence and Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Vita Vea. Those are players he called “bulldozers” on Wednesday.
Grant, as you might expect, said “my power” when asked what the best part of his game was.
Grant is ranked No. 24 on the NFL Mock Draft Database Consensus Big Board. He could be a consideration for the defensive line-needy Giants if he makes it to No. 34, where the Giants pick at the top of Round 2.
Grant’s scouting report even sounds Lawrence-esque:
Kenneth Grant is a tight-quarters mauler who has the potential to serve a dominant role in the heart of an NFL defense. Grant has a compact, powerful frame and offers explosive hands to jolt and reset the point of attack.
Grant has brilliant flashes of versatility and quickness as a pass rusher to bolster his upside. He can develop into a frequent splash player with the right coaching and supplementary players around him.
The floor is a key cog in base defenses, but Grant has shown growth across all phases of his game at Michigan, including in the volume of snaps he’s capable of taking. This trend should offer him early consideration thanks to his rare traits.
“I’m a three-down player for sure,” Grant said. “I can rush the passer with my strength and a little bit of finesse in there. Most guys think I’m just a run stopper, but I’m super athletic and can rush the passer.”