New Draft Twist: Giants Going for Help on Defense

In recent drafts, the thought of padding the New York Giants’ talent-rich defense was virtually ignored as their focus was on rebuilding an offense that needed help following the forgettable 1987 season.

Seven of the Giants’ top 10 picks from the last five drafts--including all five first-round selections--were offensive players. The defense was left to do what it could with middle-to-late-round selections that had little chance of beating out the Lawrence Taylors and Leonard Marshalls.

That philosophy figures to change with Sunday’s NFL draft. The Giants’ once-proud defense is headed for the critical list and a healthy transfusion of new blood is needed if the club is to regain its stature among the NFL elite.

“We’d like to strengthen ourselves and be more competitive on defense,” Giants General Manager George Young said. “We’d like to help ourselves by putting some pressure on the passer if we can, whether it be with a defensive lineman or a linebacker and helping our coverage at the corners.”

There are those who blame the Giants’ preoccupation with rebuilding its offense for the subpar showing of its defense last season. Age and complacency were cited as key reasons why the Giants finished 16th against the run, blew five fourth-quarter leads and gave up nine pass plays of at least 50 yards with six going for touchdowns.

Nine of the 11 defensive starters last year will be 28 or older this season. Five will be 30 or older.

“There are certain positions where you can look at depth and age and you can draw your own conclusions,” said Al Groh, the Giants’ defensive coordinator last year and now an assistant with the Cleveland Browns. “In the three years I was there, the only two (draft picks) that provided a significant infusion of youth were (safeties) Myron Guyton and Greg Jackson.”

Guyton was an eighth-round surprise in 1989, while Jackson was a third-rounder that same year. None of the three defensive players taken among the club’s top 10 picks over the last five drafts has become a starter. Safety Adrian White (1987) signed a Plan B deal with Green Bay this past winter; defensive end Mike Fox (1990) is a reserve coming off back trouble; and outside linebacker Kanavis McGhee (1991) played little last year and could be moved to defensive end.

“The problem with this team is primarily on defense,” said Harry Carson, a former Giants linebacker and current MSG football analyst. “Everybody is expendable. Nobody on defense played well last year.”

Young won’t second-guess his past priorities on offense: wide receiver Mark Ingram (1987), guard Eric Moore (1988), tackle Jumbo Elliott (1988) and running back Rodney Hampton (1990) are starters, and center Brian Williams (1989), guard Bob Kratch (1989) and fullback Jarrod Bunch (1991) are expected to push for starting roles this year.

“What we did was draft into the strength of the draft,” Young said. “If we thought there were defensive linemen that were as good a quality as the offensive linemen, we would have drafted them.”

The Giants’ defensive needs fit the strength of this year’s draft, which is loaded with defensive linemen and defensive backs.

“I don’t think the defensive line has been this good since 1986,” said Young, whose team selected Eric Dorsey (first), Erik Howard (second) and John Washington (third) that year. It was the same draft in which they added cornerback Mark Collins and linebacker Pepper Johnson among their first six picks.

“The league as a whole has been having problems finding pass rushers,” Young said. “The four juniors who have come in have given the area a lot more depth.”