Giants' Forgotten Defender Already Showing Signs of Major Leap

New York Giants training camp has certainly been interesting to monitor, and it goes beyond Malik Nabers.

Yes, it has been a relief to see Nabers looking great in practice, but the Giants will have 52 other players to worry about once the regular season begins.

One of those players is defensive tackle Darius Alexander, who looked to be a potential sleeper when New York nabbed him in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Alexander's rookie campaign didn't turn out that way, as he struggled throughout much of the year before finally showing some flashes late. But perhaps the Toledo product is ready to take a big step forward in Year 2.

It would be perfect timing for a Giants squad that is facing some questions in the trenches after trading away Dexter Lawrence. New York signed DJ Reader and Shelby Harris in free agency, and it also selected Bobby Jamison-Travis on Day 3 of the NFL Draft.

But if Alexander can show significant progress this year, it would provide the Giants' defense with a major lift.

The good news? The 25-year-old is already displaying very positive signs in training camp. Not only did he have an interception on Friday, but he put together a very strong showing on Saturday. Dan Duggan of The Athletic broke down his day.

"Darius Alexander's interception to close Friday's practice was nice, but that's a bit of a fluke for a defensive tackle. His play on Saturday was much more encouraging. He stuffed a run, forced an incompletion with a pressure and got a sack on a stunt," Duggan wrote on X. "It would be a major development if he makes a Year 2 leap."

That's for sure.

Alexander finished with 20 tackles and 3.5 sacks last season while posting a 42.9 overall grade at Pro Football Focus, which ranked 121st out of 134 qualifying interior defenders.

I'm not the type of person who feels PFF is a be-all-end-all when it comes to evaluating players, but it is generally solid indicator of a player's performance, and I think most Giants fans would agree that Alexander wasn't good last year.

But New York drafted Alexander for a reason.

The 6-foot-4, 310-pound defender demonstrated impressive all-around potential in college, and it's entirely possible that a year of professional seasoning did him a lot of good. Especially after not facing the best competition at Toledo.

It also stands to reason that Alexander is feeling the heat. His future with Big Blue is not guaranteed, especially with Jamison-Travis breathing down his neck and a strong defensive tackle crop looming in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Whatever the case may be, it appears that Alexander looks like a different player in the early stages of 2026. If that carries over into the regular season, it will be more than fantastic news for the G-Men.