3. Bradley Chubb, North Carolina State Wolfpack
The New York Giants have invested significant money in defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon. If the Philadelphia Eagles have taught the NFL anything, however, it’s that depth in the pass rush can lead to a championship.
Bradley Chubb is the best edge rusher in this draft class, and New York is quietly in need of a pass-rushing specialist who can improve its weakened corps.
New York shockingly ranked No. 29 in the NFL in sacks during the 2017 regular season. It sacked opposing quarterbacks just 27.0 times, which was a full 8.0 fewer than the 35.0 it managed to record during the 2016 campaign.
Both Pierre-Paul and Vernon are solid players, but neither was exactly elite as far as getting to the quarterback was concerned in 2018.
There are other factors at play, of course, but one can’t help but look at what Philadelphia did to win its first Super Bowl. It not only recorded 38.0 sacks during the regular season, but had a deep and versatile group of linemen who excelled at defending the run.
Given James Bettcher’s history of running a 3-4 defense, Chubb’s scheme versatility should be of great appeal to the Giants.
That and the fact he recorded 44 tackles for loss and 20.0 sacks over the past two seasons.