18. New York Giants. What expectations are fair for Abdul Carter? If we look at all the rookie pass rushers who have been drafted in the top five since 2000, the average production is 5.7 sacks across a season. Only five—Julius Peppers, Bradley Chubb, Von Miller, Joey Bosa, and Ndamukong Suh—produced double-digit sacks as rookies. Could Carter join that group? Sure! But it’s not the most likely scenario.
Having said that, there’s obvious upside with this pass rush, given that Carter is joining a group that includes Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns. The Giants will need that group to be dominant because of the questions they have at cornerback. This was a defense that finished 28th in DVOA last season. A leap to competency seems reasonable.