Giants select Georgia LB Lorenzo Carter, N.C. State DT B.J. Hill in third round

After concentrating on offense with their first two picks of the 2018 NFL Draft, the New York Giants shifted focus to the defensive side of the ball and selected Georgia defensive end/linebacker Lorenzo Carter with the first of their two third-round picks (66th overall).

Carter had 166 combined tackles (83 solo), 14 sacks, six forced fumbles, and six fumbles recovered in four seasons with the Bulldogs. Carter had 62 combined tackles (31 solo) and 4.5 sacks during his senior season which ended with a loss to Alabama in the CFP National Championship Game.

Carter’s collegiate highlight reel includes an impressive performance against Notre Dame. Carter gave the Fighting Irish’s Mike McGlinchey, the draft’s top ranked offensive tackle, all he could handle in a Sept. 9 game. Carter finished with seven combined tackles (four solo), a sack, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in the 20-19 Georgia win. McGlinchey was selected ninth overall by the San Francisco 49ers.

Carter has the size (6-foot-5, 250 pounds with 34-inch arms) the Giants covet in an edge rusher. He also has the length to play the pass. Carter will be expected to replace Jason Pierre-Paul, who was dealt to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an offseason trade. Like Pierre-Paul, Carter didn’t have a ton of sacks of the collegiate level. Nonetheless, the Giants see the same length and athleticism in Carter that they saw in Pierre-Paul when they drafted him 15th overall in 2010.

The Giants also had the 69th overall pick, which was compensation from the Buccaneers for Pierre-Paul. They used that pick to select North Carolina State defensive tackle B.J. Hill.

Hill had 183 combined tackles (76 solo), eight sacks, nine passes defended, two forced fumbles, two fumbles recovered, and an interception for the Wolfpack. He is a prototypical defensive tackle (6-foot-4, 315 pounds) with tremendous upper body strength and quick feet.

Hill did benefit from playing on the same defensive line as Bradley Chubb, the draft’s top defensive player. Hill is also limited in pass coverage, can be moved out of his gaps too easily, and his ability to anchor down and shed blocks is questionable at best. He joins a defensive tackle group that already has Damon “Snacks” Harrison and 2017 second-round pick Dalvin Tomlinson.

– Curtis Rawls is a Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage and covers the NFL and the New York Giants. Please like and follow on Facebook and Twitter. Curtis can be followed on Twitter @CuRawls203.