Leonard Williams may be replaced by a former first-round draft pick by the Giants.

The New York Giants’ defensive line now has a sizable hole in the middle thanks to the trade of Leonard Williams to the Seattle Seahawks. When fully healthy, dominant nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II is trying to fill it, but he needs assistance. The Giants can sign former first-round draft pick Sheldon Rankins in 2024 NFL free agency to provide him with that help.

According to Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus, the starting quarterback for the Houston Texans is a good fit for the Giants: “Rankins signed a one-year contract with the Texans in free agency and is earning a career-high 73.0 pass-rush grade through Week 13. Rankins could have returned to New York fairly easily to play for the Giants after two successful seasons with the New York Jets at MetLife.

As an interior lineman with the ability to change the line of scrimmage and apply pressure in the pocket, Rankins makes sense for the Giants. Williams spent about five years with Big Blue doing both of those things well.

Rankins in place of Williams would enable Lawrence to continue performing at an All-Pro caliber. Additionally, the move would atone for a few recent failures at the veteran market position general manager Joe Schoen acquired.

Sheldon Rankins Playing Football at His Best Career
Spielberger noted that Rankins is currently recording his highest pass-rush grade to date. According to PFF HOU Texans, the player selected by the New Orleans Saints with the 12th overall pick in 2016 has tallied four sacks this season, including three takedowns in a huge match against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10.

Rankins has never had trouble getting to the passer. In 2018, the three-team veteran experienced his most productive season with eight sacks.

Rankins has never had any difficulty reaching the passer. With eight sacks in 2018, the three-team veteran had his most fruitful season to date.

Rankins’ 2019 season was ruined by an Achilles tear and an ankle sprain, but the Giants shouldn’t be concerned about his injury history. With 52 games played since 2019, he is likely at the top of his game as he prepares to enter free agency in 2019.

The Giants are happy to see Rankins on the market after missing out on him twice in the offseason while searching for D-tackle depth.

Giants Don’t Have Enough Good Leonard Williams Replacements
When Schoen traded Williams to Seattle on October 31, he did well to acquire a 2025 fifth-round pick and a ’24 second-round pick. The earlier this year attempt by Schoen to acquire defensive tackles through free agency didn’t go as planned.

Super Bowl winners A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches were found through the search. This season, neither of them has lived up to expectations.

Both have participated in just over 40% of the defensive snaps for the Giants, as per Pro Football Reference. Together, they have only produced 25 solo tackles and no sacks.

Nunez and Robinson:Lawrence is now doing too much on his own since Roches isn’t measuring up. Most of the time, No. 97 can carry the load, as demonstrated by Lawrence’s performance against the Washington Commanders in Week 11, which Nick Falato of SB Nation’s Big Blue View highlighted.

Although Lawrence remains the team’s best player, the Giants’ defense would be enhanced by having another impact player on the interior with him. Rankins is a tried-and-true player who would thrive in a situation where Lawrence is double-teamed and eventually make it so opponents can’t consistently maneuver against the Giants’ best defensive player.