Darius Alexander, the New York Giants‘ third-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, is ready for whatever challenge comes his way.
The 24-year-old former Toledo Rockets star was added to the Giants’ defensive front on Friday night with the first pick in the third round (65th overall). Many may have seen this pick as a surprise, but not to the Giants and not to Alexander himself.
Alexander broke out at the Senior Bowl, an event the Giants’ front office has an annual presence and invited Alexander to a Top 30 visit this month. Both parties saw a match in the making.
“The visit was great,” Alexander told reporters after the Giants selected him. “The visit was awesome. When I got there I loved it. My teammate (inside linebacker) Diontae Johnson, he plays there, so me and him talked about it a little bit.
“The meeting with Coach Dre (defensive line coach Andre Patterson) and Coach Cox (assistant defensive line coach Bryan Cox) was wonderful. I got to go in there and talk to them guys about ball and everything and just what I could do better as a player, and then after the meeting, Coach Dre told me, ‘Hey, if you’re still on that board and I can get my hands on you, I’m coming to get you’ and he came and got me, so I’m excited.”
This year’s draft class is deep in interior defensive line help. Coming from a smaller school and not a Power Five program, Alexander was not seen as a top prospect. But insiders know better. He’s as good as anyone from the bigger schools.
N.Y. Giants Select Toledo DL Darius Alexander 65th Overall
🍎 90.6 PFF Grade in 2024 (3rd Among DTs) pic.twitter.com/psjLAi42r3
— PFF College (@PFF_College) April 26, 2025
The Giants will throw Alexander into their rotation and see where he sticks. Based on his tape, that could be anywhere. He is a 3-technique player and his versatility and speed will be complimentary to his linemates, especially Dexter Lawrence II.
“What I make of it, I think it’s a great thing,” Alexander said when asked about playing alongside the Pro Bowler. “I think they get two guys out there who want to go play hard, play balls to the wall, just be able to go in there and learn from him and be able to pick up things from him and install into my game to see how I can use it as a weapon on the field is what I’ll be looking for. Just a chance to go out there and compete with another great guy, so I’m looking forward to that and I want to have fun.”
If Alexander turns out to be the destructive force he was at Toledo, it will be fun for Giant fans, too.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Darius Alexander sees himself as a ‘weapon’ on Giants’ defensive front
Darius Alexander, the New York Giants‘ third-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, is ready for whatever challenge comes his way.
The 24-year-old former Toledo Rockets star was added to the Giants’ defensive front on Friday night with the first pick in the third round (65th overall). Many may have seen this pick as a surprise, but not to the Giants and not to Alexander himself.
Alexander broke out at the Senior Bowl, an event the Giants’ front office has an annual presence and invited Alexander to a Top 30 visit this month. Both parties saw a match in the making.
“The visit was great,” Alexander told reporters after the Giants selected him. “The visit was awesome. When I got there I loved it. My teammate (inside linebacker) Diontae Johnson, he plays there, so me and him talked about it a little bit.
“The meeting with Coach Dre (defensive line coach Andre Patterson) and Coach Cox (assistant defensive line coach Bryan Cox) was wonderful. I got to go in there and talk to them guys about ball and everything and just what I could do better as a player, and then after the meeting, Coach Dre told me, ‘Hey, if you’re still on that board and I can get my hands on you, I’m coming to get you’ and he came and got me, so I’m excited.”
This year’s draft class is deep in interior defensive line help. Coming from a smaller school and not a Power Five program, Alexander was not seen as a top prospect. But insiders know better. He’s as good as anyone from the bigger schools.
N.Y. Giants Select Toledo DL Darius Alexander 65th Overall
🍎 90.6 PFF Grade in 2024 (3rd Among DTs) pic.twitter.com/psjLAi42r3
— PFF College (@PFF_College) April 26, 2025
The Giants will throw Alexander into their rotation and see where he sticks. Based on his tape, that could be anywhere. He is a 3-technique player and his versatility and speed will be complimentary to his linemates, especially Dexter Lawrence II.
“What I make of it, I think it’s a great thing,” Alexander said when asked about playing alongside the Pro Bowler. “I think they get two guys out there who want to go play hard, play balls to the wall, just be able to go in there and learn from him and be able to pick up things from him and install into my game to see how I can use it as a weapon on the field is what I’ll be looking for. Just a chance to go out there and compete with another great guy, so I’m looking forward to that and I want to have fun.”
If Alexander turns out to be the destructive force he was at Toledo, it will be fun for Giant fans, too.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Darius Alexander sees himself as a ‘weapon’ on Giants’ defensive front
