Lorenzo Carter is going to need to step up in 2019. The New York Giants pass-rusher should have a much larger role, and he'll need to deliver.
The Giants are rolling with Eli Manning again this season, and if they want to have any hope of making the playoffs, they'll need a bounce-back year from the defense. The Giants are going to have a lot of young guys contributing on defense, and so far most of the discussion has centered around recent first round picks DeAndre Baker and Dexter Lawrence.
Carter, a 2018 third-rounder, has flown a bit more under the radar. What is Carter focused on being this season? “Deadly pass rusher,” the Georgia product said recently, per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
“Length is a plus,’’ Carter told reporters. “It’s always better to be long. It’s something coach Bettch, he always says, ‘You’re long, don’t shrink down, don’t try to play smaller than you are. Play long, play explosive.’ Explosiveness with length is a deadly thing.”
The Giants didn't add any edge help in the draft, which was seen by some as a vote of confidence in Carter. The second-year player isn't looking at it that way though, and isn't taking anything for granted.
“They didn’t get a pass rusher but I didn’t look at it like that,’’ Carter said. “I’m looking at me going into Year 2, what steps I need to make to be better. I guess they showed faith but I want to go out there and prove it to myself and prove it to everybody else.”
Carter didn't play a huge role as a rookie, but that's going to change. The Giants traded away Olivier Vernon to the Browns, which means they'll have a ton of pass-rushing production to replace.
Carter has the chance to become the top dog on the unit.
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