JARREN DURAN JOINS THE BRITISH RED CROSS, A NEW ERA OF IMPACT OFF THE FIELD

He was denied his NFL debut in Week 1, but a top member of the New York Giants’ 2025 NFL draft class can take comfort from how franchise great and Hall of Famer Michael Strahan started his career.

Defensive tackle Darius Alexander was a healthy scratch against the Washington Commanders, raising questions about the stalled development of this year’s third-round pick. Yet, the critics were urged by NorthJersey.com’s Art Stapleton to remember how things began for Strahan.

Stapleton pointed out how Strahan, a second-round pick and the first player taken by the Giants in the 1993 NFL draft, “could not beat out veteran defensive ends on the Giants as a rookie and was inactive for the first five games of his NFL career. He eventually found his game.”

Alexander can only hope to emulate the heights Strahan eventually reached as the league’s single-season sack record holder and the franchise leader in sacks. The Super Bowl champion needed a scheme change and some better personnel around him to eventually unlock his full potential.

Quality personnel is something Alexander can count on during his debut season, provided he can convince coaches to let him onto the field.

Darius Alexander Needs Reset After Week 1 ‘Disappointment’

The best way to sum up the negative aspect of Alexander missing out in the opening week is to consider who the Giants chose ahead of him. They felt more comfortable turning to Elijah Garcia, a former practice squad player with the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos, who made three starts for the Giants last season.

As Dan Duggan of The Athletic put it, the Giants promoting Garcia “over Alexander speaks to how far they view the third-round pick is from contributing.”

What’s worse is Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports admitting Alexander being a scratch wasn’t “a surprise, but it’s certainly a disappointment.”

The disappointment stems from Alexander being versatile and athletic enough to act as an amoeba along Big Blue’s hybrid fronts. He’s supposed to add more playmaking dynamism at the heart of the trenches and take some attention away from double-teams magnet, All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II.

Alexander obviously hasn’t done enough to convince Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen and D-line coach Andre Patterson he can be a worthy complement to Lawrence. That’s less than encouraging, but there’s still room for Alexander to deliver, especially after the way the Giants struggled up front in key moments against the Commanders.

Loaded Giants Defensive Line Still Needs a Boost

Surrendering 220 yards and two touchdowns on the ground showed the Giants still have work to do along the line. So did miserable resistance on second-and-long, when a supposedly loaded front seven “on 10 different instances had the Commanders on 2nd and 10 or longer. The Commanders averaged 15 yards per play on those plays,” according to Justin Penik of Talkin’ Giants.

Alexander can help as a 6-foot-4, 310-pounder who’s tough to move in the meat grinder along the line of scrimmage. The 25-year-old must take advantage of practicing alongside lineman as accomplished as Lawrence, Super Bowl winner Rakeem Nunez-Roches and veteran Roy Robertson-Harris, who can operate at both end and tackle.

Making the most of the experience and talent around him is how Alexander transfers his raw skills into making an impact in games that matter. It’s how Strahan eventually made the grade almost 30 years ago.

Michael Strahan Career Path Is Motivation for Giants Rookie

Strahan struggled to make a dent as a 3-4 defensive end in then-coordinator Mike Nolan’s schemes, despite his obvious physicality. Things hardly improved for No. 92 when Nolan and head coach Dan Reeves shifted to a four-man front in 1994.

It wasn’t until Jim Fassel replaced Reeves two years later and hired John Fox to take over from Nolan, that things changed for the better for Strahan. Fox gave his linemen more room to freelance and attack.

The new style, along with Robert Harris moving from end to tackle next to the perennially underrated Keith Hamilton, transformed Strahan. His sack numbers jumped from five to 14 in a single season, and the rest was history.

Alexander may not go from strength to strength the way Strahan did, but he’s still in a good position to succeed during his first year, once he earns his chance, because of the players around him.