New York Giants DT Jordan Riley: The Good, The Great, and The Ugly

We look at the week 16 game against Philadelphia to assess Jordan Riley's positives and areas of improvement.

East Rutherford, NJ -- July 24, 2024 -- Defensive lineman Jordan Riley during the first day of training camp for the 2024 New York Giants. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

As this New York Giants defense is reconstructed to fit the vision of new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen the importance of a quality front line will be key. That quality will be determined by the dominance of the starters and the effectiveness of the depth behind those starters. That is where second-year interior defensive lineman Jordan Riley can be extremely valuable. His rookie season flashed promise as a quality backup for All Pro nose guard Dexter Lawrence but also left people unsatisfied by his time missed due to injury. Riley showed up for training camp this season trimmer and seemingly ready to solidify himself as a number two and possibly even push for a spot alongside Lawrence as a starter. 

His rookie season started with him inactive for nine of the Giants first 11 games. Over five of the final six weeks of the season Riley began to get snaps filling in for Lawrence on the defensive line. He recorded seven tackles over those five games and while that may seem like a low number when you consider the amount of snaps he received and the type of role he was asked to fill, that production is very good. The first game against the Philadelphia Eagles was the game where he received the most defensive snaps. His 35 snaps were 47% of the total snaps in the game. His job was to hold position in run defense and absorb double teams while others made plays around him and even though he did not show much as a pass rusher, his work in the run game was enough to keep the Giants braintrust from addressing the position in the draft. Let's take a look at the good, the great, and the ugly of Jordan Riley against Philly.

The Good: Keeping gap integrity

Riley has been able to show over his college career and throughout his first season as a pro that he can control his gap and make it difficult for rushers to find run lanes or make it easy for his linebackers to fill in the only opening available for the back. He does a good job of collapsing the gaps and closing lanes down. Even if his linebackers fill the wrong lane that does not mean that he is wrong. His biggest plus is taking away cutback lanes for backs and eliminating edges to attack by keeping an arm free to make a tackle. In these clips he is not making the tackle but he is controlling his gap and making it difficult for the offense. He operates really well as a part of the whole. He does his job so that others can do their job. 

The Good of #Giants100 DL Jordan Riley is his ability to control his gap in run defense. pic.twitter.com/vX3spNOmsh

— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) August 4, 2024

The Great: Disengaging and making the tackle

Riley does a good job of keeping his position in the run game but what has the potential to take him to the next level of his development which is disengaging and making tackles. When he is focused on making tackles, he has the ability to be disruptive in run defense. During the game against the Eagles, he showed that he had the ability to be a disruptive force in the run game. He was able to disengage from the blocker and get to the ball carrier. That type of ability against the run could really make him a valuable asset as a run defender either as a three-technique or as a backup as a nose guard. 

The Great of #Giants100 DT Jordan Riley is his ability to detach from blockers and secure tackles. pic.twitter.com/g75I5T8BTb

— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) August 4, 2024

The Ugly: Pass rushing

Jordan Riley played four seasons in college at three different universities. Regardless of whether it was his freshman year at North Carolina, his sophomore and junior years at Nebraska or his senior season with Oregon, Riley has never been a guy who hunted the quarterback successfully. He only recorded a half sack in his final year with the Ducks so it is not a surprise that he did not record a sack or even look like he was close to a sack during his rookie season. He definitely did not threaten Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts during this game. He has not flashed the explosion to be a one-gap penetrator or the motor to chase down the quarterback when he is flushed up the middle. In this game he seemed to stand his ground and not have the ability to collapse the pocket on the interior. 

The Ugly of #Giants100 DT Jordan Riley is his lack of pass rushing ability. pic.twitter.com/zwXpgjg6aq

— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) August 4, 2024

Coach’s Counsel

What will Riley hang his hat on? There's a clear need for a consistent presence next to Dexter Lawrence but it comes with a commitment to becoming a legitimate pass rusher. That may be something that Riley can not become at this point in his football career. He's never been that type of defensive lineman. He needs to have the flexibility to play alongside Lawrence but also back him up if needed. He should keep working on his strength, explosion on the snap, and power in his strikes. He is a two-down defensive tackle and there is no shame in becoming a run defense specialist. They last a long time in the NFL.