4 Giants land on ESPN's top 100 players for 2023
With the 2023 regular season right around the corner, some media outlets have been previewing the upcoming campaign by breaking down the best players in the NFL.
The latest to do so is ESPN, which polled a dozen of their NFL experts "to rate players based on performance expectations for the 2023 season as compared with their peers" in order to come up with their predictions for the top 100 players for this year.
When the final results were in, four Giants players ended up on ESPN's list.
First up is running back Saquon Barkley, who is the highest Giant on the list at No. 39.
"Barkley was finally healthy last season, and he looks even better this summer..." wrote ESPN's Jordan Raanan. "The bottom line is whenever he has been on the field in his career, he has produced. The Pro Bowler played 80.2% of the offensive snaps last season, most among running backs."
Barkley did not miss a single game due to injury in 2022. The 26-year-old running back ran for a career-high 1,312 yards, the fourth-most in the NFL, and scored 10 touchdowns to go with his 57 receptions for an additional 338 yards. He was voted to the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career and finished third in the NFL AP Comeback Player of the Year voting.
The 6-foot-0, 232-pound back added an additional 114 yards on 18 carries (6.3 avg.) and two touchdowns in the team's two postseason games, along with seven receptions for 77 yards.
View photos of Giants running back Saquon Barkley's time with the New York Giants.
Next up is defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, who lands at No. 48.
"He was dominant last season after defensive line coach Andre Patterson and coordinator Wink Martindale decided to make him a nose tackle," Raanan wrote. "Centers can't guard him one-on-one. Hence the career high 7.5 sacks and his 28 quarterback hits (second among defensive linemen)."
Lawrence enjoyed a true breakout campaign last season on his way to being named Second-Team All-Pro. The fourth-year defensive lineman's sacks and quarterback hits shattered his previous high marks of 4.0 sacks and 11 QB hits.
He has also set new career-bests in total tackles (68), tackles for loss (seven), pass breakups (three) and forced fumbles (two), which led to his first selection to the Pro Bowl. Lawrence registered 70 total pressures, including the playoffs, and 42 defensive stops, according to PFF.