Giants draft Northern Iowa DE Elerson Smith in 4th round

The Giants have made their pick. At No. 116 overall in the fourth round, they’ve selected Northern Iowa’s Elerson Smith.

For the second consecutive day, the Giants add to the pass rush.

Dave Gettleman, Joe Judge, and the organization have decided to draft Northern Iowa defensive end Elerson Smith at No. 116 overall in the fourth round.

This comes after the Giants executed a steal in the second round with the selection of Georgia edge rusher Azeez Ojulari at No. 50 overall.

Elerson Smith was a first-team All-American in 2019 and didn’t take part in the 2020 season. During that 2019 campaign, he finished with 63 total tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, and five forced fumbles through 15 games.

This is an unusual selection — many believed the Giants would take an interior offensive lineman at No. 116. Both Tennessee’s Trey Smith and Alabama’s Deonte Brown were available at that pick and could’ve provided the Big Blue offensive line with great talent.

The Giants have made numerous moves to improve the pass-rushing unit this offseason. Along with the selections of Smith and Ojulari, New York additionally gave a three-year extension to Leonard Williams, who led the team with 11.5 sacks and 30 quarterback hits in 2020.

It’s unclear how much playing time Smith will find right off the bat, but taking into consideration the intelligence and creativity of defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, he’ll surely locate some sort of role.

In the 3-4 scheme, Smith could find time at the outside linebacker position alongside Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines, should either make the final roster.