Giants Snubbed With Only One 1 All-Pro Selection
The Associated Press unveiled the 2023 All-Pro team on Friday and it's safe to say that New York Giants fans aren't exactly thrilled by the results.
Fifth-year defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence is the only Giants player named to this year's All-Pro squad. It's the second year in a row that the 26-year-old Wake Forest, NC native has earned second-team honors, cementing himself as one of the NFL's best interior linemen.
Dexter Lawrence is AP All-Pro second team, the only Giants player represented.
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) January 12, 2024
Bobby Okereke deserved a spot. Andrew Thomas would have deserved serious consideration if not for the hamstring injury that kept him out for seven games.
There's no denying that Lawrence deserved to earn that accolade. Starting in all 16 of his appearances, the ex-Clemson Tiger racked up 53 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and two broken-up passes while setting new career highs when it comes to quarterback hurries (45) and total pressures (65).
Having said that, it can also be argued that Lawrence deserves to be on the first team after finishing with the highest defensive grade (93.0) among all interior defenders, per Pro Football Focus.
But even with Lawrence earning much-deserved respect, the Giants being held to just one All-Pro selection is nothing short of a snub.
As Giants beat writer Art Stapleton points out, linebacker Bobby Okereke was also more than deserving of a spot on the team. After spending the first four seasons of his career in Indianapolis, Okereke truly broke out during the 2023 campaign, amassing 149 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 10 defended passes, four forced fumbles, and two interceptions.
While a good chunk of the selected players do deserve to be named All-Pro, you can't tell me that Okereke didn't deserve to be selected over the likes of the New Orleans Saints' Demario Davis or the Baltimore Ravens' Patrick Queen — two players who Okereke outperformed in several categories.
At the end of the day, though, it isn't too surprising that the Giants are being disrespected. That's what happens when a team finishes 6-11 in a league that puts winning performances on a pedestal.
Hopefully, the Giants put the disrespect on a bulletin board and use it as motivation to come back better and stronger for the 2024 campaign.
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