The Giants didn’t exactly sneak this one by anyone. They sent a 2028 seventh-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens for C.J.
Okoye, a 6-foot-6, 365-pound defensive lineman who had already spent much of the 2025 season on Baltimore’s active roster and logged 214 snaps for John Harbaugh. New York had interest, made sure it got him before final cuts, and Okoye ended up on the Giants’ 53-man roster as expected.
The first thing that jumps out with Okoye is the size. Some outlets have him listed at 370 pounds, and he pairs that frame with 33¾-inch arms and just under 10-inch hands. That kind of build gives him real presence in the middle of the line, and the tape shows why teams want to bet on him.
Okoye’s best trait is straightforward: he can drive people backward. His bull-rush is the foundation of his game, and when he gets his hips and pads down, he can generate serious force into contact.
He also shows the kind of awareness that matters for a player still learning the position. He keeps his eyes on the quarterback, adjusts as plays develop, and has enough vision to help him work around escape attempts from mobile passers.
There are flashes of more than just raw power, too. Against Washington, Okoye put together a hump-move and turned it into a club swim against a reaching guard on play-action.
The pass still got completed, but the rush showed a finesse element that could become a real weapon if he keeps sharpening it. He also drew a holding penalty in the regular season with the kind of push and lower-body drive that can force blockers into bad decisions.
His awareness shows up in other ways as well. Okoye can close throwing lanes with his long wingspan, and he does a solid job keeping his eyes open while rushing.
That trait stands out even more because he is relatively new to football. He also showed he can hold his own against one-on-one blocks, including a rep where he located Chase Brown in the hole, closed the B-Gap from the A, and fought through the center to help force the ball inside.
There’s enough on tape to see why the Giants believe he can fit into their rotation. He gets a good jump off the snap, can neutralize a center’s first punch, and has enough regular-season experience on a strong Ravens team to give New York something usable right away.
He should compete for snaps and battle Bobby Jameson-Travis and Darius Alexander, with the possibility that he works his way into the number three defensive tackle role behind D.J. Reader and Shelby Harris, not counting Chauncey Golston.
But the concern is just as clear as the upside. Okoye is huge, and at times he plays too high, which lets blockers control and steer him.
When he stays low, he’s tough to move. When he doesn’t, the problems show up fast, especially on zone looks where his feet have to work laterally.
Against the Bengals last season, that pad-level issue led to him getting displaced a few times, even though he can handle double teams and anchor when everything is right.
That’s the trade-off the Giants are taking on: a massive, still-developing lineman with real push, useful awareness, and some hand usage that has flashed enough to hint at more. He’s not someone to pencil in as a pass-rushing specialist, but he does look like a rotational piece with room to grow. And at 24 years old, there’s still time for the tools to catch up to the frame.
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