Osi Umenyiora

While Umenyiora's 6.0 sacks last season were his fewest since 2006, the 31-year-old should continue to put up decent sack totals and remain a serviceable IDP option.

After dealing with surgeries to his hip and knee prior to the 2011 season and missing time during the year with knee and ankle injuries, the primary risk with Umenyiora as an IDP is his health. There is no doubting his productivity, as he has 40.5 sacks and 21 forced fumbles in his last 57 games, which projects to roughly 11.5 sacks and six forced fumbles over a full season. With the emergence of the frighteningly good Jason Pierre-Paul in 2011, Umenyiora will continue to see single teams despite the considerable danger he poses to offenses. That’s assuming he remains in New York – at press time he was unhappy with his contract.

It’s tough to rank a player this low after he set an NFL record with 10 forced fumbles a year ago, but Umenyiora has had an inconsistent career. He has yet to notch double-digit sacks in successive seasons after seven years in the league, and he was even inconsistent within last year, great as his numbers were on the whole. His 11.5 sacks from 2010 came in just seven games, and the 10 forced fumbles from just six games. Eight or nine weeks of largely negligible production are tough to sit through as an IDP owner. Still, volatile as his numbers might be, Umeyiora’s talent and upside are rarely exceeded, and he’s always a threat to do big things. Umenyiora is unhappy about his contract, and the Giants have given him permission to seek a trade.

After missing the 2008 season with a knee injury, Umenyiora returned last year to mixed reviews. He was benched at one point, and then relegated to playing only on passing downs. Still, he finished with seven sacks — and he isn’t the first athlete to struggle the year after an ACL tear. The Giants used their first-round pick in this year’s draft on defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, but Umenyiora is still expected to start. Health and regular play should be enough for him to increase his paltry 29 tackles from last year. A bounce-back campaign is certainly within his grasp.

Umenyiora missed all last season with a knee injury, but he’s proven to be an elite DE when healthy. In 2005 and 2007 (he missed five games in 2006), he totaled 14.5 and 13 sacks, respectively. He’s also posted at least 52 tackles (70 in 2005) every year he’s played a full 16-game schedule. Quick off the ball with good size and strength (6-3, 280), Umenyiora is an excellent bookend to teammate Justin Tuck. Umenyiora proclaimed himself 99 percent healthy in March and expects to be fully healthy for training camp, giving the Giants one of the best defensive lines in the NFL.

Umenyiora made 13 sacks in 2007, just 1.5 shy of his 2005 career high. He lacked consistency throughout the season, though, as six sacks came in Week 4 against the beleaguered Eagles. Umenyiora has 52 or more tackles in three of his last four seasons, a definite plus. But Michael Strahan is a wild card. Strahan, Umenyiora and Justin Tuck form one of the league's best defensive-line trios. If Strahan retires, Umenyiora's production could be impacted because of increased attention from opposing teams. On the other hand, Umenyiora held his own in 2004 when Strahan missed eight games, averaging six tackles a game and totaling four sacks in that span. And Umenyiora's struggles in 2006 probably had more to do with his own hip flexor injury than Strahan's absence. Umenyiora wants a pay raise from the $1.7 million he is to make this season, but there's no indication yet whether that will affect his status for training camp.

Not too many linemen were better than Umenyiora in 2005, when he recorded 70 total tackles and 14.5 sacks. He was topped only by teammate Michael Strahan and Jason Taylor, which is some amazing company to keep. But last year Umenyiora played just 11 games, including a half of one, because of a hip flexor injury. When he was in the lineup, he played fairly well but not up to his standard. That partly had to do with Strahan’s absence -- it helps to have Strahan drawing the spotlight on the other end of the line. Umenyiora’s lone sack after returning from injury in December came in the only game Strahan played over that stretch. Still, Umenyiora showed in 2004 that he can be a star without Strahan, and he was solid last year with or without his teammate. He gets off the line fast and uses a variety of moves including a surprisingly effective bull rush. Given a healthy full season, Umenyiora has the tools to succeed. He'll be elite if he's got his buddy playing alongside him.

It took a couple years, but Umenyiora has really learned how to use his assets. He has size, strength, quickness, balance, long arms and great hands, all of which help fend off blocks, fight through blockers and pursue in run support. He just needed some experience to develop technique. It came together last year, when he was second only to Derrick Burgess (16) in sacks. His previous career high was seven sacks. He had registered 40 solo tackles in a season previously, so there’s reason to believe he can keep that up. Same with the sacks: not only does he play opposite Michael Strahan to form the hottest defensive end tandem in the business, the Giants added rush-happy LaVar Arrington to play weakside linebacker. All those rushers and a hefty pair of tackles in Fred Robbins and William Joseph mean Umenyiora won’t see many double teams.

Umenyiora will play opposite Michael Strahan on the line and has a good chance to improve on his seven-sack campaign a year ago. With Strahan seeing the double-teams, Umenyiora will be a tough one-on-one matchup for the league's weaker left tackles.

Umenyiora will start opposite Michael Strahan at left defensive end. Based on his solid play down the stretch and the fact that Strahan will often be double-teamed, Umenyiora could be a decent sleeper.

The Giants' second round pick will backup Kenny Holmes and Michael Strahan at the defensive end spots. He has some athleticism, but needs to work on his technique.