The Giants spent a 2028 seventh-round pick on C.J. Okoye , and the size alone explains the curiosity. He is 6-foot-6, 365 pounds and has only been playing football for a few years. Players with that build and so little time in the sport do not show up in late-August trades very often.
The Ravens used Okoye in 13 games last year. He finished with 15 tackles, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit and a pass defensed. The Giants are getting an actual NFL body, not a practice-squad flier with no game tape behind him.
New York made three trades in 11 days, so this was clearly not a front office sitting back after final cuts. The move also reunites Okoye with John Harbaugh, who coached him in Baltimore last season.
Aug. 7, 2025: C.J. Okoye pressures Colts quarterback Daniel Jones for Baltimore. Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect.
The first thing that stands out is obvious: Okoye is hard to move. The second is more interesting. He came through the International Player Pathway Program after growing up in Nigeria and playing basketball, then made a regular-season roster after only taking up football in 2022.
That background does not make him a finished player. It does explain why there might still be more to get out of him. A 24-year-old that large with NFL reps is worth a look when the price is a late pick three drafts away.
The Giants do not need him to become a headline player in Week 1. They need a big defensive lineman who can hold his ground, give the front another option and avoid becoming a liability when the rotation turns over.
I like this kind of move more than the usual end-of-August shuffle. There is a clear physical trait, a real reason for the team's interest and enough NFL experience to make the projection less of a blind throw.
Okoye will have to earn snaps. Nobody should make promises off a seventh-round investment. But the Giants found a rare frame with a nontraditional football background and a coach who already knows him. For this point in the calendar, that is a sensible swing.
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