Ryder Anderson gets chance to compete for roster spot with Giants

Ryder Anderson was one of two tryout players signed by the New York Giants after the team’s rookie mini-camp. What might the Giants have seen in the former Ole Miss/Indiana edge defender?

Let’s take a look as we continue player-by-player profiles of the 90-man roster the Giants will bring to training camp.

By the numbers

Height: 6-foot-6¼
Weight: 276
Age: N/A
Position: Edge
Experience: Rookie
Contract: Three years, $2.56 million | 2022 cap hit: $705,000

Career to date

Anderson spent four years at Ole Miss and played at Indiana in 2021 as a grad transfer. He earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors while getting 2.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss and 47 tackles 27 solo).

2022 outlook

Here are the scouting reports on Anderson:

Anderson, 6-foot-6, 276 pounds, was the 42nd-ranked edge defender in Dane Brugler’s draft guide for The Athletic. Brugler writes:

Anderson looks the part with his size, strength and length to lock out and control the point of attack. He has a powerful stab move, but his first step quickness is average with heavy legs that lack shifty movements. He offers inside-outside versatility, although his lack of twitch might limit his playmaking radius vs. the run. Overall, Anderson doesn’t have much in his bag of tricks as a pass rusher, but he is a bulldozer downhill with ammo in his hands to power through soft shoulders.

Emory Hunt of Football Gameplan summarized Anderson this way in his draft guide:

Strengths:

- Excellent size and frame to withstand the rigors of POA play in the NFL. He’s an assignment-focused player that does a solid job of playing his role.

- Wears on OL throughout the day with his physical strength and consistency in his approach. He is able to shoot his hands quickly on an OL, forcing him to work all throughout the rep.

Areas of Improvement:

- Needs to play with much more giddy up within his game. At times it feels as if he’s thinking out there on the field, which leads to his play not being as fast.

- Needs to be better at quickly disengaging from blocks. Hands have to get more violent at the POA.

- Developing as more than just a gap occupier should be another goal for him as he moves forward.

Based on build and profile, I wonder if the Giants are looking at Anderson as a 3-4 defensive end more than as a standup edge defender. The Giants list him as a defensive end rather than linebacker, so that would seem likely. If Anderson sticks, that would most likely be as part of the practice squad.