New York Giants 2024 Training Camp Preview: DL Ryder Anderson

New York Giants defensive lineman Ryder Anderson comes from a football family. His uncle, Mark, is a former NFL defensive end selected in the fifth round of the 2006 draft by the Bears.

The Bears carried him on their roster through part of 2010 before he made stops with the Texans, Patriots, and Bills. And his brother Rodney was a sixth-round draft pick by the Bengals in 2019.

Ryder Anderson didn’t have the same good fortune as his uncle and brother because he went undrafted out of Indiana in 2022. Still, he impressed enough that summer to earn a spot on the Giants’ practice squad. 

He was a standard practice squad elevation in Weeks 6 and 7 and was eventually signed to the 53-man roster on December 16. Anderson finished the 2022 season, appearing in seven games with two starts and registering eight tackles and two sacks.

Anderson’s most intriguing appeal is his size (6-6 and 280 pounds). But as he gets ready to compete with fellow youngsters like D.J. Davidson, Jordan Riley, and Timmy Horne and with veterans Jordan Phillips and Rakeem Nunez-Roces for a spot at the Giants’ defensive line table, Anderson, a raw prospect in terms of his technique in both run defense and the pass rush, could be facing an uphill battle this summer.  

Height: 6-6
Weight: 280  lbs.
Exp.: 2 Years
School: Indiana 
How Acquired: UDFA-22 

Anderson spent last season on the Giants practice squad. His biggest appeal has long been his size–he stands 6-6 and weighs 280 pounds.

But while he’s flashed some intrigue as a situational pass rush specialist, he lacked explosiveness off the ball and a set of violent hands, especially in the run game.

Anderson is signed to a one-year reserve/futures contract worth $915,000 with no signing bonus. That amount puts him outside of the Top 51 range. 

Anderson has supposedly been working to add bulk to his frame–again, the Giants list him as 280, but having seen him in the OTAs, he does look a bit bulkier in the upper body. 

Whereas Anderson never seemed like an ideal fit for what former defensive coordinator Wink Martindale sought in a 3-4 defensive end, Anderson, with additional technique work and polish, could be a better fit for what new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen is looking for.  

Anderson is still a project at this juncture in his career. Still, in speaking about Anderson and the other two young players on the defensive line (Riley and Davidson), defensive line coach Andre Patterson likes how that trio is developing. 

“You can see they’re comfortable with the drills. They’re comfortable with the technique, and now, it’s time for them to take their game to a different level,” Paterson said. 

“I have a lot of confidence in all three of those guys. I think all three of those guys have a chance to be good players for us, but it comes down to when we get on the field, start playing for real, and they have to show it.”

But as Patterson also said, once they get the pads on, Anderson’s progress will really start to crystallize.