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he New York Giants left “no stone unturned” when scouting Elijah Chatman, the undrafted free-agent defensive tackle who’s become a star this preseason. Assistant general manager Brandon Brown has revealed all about what went into identifying the hidden talents of former SMU standout Chatman.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, August 20, Brown explained area scouts played a key role in unearthing Chatman. The scout team performed a “full discovery process on Elijah,” according to Brown, per SNY.tv’s Giants Videos.
That process started with asking the question, “what makes him (Chatman) an outlier at his size?” Brown explained how “you’re not gonna find many 5-foot-11 defensive tackles.”
Fortunately, Chatman possessed other intriguing intangibles: “He was a captain. He was, actually for his size, he was a 1600-yard rusher in high school as a running back, slash fullback. He had a pseudo, call it, fullback package on offense at SMU.
Brown also said Giants scouts sent back notes about seeing Chatman “run down on punt coverage and kickoff return.
Finally, Chatman’s background check ticked another box for the Giants: “He’s a decorated high school wrestler and powerlifter, and he’s the son of a lumberjack.”
The Giants had enough information to believe in Chatman, but analytics sealed the deal. Brown detailed how “Elijah was a 31 vert guy, a 4.8 40 guy, a 32-bench rep guy, a 9.4 broad jump guy. All those explosive metrics, you know, give him an opportunity for being an outlier, and even those he’s 5-11, he’s got almost 33-inch arms.”
Big Blue’s personnel department can feel vindicated for rolling the dice on Chatman’s “redeeming traits” after the way he’s dominated this offseason. His rapid development is solving an underrated problem for the Giants’ front seven.
Giants Scouting Unearthed a Hidden Gem
The work Brown and the area scouts put in has unearthed a hidden gem for the Giants. A player who has been showcasing impressive, game-wrecking range up front.
Chatman’s flair for disruption has been a problem for offenses during preseason. He toyed with the Detroit Lions in Week 1, before drawing this flag against the Houston Texans in the second exhibition game, per Nick Falato of SB Nation’s Big Blue View.
Splitting gaps and collapsing the pocket is how Chatman can make an impact once the games that matter begin. His ability to rush the passer is a boost for a line that needs to generate more pressure.
Yet for all his core skills, one play from this preseason rewarded the exhaustive work of the Giants’ scouting department. It was the viral moment Chatman chased down Texans’ running back J.J. Taylor after a big gain along the sideline, earning the respect of current and former Giants players.
Chatman, all 278 pounds of him, “hit 16.28 mph on this play,” per Next Gen Stats (h/t ESPN’s Jordan Raanan). The latter also pointed out “That was faster than any top speed recorded by a Giants RB other than Eric Gray on Saturday against the Texans.”
This level of effort can’t be measured the same way as natural, physical talent. It’s the kind of intangible shrewd scouting puts a premium on during the evaluation process.
The Giants should hope the same scouting has worked with the other unheralded linemen surrounding Chatman on the depth chart.
Elijah Chatman Giving the Giants a Boost in Depth
He still hasn’t played a down of meaningful action, but Chatman’s upward trajectory this offseason makes him the closest the Giants have to a proven commodity among their reserve D-linemen.
Those backups include late-round draft choices like 2022 fifth-rounder D.J. Davidson and ’23 seventh-round pick Jordon Riley. They’re joined by undrafted nose tackle Casey Rogers.
It’s not the most impressive group on paper, but the Giants still felt comfortable waiving a projected starter. That move came after trading a veteran to the Dallas Cowboys mere months after signing him in free agency.
The Giants are gambling on potential to keep the line strong. It’s a risk, but if even one of Davidson, Riley or Rogers emerges the way Chatman has, Giants’ scouts will deserve a pay rise.
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