In their first season under Patrick Graham, the New York Giants defense shined and was arguably among the league’s most surprising units.

That group was anchored by an overperforming defensive line featuring Leonard Williams, Dalvin Tomlinson, Dexter Lawrence and others. And although Tomlinson exited earlier this offseason through free agency, the team is still very deep and talented across that line.

Behind the D-line is a vastly improved linebacker corps, including Blake Martinez, who drew both Pro Bowl and All-Pro consideration a year ago. It also now features the additions of Azeez Ojulari, Ryan Anderson, Ifeadi Odenigbo and Reggie Ragland, as well as the returning Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines.

All told, the Giants’ front seven should be a force in 2021. Or at least that’s the level of expectation set by Justin Tuck.

“Over time, the Giants have always been known for their front seven. Now, that seems to be that calling card again. You have a lot of pieces of the puzzle that I would like to see go out this year and really make a name for themselves on that defensive line,” Tuck told Big Blue Kickoff Live this week.

“The only one that everyone is kind of looking at is Leonard [Williams]. From that perspective, there’s a lot of young talent, a lot of new guys on that front. Obviously, we drafted the guy from Georgia [Azeez Ojulari] … That defensive front, and the secondary for that matter, held up pretty well last year considering what we were able to accomplish last year. I think for me personally, I’m excited about what they’ll continue to do and what they’ll do with another year under their belts in this system.”

There is a correlation between secondary success and front seven success (and visa versa), and as talented as the Giants are up front, they are equally talented at cornerback and safety. In fact, they arguably sport one of the NFL’s deepest and deadliest secondaries.

That should only serve to assist the front seven this coming season, which should also see a substantial uptick in non-blitz sacks.

“They should be even more comfortable in that scheme this year, play faster, play more confident,” Tuck said. “And that allows him to do more of those things to kind of free up some people or get some other people who might not necessarily be the pass rusher that Leonard is or that me, Osi [Umenyiora] and [Michael] Strahan were. But giving them some favorable matchups that they could win some opportunities there, that’s what I think will happen this year, especially when you think about the additions that we made in the secondary. All of this stuff goes hand in hand.

“That’s one thing with Patrick Graham, it seems like he was really good at dialing up things where guys were put in one-on-one situations. At that point, you have to win. If you don’t win, then we need to do something else.”

And one of the players that often wins in Leonard Williams, who has proven to be a gem of an addition for the Giants despite the guff Gettleman received when trading for him.

“When you have a guy like Leonard who can make plays, not only with the quarterback hits and the sacks but also in the backfield as far as his run-stopping ability, when you have a person like that, especially in a 3-4 defense where I know he’s a lot more comfortable in that three scheme, he’s going to cause havoc,” Tuck explained. “If I’m an offensive coordinator, I’m definitely paying more attention to him.

“There are a lot of things that when you have a stud like that on your D-line and you can kind of play the chess game as far as where you’re going to show different looks and so on and so forth, that always I think benefits the people that will be around him.”

So long as the Giants can stay healthy, the sky is the limit for Patrick Graham’s defense in 2021.