New York Giants defensive tackle Zacch Pickens enters training camp with his third team in four summers, and he’s facing long odds for a spot on the Giants’ 53-man roster.He had three productive seasons at South Carolina, where he recorded 115 tackles (61 of them solo) and 11.5 tackles for loss. He also got to the quarterback 7.5 times—including four sacks—during his junior season in 2021. That production saw Pickens’s stock start to rise.At the NFL Combine, his 4.89-second 40-yard dash was among the fastest at the event. He also posted a vertical jump of over 30 inches and a 9-foot-8-inch broad jump, along with 22 reps on the bench press.His gameplay and his athletic testing pointed to a defensive lineman who could be effective in both phases of the game. However, over his first three years in the league, he's been unable to deliver.Over his 29 games in the league, he has only made three starts and collected 44 total tackles and 1.5 sacks. This is why, going into year four in the NFL, he has had trouble sticking with one team.If Pickens wants to make this roster, he needs to summon the athleticism he showed in college and prove he can be a disruptive force on the defensive line of scrimmage, since he doesn't bring much to the table on special teams.ZACCH PICKENS, DTHeight: 6-foot-4Weight: 303 lbs.Exp.: 3 YearsSchool: South CarolinaHow Acquired: W(KC)-'262025 in ReviewPickens was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs and placed on the practice squad at the beginning of the 2025 season, after spending his first two seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Bears.He spent the majority of the season on the practice squad. However, when quarterback Patrick Mahomes went down with a season-ending injury, the Chiefs added Pickens to the active roster, and he played in three games to finish out the season.During that three-game stint, he played in 59 defensive snaps (28% of the Chiefs' total snaps over that time).His best game was a Week 16 tilt at Tennessee, where he recorded four total tackles: three solo and one assisted. He didn’t play any special team snaps over that time.Contract/Cap InfoPickens signed a one-year, $1,145,000 contract with the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason, and that contract was claimed by the Giants when they claimed Pickens off waivers back in May of 2026.The deal did not include any guaranteed money, nor did it carry a signing bonus or a workout bonus. His cap hit will be the same as his salary, and there will be no dead cap.2026 PreviewIn early May 2026, he was waived by the Chiefs and claimed by the Giants, joining an extremely crowded defensive line on a team fighting to claw its way back into on-field relevance.Pickens has no time to pontificate on what could be because this defensive line group will be extremely difficult to navigate his way onto the 53-man roster. There are currently 11 interior defensive linemen on this team competing for spots.With the level of edge-rushing depth that they have, the Giants will not carry an overabundance of interior linemen. Even with Roy Robertson-Harris out for the season with an injury, the list of legitimate defensive linemen that Pickens will need to jump over is long.They have added Shelby Harris, D.J. Reader, and Leki Fotu in free agency to join 2025 rookie Darius Alexander and 2025 free agent acquisition Chauncey Golston. They also added Bobby Jamison-Travis in the sixth round of the draft and signed Anquan Barnes and Ben Barton as undrafted free agents.The only way Pickens has a chance to make this defensive line group is if he can show an ability to win in the run game and as a pass rusher. They have more than enough run stoppers who don't add anything in the pass rush.The problem for Pickens is that throughout his first three years, he has not shown that ability. That sets the stage for another situation where he is on the move once again after training camp.Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news, and send your mailbag questions to us.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow