Matt Citak

The New York Giants have claimed defensive lineman Zacch Pickens off waivers from the Kansas City Chiefs.

Across three NFL seasons, Pickens has played in 29 games with three starts and has totaled 44 tackles (20 solo), 1.5 sacks, two tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, one forced fumble and one pass breakup.

Pickens was waived by the Chiefs on Monday after appearing in three games last season. He totaled five tackles (three solo).

The 6-foot-4, 303-pound lineman was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round (No. 64 overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft. Pickens played in all 17 games as a rookie and finished the season with 20 tackles (nine solo), 0.5 sacks, one tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, one forced fumble and one pass breakup. He added 19 tackles (eight solo), one sack, and two quarterback hits in nine games (three starts) the following season.

Pickens was released by the Bears as part of final roster cuts in 2025, which led to him joining the Chiefs practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster for the final three games of the season.

Prior to joining the Bears, Pickens was a four-year letterwinner at South Carolina, where he played in 47 games with 32 starts across his four seasons. He finished his collegiate career with 131 tackles (69 solo), 7.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss to go with two fumble recoveries and four passes defensed.

As a senior in 2022, Pickens was voted the Most Outstanding Senior in addition to winning the Joe Morrison Award as the MVP of the defense, the Steve Wadiak Team MVP Award, and the Rex Enright Team Captains' Award. He was also named to the SEC Coaches' All-Freshman Team in 2019.