Think of it this way, if you will: If the Giants look at their offensive line, as currently formed, and decide, “Not nearly enough,” ’tis a sign that they are together a year ago. What do you put?
Not that we forget, the Giants excluded three offensive linemen from the 2020 draft – first (Andrew Thomas), third (Matt Peart) and fifth (Shane Lemieux) in the round. If all three are not in major plans after a year, there is something wrong with that draft, and the evaluators have explained something to make those selections.
Guess what? All three are in plan, by and large. This is the main reason the Giants did not select an offensive lineman with any of their six picks in the 2021 draft.
They did not go into the steering clear of this status group’s three-day event. He had some offensive linemen, but his value of the player did not coincide with the grade on the draft board. They preferred Liam Eichenberg from Notre Dame, but he went to the Dolphins at number 42 in the second round, with the pickers dropping to number 50.
There was no sign of complete desperation that, “We have to get one somewhere in this draft.”
There is a simple explanation for this: As General Manager Dave Gatelman said, in essence, the people inside the building – the front office and the coaching staff – believe in their offensive lineman who is more noble than anyone outside the building.
Gatelman said that he is very happy with the talent he added during the “roster-building season”. Daniel Jones, entering Year 3, goes to throw to marry free-agent, in addition to Kenny Golladay and first-round pick Kadarius Tony. Handing the ball or throwing to Saikon Barclay, coming back from knee surgery.
Can the Giant adequately protect Jones? There is little in the way of renewal of the offensive line. They left 31-year-old right guard Kevin Kettler, saving $ 12 million on the salary cap. He welcomed the veteran to tackle Nat Solder, who opted in 2020, but only after Solder conceded a significant slash to his salary.
The Giants believe they addressed their needs as far as adding experienced players for depth purposes. Solder (127 NFL starts) is a swing-tackle backup, and Zac Fulton (90 starts) and Jonathan Harrison (42 starts) are the primary reserves on the interior. The quality of this depth is up for debate.
The way things take shape in early May, with the Giants, left to right, as a group starting with Thomas, Lemieux, Nick Gates, Will Hernandez and Pete.
If it is a five-man starting unit, can it complete the job?
“I think they can,” ‘Chris Snee, a four-time Pro Bowl guard for the Giants and most recently an offensive line scout for the Jaguars, told The Post. “Obviously, bigwigs think they can, so I hope they can. The color itself and all the people who have worn it have had such roots for the unit what it was. It has been down for some time. ”
The line was ranked (32 out of 31) in 2020 by Pro Football Focus, but the Giants are not buying at that valuation. He feels that it is time for his youth to play. Gates and Hernández are 25, Peart and Lemieux are 23 and Thomas is 22.
“I turn around and I say to myself, ‘Okay, we arrived for 164 [actually 190] Seattle has yards against the Seahawks, and we’ve done a great job as the season progressed along the O-line, “Gettleman said on WFAN this week. “Yet there remains the perception that this group of people is not good enough. Obviously I have a different opinion. And we, the giants, have a different opinion. We have many young, talented players. It is learning how to play NFL games, understanding that every week you are going to play a guy who is going to rip your lungs out. So it’s a matter of putting it in the pants of the big boy, so to speak. ”
The Giants are anticipating the 2020 to see significant progress from the 2020 draft picks. After an ill-tempered year filled with early struggles and later reforms, Thomas would resume on the left. Lemieux is a favorite for the left guard spot, a role he filled as a starter nine times in his first season, his run block being far more effective than the passing block. Outside was expected to spend Year 1 to motivate the NFL for the PFR, but he was used to 11 games and received 150 snaps on offense, mostly tackled correctly, and at times looked like it Like he really is.
Peart may be the key to the whole deal. He is one of the players you choose to get off the bus, a sleek 6-foot-7 athlete with a huge 6 wingspan who gains bulk and strength for his 318 pounds of deceitful weight.
“He was a man I’d seen in Connecticut for three years in a row,” Snee said. “When I see him I look at him and say who is that boy?” He had everything you saw from a physical-attribute point of view. He moved forward a lot. He needed to get stronger. Athletic enough to play properly. The thing that I saw with him, and a lot of these youngsters, especially Tackle, is the way they use their hands, which needs to be rectified across the board. Which will come with proper coaching. ”
Another key to Operation Meshing: What’s the deal with Hernandez? A second-round pick of 2018, he indicated in 2019 that the Giants envisioned him to become the Bullish Guard but 2020 was a lost season. He was not playing well early, missed two games after contracting COVID-19 and never regained his starting job. The Giants have not given up on him, though.
“I didn’t put that aside,” Snee said. “Of course not.”
The Giants acknowledge, quietly, that the handling of their line in 2020 was not optimal. Mark Colombo was fired on the 11th of the week following an ugly confrontation with head coach Joe Judge, who did not feel that Colombo was getting the most from young players. The replacement, Dave Degliiglmo, came from outside the organization, an experienced coach with his high-level methods of work. He did not return and was hired for the offensive line at Louisiana Tech.
To rectify this catastrophic situation, the judge has the same number of personnel assigned to work exclusively or along the line as the Beatles were. Rob Sale is the new offensive line coach, making his NFL debut. Ben Wilkerson returns as an assistant. Also scheduled to spend time with the line: Freddie Kitchens, senior offensive assistant, and Pat Flaherty, a two-time Super Bowl winner as line coach with the Giants, brought in as a mentor.
There are not many comeback options left on the market. There seems to be more interest in helping to deal with the Giants. The most attractive player is Trai Turner, a five-time pro bowler with the Panthers, the player Gaetelman took for Carolina in the third round of the 2014 draft. The 27-year-old Turner started nine games in 2020 for the Chargers. 31-year-old James Carpenter is a former first-round pick of the Seaweeks and is on the market after the Falcons dumped him a salary cap.
Perhaps a veteran shakes this summer and the Giants take a look. If the 33-year-old solder is rejuvenated after a year away from the game, perhaps his experience allows him to beat Pete on the right tackles. The Giants are committed to their youth movement, but will ensure that they put the five best players on the field.
“These people have the potential to be really good,” Getman said. “To be a really good group.”
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