With Brandon Marshall now in the mix, Jerry Reese and the New York Giants need to take care of the most important hole: the offensive line.
Eli Manning is going to be 36 this upcoming season and he’s not getting any younger. The star QB is also signed through the 2019 season.With that in mind, one of the most important keys for Eli is to have a good offensive line. With a good O-line, there is no telling how good Eli can be in 2017.
Keeping the QB healthy is a must for the win-now G-Men.
The former Ole Miss quarterback has had some pretty great offensive lines in his past, in the present, though, not so much. Their division rival, the Dallas Cowboys arguably have the best offensive line in the NFL. They were able to achieve this through the draft. Likewise, the Giants have attempted to follow this strategy. Last year out of their main starters, four were Giants draft picks.
The problem is that while the Cowboys have been able to hit on offensive line picks, the Giants have not been as successful. In the past Jerry Reese has been infamous for holding on to draft picks too long (Markus Kuhn), perhaps that will change starting with the offensive line.
Join us as we analyze all five of the positions along Big Blue’s offensive line:
Left Tackle: Ereck Flowers
There is no sugarcoating, the past two seasons, Flowers has been one of the worst if not the worst left tackles in the whole NFL.
When drafted ninth overall, ahead of Todd Gurley, expectations were sky high. Then the Miami product was prematurely forced into action at left tackle after Will Beatty suffered a season-ending injury.
From the second that Flowers stepped on the field, it was clear that he was not yet prepared for such a large role. Shortly into his rookie season, he suffered an ankle sprain, and it is believed that the injury may have affected his play. So approaching his sophomore season, he was expected to grow and be a better player without his injury inhibiting him.
For the first few games, the OT was playing admirably, then it fell apart. By the end of the season, Flowers was ranked as the 57th best offensive tackle in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. For comparison, in the NFL there are 64 starting tackles. The tackle was not good this past season, to say the least.
In the offseason, Ben McAdoo stated that he believes that Flowers will be the starting left tackle. He also went on to say that he has room to grow and that he is working hard to get better.
Left Guard: Justin Pugh
There is no question that barring injury, Pugh will be the Giants starter at left guard to open up 2017.
After being drafted in the first round in 2013, former Syracuse tackle has been a diamond in the rough for the G-Men. The 2013 NFL Draft is one of the worst drafts in recent history, so it is all that more impressive that the Giants were able to find Pugh.
Tom Coughlin rarely started rookies, let alone started rookies in 16 games. Yet, Pugh was able to accomplish this achievement, showing that he was a stud from the start. In four seasons, the lineman has played in 55 games, and he has started every single one of them.
Through his first few seasons, Pugh played mainly right tackle. Then he was switched to left guard, it is safe to say that the switch was a pretty good move. If he had stayed healthy in 2016, then Pugh would have been pretty convincing for a spot in the Pro Bowl at left guard.
One of the only bright spots on a pitiful Giants offensive line in 2016, the Syracuse product is a lock for left guard.
Center: Weston Richburg
The 2014 NFL Draft was a career defining moment for Jerry Reese. If he had a weak draft, then it was highly likely that he would soon be out of the job. Luckily for Giants fans, Reese had one of his best drafts in years. The draft produced three starters, Odell Beckham Jr., Devon Kennard, and Weston Richburg.
Coming into the draft, Richburg was widely viewed as the top center available. He was then drafted in the second round by none other than Big Blue. While he was thought of as the team’s next great center, the plans changed in his rookie season. Due to numerous injuries at guard, he was forced into action at guard.
Understandably, the transition to guard was a rough one. He struggled immensely and was one of the worst guards in the league.
In the 2015 season, he would move back to his natural position, center. To say that he was good in 2015 would be an understatement. He was one of the best centers in the NFL. According to PFF, he was the second-best center in the league in 2015.
This past season, he was above average, but not as good as he was in 2015. No matter what, expect to see him snapping the ball to Eli Manning in 2017.
Right Guard: Bobby Hart
Jerry Reese has not been able to hit on any seventh-round picks since Ahmad Bradshaw. When he drafted Bobby Hart, I thought that perhaps he would have a chance to reverse Reese’s misfortunes. A 20-year-old when drafted that could slide into a guard spot.
Well, as a seventh round pick he started one game as a rookie. That is still more than most teams are able to get out of their seventh rounders.
To open up the 2016 season, I was pulling for Hart to win the job of starting right guard. In the end, the vet, John Jerry, won it and played admirably.
Marshall Newhouse opened up as the starting right tackle, then he went down with an injury. Hart subsequently replaced him in the starting lineup and started 13 games.
The FSU product along with Flowers combined to form one of the worst tackle duos in the league. While tackle is not the best position for Hart, he would be exponentially better at guard over tackle.
Right Tackle: Dion Dawkins
One may be questioning, who is Dion Dawkins?
Dion Dawkins is tackle from Temple that could slide right into the Giants gap at right tackle.
Just look at how he compares to other offensive linemen:
His numbers show that he is athletic for an offensive tackle. Before the combine, there were worries about his first step quickness, but he squashed those concerns with a blazing fast three-cone drill.
The Giants were also recently in attendance at Temple’s pro day. What that means is that Dawkins could be on Big Blue’s radar.
Matt Miller recently graded Dawkins as the 64th best prospect in the draft. He also cites him as a riser on his draft board.
There are concerns whether long-term the Temple tackle will be able to stick at tackle. If he is unable to do so, he should be a good guard. He kind of reminds me of Justin Pugh-lite, an ok tackle that could be a good guard.
Big Blue could snag this sleeper with their second or perhaps their third round pick. He should be a better right tackle then Bobby Hart.
I could also see the Giants drafting an OT in the first round, or going out and making a splash in free agency. However, the quality of tackles in the market are not appealing this offseason.