Temple center Matt Hennessy grew up a New York Giants fan. Could he ultimately join the storied organization as early as next week?
With the NFL Draft less than a week away, it’s very much clear the New York Giants need to bolster their offensive line. A tackle for the future along with a reliable center are both needed, and they could respectively use their first and second-rounds picks on either spot.
As far as the center position is concerned, one name they may definitely keep an eye on is Matt Hennessy. Hailing from Temple, the interior offensive lineman was a Rimington Trophy finalist for the best center in college football along with a third-team All-American last season.
What’s interesting is that if the Giants were to select Hennessy, he’d be joining the team he grew up supporting.
“I remember going to those games just as Eli [Manning] was starting to take over. Remember the Super Bowls. Those were two of my best childhood memories. It was fifth and eighth grade,” Hennessy told Jordan Raanan of ESPN. “Went to the stadium both times for the celebration after. Got all the gear. Got to see the [Lombardi] trophy and everything.”
Hennessy was born in Nyack, New York and grew up in Bardonia, New York before attending Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey.
Up to this point, Hennessy has had multiple virtual meetings with the Giants, having spoken to Joe Judge, Jason Garrett, newly hired offensive line coach Marc Colombo, and Dave Gettleman.
Hennessy is slated to be off the board in the second or third round. Thus, he could certainly be available when the Giants select at No. 36 overall. If he’s still available in round three, New York could potentially take him with its No. 99 overall pick.
It’s unclear if he would initially start as a Giant. If Big Blue takes a tackle in the first round (who’d start immediately), then the team would possibly be reluctant to start two rookies on the line right away. This would then prompt them to start Spencer Pulley at first and have Hennessy learn while on the bench.
Taking Pulley’s inconsistency into consideration, the Giants would eventually make the switch to Hennessy, hoping that the rest is history (obviously in a beneficial way).
