The New York Giants selected Oregon guard Shane Lemieux in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. How will he help this team moving forward?
With the No. 150 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the New York Giants decided to keep addressing the struggling offensive line. They ultimately drafted Oregon guard Shane Lemieux, who was a four-year starter for the Ducks.
It’s a bit of a stretch to say Lemieux will come in and start for this team right away, but it’ll be interesting to see what his future holds. Maybe he moves over one spot and fixes the team’s problem at center?
No one can truly predict what will occur. But for right now, what we can indeed do is look at some of the tape from his collegiate college and get a feel for his strengths as an interior offensive lineman.
Film room notes
The initial set of clips is from Oregon’s 2019 loss to the Auburn Tigers. Lemieux (No. 68) is working from the left guard spot.
The first play from scrimmage had me blown away, as Lemieux uses his great strength to absolutely throw his opponent to the ground.
Later in the first quarter, he portrays that strength once again, leading to the same outcome.
Lemieux additionally can be trusted to seal guys off on quarterback rollouts, as shown here.
In this next clip, Lemieux presents his successful run-blocking abilities by taking a great first step, employing the correct hand placement, and using his body and strength to seal off his opponent.
This will be nothing but beneficial when blocking for the sensational Saquon Barkley.
He then shows off those same qualities later on in this fourth-quarter play.
One great quality that Joe Judge, Jason Garrett, and Marc Colombo will appreciate is Lemieux’s ability to keep his eyes up field and look towards the next wave of defenders, such as when he helped spring a 13-yard run for the Ducks on this play.
This next trait is something that will absolutely help him in the NFL, especially early in his career. In the upcoming play, Lemieux is pushed a little off-balance right off the snap but is able to stay upright, regain that balance and strength, and finish off the block.
The following clips are from Oregon’s 2018 overtime loss to the Stanford Cardinal.
Right off the bat in this first-quarter play, Lemieux proves he has the ability to keep his feet moving and head on a swivel, qualities that all dominant offensive linemen possess.
Lemieux is also aggressive enough to initiate contact with his opponent, not vice versa. Giants first and third-round selections Andrew Thomas and Matt Peart additionally exhibit this strength from the offensive tackle spot.
And check out Lemieux pulling and making a great block to help spring this 48-yard touchdown run for Oregon.
The final play we’ll show includes aspects of Lemieux’s game that the Giants coaching staff will certainly love to see, as Shane gets his hand underneath the opponent’s armpit, drives his feet, and doesn’t stop until the Stanford defender hits the turf.
Conclusion
The transition from guard to center isn’t as easy as one may think, especially when the person who could be making that switch just spent four years at the former position. But Lemieux carries the athleticism, strength, aggression, knowledge, and instincts to be able to complete the job if that’s indeed what the Giants choose to do.
Only time will tell in regards to how New York employs its fifth-round draft choice for the long term, but general manager Dave Gettleman certainly chose a talented individual who could eventually develop into something special.
