The New York Giants selected Oregon guard Shane Lemieux in the fifth round of this year’s draft and could potentially move him to center.
Heading into this year’s NFL Draft, the New York Giants had a glaring hole at the center position. Jon Halapio’s future is unclear after becoming an unrestricted free agent and Spencer Pulley possesses consistency-related issues.
The Giants didn’t draft one like many thought they would though. Nonetheless, they did indeed take an interior offensive lineman in Oregon guard Shane Lemieux. The two-time second-team All-Pac-12 selection started all four years at left guard for the Ducks and could actually be moved to center at some point.
During a Tuesday conference call with the media, Lemieux revealed he’s open with the idea of playing anywhere.
“I’m a football player that plays offensive line,” he said, per Patricia Traina of Sports Illustrated. “No matter where the coaches want to put me to help the team, that’s where I’m going to go.”
Lemieux will likely just be a reserve at first. Will Hernandez and Kevin Zeitler are expected to retain their starting spots at left and right guard, respectively. This could, therefore, free up the opportunity for Lemieux to work at every interior offensive line spot.
“Through this draft process, I understood that this game’s all about versatility, and I think that just me getting good at all three interior positions is going to benefit me well in the future,” he said.
Lemieux is part of a Giants draft class that encompasses a number of offensive linemen. General manager Dave Gettleman drafted three within the first five rounds, with tackles Andrew Thomas and Matt Peart going in the first and third rounds, respectively.
