A former NFL scout believes the New York Giants would benefit more from playing third-round pick Matt Peart at left tackle.
It wasn’t a surprise Dave Gettleman and the New York Giants went with an offensive tackle in the 2020 draft’s first round, having selected Georgia’s Andrew Thomas. Nonetheless, it was shocking to some that they addressed the offensive tackle spot once again in the third round. The Giants ultimately drafted UConn’s Matt Peart, a 2019 first-team All-AAC selection.
The likely plan is for New York to eventually utilize Thomas as its starting left tackle with Peart becoming the team’s right tackle for the future. But if it were up to a former NFL scout, a significant flip-flop would be executed.
“I would think they’d probably play Andrew Thomas at left,” ex-Patriots and Seahawks scout and current ESPN draft analyst Jim Nagy said, per Zack Rosenblatt of NJ Advance Media. “But if you were starting from scratch and where they got drafted from wasn’t an issue, you’d probably put Peart at left and Thomas on the right.”
Peart stands at 6-foot-7, 318 pounds and ran a 5.06-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine while notching 26 reps on the bench press. He spent time at both the left and right tackle spots during his tenure with the Huskies.
Ultimately, Nagy believes in Peart’s superb athleticism.
“Usually you can’t get a guy with starting left tackle ability in the third round, and he’s got that type of upside,” Nagy said. “His feet, his length, he’s done some really good stuff in pass protection. He’s a better athlete than Andrew Thomas.
“He’s not as good of a football player right now but he’s a better athlete. That’s clear. That’s inarguable.”
Thomas may initially play at right tackle and eventually make the transition over to Daniel Jones‘ blindside. If he improves efficiently and left tackle Nate Solder struggles (which he has for much of the last two seasons), expect that move to come to fruition quicker than expected.
It’s unclear how long it will take Peart to find time in the starting lineup, but that’s normal with a developmental tackle. Right now, he’ll need to put in the work in order to impress those around him.
