New York Giants Film Room: 2021 draft target James Hudson

The Giants may not have an eventual answer at right tackle. In order to solve this problem, they could target Cincinnati’s James Hudson.

James Hudson Info

• OT, Cincinnati
• 6-foot-5, 310 pounds
• First-team All-AAC in 2020

How James Hudson would Fit into the Giants Roster

If the Giants were to acquire Cincinnati’s James Hudson in one of the middle rounds, he would most definitely be a reserve swing tackle to commence his NFL career. The right tackle spot will play host to a noteworthy position battle in training camp but the main two participants for the competition will be pending second-year man Matthew Peart and veteran Nate Solder.

While the former may win the job if he’s ready, Solder might not make it past the preseason given his age and declining skill. In that case, Hudson could be the team’s No. 1 reserve tackle and a potentially reliable option should either Peart or left tackle Andrew Thomas go down with injury or succumb to on-field struggles.

Hudson starting early on would definitely be a stretch — he’ll need to develop before taking on any sort of significant role.

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James Hudson Film Room Notes

Hudson and Cincinnati’s November 2020 win over UCF (LT #55)

Right off the bat, we have great footwork and hand placement from Hudson on this play as he protects Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder.

Portraying great vision, Hudson slows down his initial matchup but keeps his head up and is able to take on the stunting defender.

Not a great look for Hudson here, who seemingly catches the defender on what’s a loss of yardage for Cincy.

After getting his hands in the correct spot, Hudson drives his feet on a great run block in each of the above two plays.

And lastly, Hudson does a great job sealing off his defender on the decent gain for the Bearcats.

Hudson and Cincinnati’s January 2021 loss to Georgia in the Peach Bowl

Hudson is capable of slowing down the initial defender before utilizing his vision and footwork to pick up the stunting pass rusher.

Hudson steps up to meet the defender on this play instead of just sitting back and catching him.

Hudson is athletic enough to get out in space and lead block on the above screen pass.

James’ footwork needs to be just a tad bit quicker on this specific play though.

Finally, below-average hand placement in this clip leads to a holding penalty on Hudson.

I could go on and on about the great on-field qualities James Hudson portrays, but the thing that stands out to me is his ability to be consistent. Regardless of the situation, Hudson, for the most part, is putting great footwork and hand placement on display and keeps his head up to look for oncoming defenders.

Don’t sleep on his athletic ability either — he can get out and block in space and is able to take on stunting pass rushers with ease.

He’ll need to be coached up at the next level in order to fix the tiny mistakes he may make here and there, but with the right environment and staff, Hudson could grow into a long-term bookend tackle for whoever drafts him.