The Giants seemingly upgraded their offensive line in free agency, especially at guard. But they still have needs up front starting with a position that crippled their offense last season:
Swing tackle.
They need a player who can capably back up left tackle Andrew Thomas and whoever is starting at right tackle, whether it’s Evan Neal or Jermaine Eluemunor.
“You need a swing tackle,” NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger, a former pro lineman, told the Daily News. “Andrew got hurt in the first series of the season last year and they didn’t have one. You need somebody who can swing. I know Evan can’t. So who is gonna be your swing guy if that happens again?”
There is skepticism among NFL sources that the Giants will use their No. 6 overall first-round pick on a lineman considering the team’s quarterback pursuit and this draft’s high-end receiver talent.
The draft’s top tackle, Notre Dame’s Joe Alt, also is more of a true left tackle where the Giants already have Thomas. And new tackle/guard Jermaine Eluemunor is not exactly being paid like a backup at two years and $14 million. He could very well end up starting at right tackle.
But there is a consensus that the Giants need to use one of their picks on a developmental tackle and that GM Joe Schoen is looking to add some youth and reinforcements at guard, too.
“I think you want to draft a young tackle, somewhere in the third to fifth round, to be developmental and not ask him to start right away. And eventually he can step in and play,” said former NFL lineman Jeremiah Sirles, an agent for the One West Sports Group who represents Giants center John Michael Schmitz.
“They’ve definitely upgraded at guard, but last year they had to pull tackles off practice squads of other teams,” Sirles added. “You want to have internal options ready to go, another young swing guy and maybe another veteran swing guy. There’s some keep depth pieces that need to be brought in so you have eight or nine guys that you fully trust to not have a huge dropoff.”
Sirles also noted that Schoen is “looking to get younger” on the line in general.
With that in mind, Alex Beglinger, an NFL agent at Disruptive Sports who coached Chicago Bears left tackle Braxton Jones at Southern Utah, has earmarked two tackles he believes could fill the Giants’ developmental swing tackle need at their third-round pick at No. 70 overall:
Missouri’s Javon Foster and Yale’s Kiran Amegadjie.
“Foster is a right tackle in the league, in my opinion,” Beglinger said. “He’s a three-year starter in the SEC. And if the Giants aren’t in a rush for the guy to play, the kid from Yale is a sleeper pick. The one thing that concerns you is the level of competition, but he has some length and when you talk about body types, you’re looking at that.”
Beglinger said he wouldn’t use a first or second-round pick on a tackle because the depth at the position in this draft is good. He knows the Giants already signed veteran Matt Nelson, 28, who played for the Detroit Lions, but doesn’t trust the converted defensive lineman to be the answer.
The Giants recently hosted University of British Columbia left tackle Giovanni Manu on a pre-draft visit, too, reinforcing that Schoen is scouring the later rounds and priority free agent areas for those types of players.
Baldinger echoed that he “wouldn’t use the sixth pick on an offensive tackle” but said this is a “great draft for tackles” and “there’s eight who could go in the first round.”
If the Giants were to use their second-round pick on a guard, though, Baldinger said one player stands out to him at No. 47 overall: 6-3, 322-pound Kansas State left guard Cooper Beebe.
“You watch him against Texas against really good players, and he just stands in front of them and they don’t get by him,” Baldinger said. “He’s a starting guard in this league. [Second-round pick] Steve Avila went in immediately last season and helped the Rams starting at left guard. I feel like Beebe’s that guy this year.”
Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles, in fact, hold picks No. 50 and 53 in the second round. And Baldinger said: “I can’t see the Eagles not taking [Beebe] if he’s available at one of those picks.”
Baldinger does believe “you can find starting guards in the fourth round,” too, or at least a quality reserve. The News asked Baldinger to look at the tape of Illinois right tackle Isaiah Adams, for example. He said Adams is “tough” and could be a “solid backup,” and he might have starter potential with “a lot of patience and work.”
The Giants clearly need a tackle for both the present and future, however, while continuing to reinforce their interior at guard.
With that in mind, the Daily News polled two trusted NFL Draft experts, Emory Hunt (CBS Sports, Football Gameplan) and Tony Pauline (Sportskeeda), for their preferred Giants O-line options at each of the team’s six picks in this draft. Beglinger also shared some sixth-round sleepers if the Giants wait until the late rounds:
Round 1, 6th overall
Hunt: Joe Alt, T, Notre Dame – excellent athlete for his size, consistent pad level despite being such a tall guy. Elite prospect that can help you right away
Pauline: Joe Alt,, T, Notre Dame – could end up with the Chargers at five. Big left tackle, athletic, lot of starting experience, excellent blood lines
Round 2, 47th overall (from Seattle)
Hunt: Javion Cohen, G, Miami – he’s a technician, good athlete, keeps things quick and compact, has control. He was springing a lot of big runs coming right down Main Street
Pauline: Christian Haynes, G, UConn – Dominant run blocker, great power, better Combine than expected. Not viewed as just a power gap blocker. May be able to play in zone
Round 3, 70th overall
Hunt: Dalton Tucker, G, Marshall – excellent on the move, doesn’t waste time on pulling plays or screens. Opens up the playbook from a movement perspective. Great Hula Bowl week
Pauline: Brandon Coleman, G, TCU – very athletic, underrated, didn’t play as well as people thought he should have last year, but good value. College left tackle who projects inside
Round 4, 107th overall
Hunt: Jeremy Flax, T, Kentucky – 6-5, 343-pound right tackle. Had a good Hula Bowl then was one of the better tackles at Senior Bowl. You don’t see guys move that way at his size
Pauline: Delmar Glaze, T/G, Maryland – College left tackle who can play multiple positions. Relatively athletic. Some project him to guard, tackle, center. Appealing versatility
Round 5, 166th overall (from S.F. thru Carolina)
Hunt: Kameron Jones, T, Miss. State – One of the better linemen at the Tropical Bowl. Tremendous wing span, consistent in pass pro. Starting right tackle at Miss. State. It’s about swing depth at this point in the draft, and Jones is flying under the radar
Pauline: Josiah Ezirim, T, Eastern Kentucky – super athletic, just hitting his stride, more of a developmental player
Round 6, 183rd overall
Hunt: Leondre Andreas, G, Mars Hill (D-II, N.C.) – won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, given to the top O-lineman in the league. Stood out at the FCS Bowl. Athletic, played right tackle in college. He’s 6-2, 315, so he’s going to play guard in the NFL. But he has a great combination of hands and foot quickness. He’s legitimately flying under the radar
Pauline: LaDarius Henderson, G, Michigan – more athletic than his combine numbers would lend you to believe. Terrific job at left tackle for Michigan, projects to guard. Moves very, very well.
Beglinger: Frank Crum, T, Wyoming; Garret Greenfield, T, South Dakota St.; C.J. Hanson, G, Holy Cross; Gottlieb Ayedze, G, Maryland – Crum is every bit of 6-8, played left tackle but can make the switch to right, not going to be pressure for him to play right away, ran a sub-5.0 at the combine … Greenfield is a mauler. They haven’t had someone like him. I don’t see a guy [on the Giants] where I’m like, ‘I’m scared of this guy.’ But they play a tough brand of football at Dakota. They get after it … On the interior, I like Hanson. He’s an FCS kid, so you have to be able to project how he can help you … Nobody’s talking about Ayedze. He played tackle at D-II Frostburg State (Md.) and went to Maryland as a portal kid. Fits that interior mold if you want a young guard in the later rounds. If you’re the Giants, you’ve gotta get some fresh blood in.
