As the New York Giants entered the offseason after a 4-13 disaster of a year in 2020, one of the biggest questions was how in the world they were going to finally build an offensive line.
The only building block in sight was former first round pick Andrew Thomas, who overcame a shaky rookie season to log in a respectable sophomore campaign last year at left tackle.
Incoming general manager Joe Schoen went bargain hunting in free agency and snagged a few useful veterans (most notably center Jon Feliciano and guard Mark Glowinski) and then used first- and third-round selection in this year’s draft in tackle Evan Neal and the versatile Joshua Ezeudu.
One player the fans had practically written off was guard Shane Lemieux, who showed promise as a rookie in 2020 but then missed most of 2021 with a knee injury.
This spring at OTAs, Lemieux is apparently healthy enough to get himself into the group of ‘ones,’ or starters at left guard. Head coach Brian Daboll has taken a liking to the former Oregon product.
Brian Daboll said he liked Shane Lemieux coming out of the draft in 2020. Said he plays with a “nasty edge”.
“He’s done a really nice job here.” #Giants
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) June 2, 2022
“We liked him where I came from (Buffalo),” Daboll added. “He’s what I thought he was when we evaluated him.”
The re-emergence of Lemieux is a pleasant development for the Giants, who have brought in an army of lineman this offseason. There is a growing sentiment that the team’s most glaring weakness the past decade could possibly turn into their biggest strength.
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