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When general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll were hired by the New York Giants, they understood the task at hand.
Imported from the Buffalo Bills, Schoen and Daboll must now turn the tides on a struggling franchise. Once among the most highly respected organizations in football, the Giants of the past decade have been reduced to a punchline.
The 180 certainly won’t come easy or fast, but restoration plans have begun. And step one is obvious to all involved — fixing the offensive line.
“We don’t have very many offensive linemen,” Daboll admitted at the NFL Combine on Tuesday before asking reporters if they wanted to try out.
Schoen tried to color the page with brighter crayons but he, too, acknowledged the team’s dire need for healthy bodies.
“I think we have five healthy offensive linemen right now on the roster,” said Schoen.
The Giants have two first-round picks in the 2022 NFL draft and many anticipate they’ll use one — or both — of those on offensive linemen. However, Schoen stopped short of committing to that, echoing NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah and saying talent can be found in the mid-rounds.
“I think you can find offensive linemen throughout the draft,” Schoen said. “I don’t think you can look at an offensive line and say you have to draft one in the first round. I think you can find offensive linemen throughout the draft.”
And what, specifically, is Schoen looking for in the hog mollies?
“It’s a unique position,” Schoen said. “I think some of it’s the make-up of the guys. If you talk about a unit in terms of five offensive linemen, they’ve got to be working together and in sync. I look at the type of guys, we talk about smart, tough and dependable.
“I think you start there and then you move to the talent aspect. Do they have athleticism? Do they have strength? Do they have power? What type of run scheme are we going to be in? What are we going to ask them to do? I think it’s an intangible position just as well as a physical position.”
While much of the offseason focus will once again be on quarterback Daniel Jones from the outside looking in, Schoen and Daboll are far more concerned with other areas of the team. As they should be.
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