A year ago at this time, Pro Football Focus ranked the New York Giants’ offensive line 18th overall in the NFL. This year, despite several key improvements, PFF has Big Blue tumbling a bit.
In their NFL offensive line rankings, which were released on Monday evening, PFF now has the Giants at 20th overall — a two-spot fall from 2019.
20. NEW YORK GIANTS
The Giants weren’t as bad as the perception last season, finishing 17th in our regular-season rankings, and the line is heading in the right direction.
Despite the ranking of 20th overall, PFF sees a light at the end of the tunnel for New York, especially at tackle where Andrew Thomas will step in and start immediately.
At right tackle, fourth overall pick Andrew Thomas steps in after Mike Remmers tied for 10th with 40 pressures allowed. Thomas was the highest-ranked tackle on the PFF draft board and was the only player to rank in the top five as both a pass and run blocker in the draft class. Thomas should be able to step in as a solid right tackle and could eventually play on the left side if New York moves on from Solder. Another player to keep an eye on is third-round tackle Matt Peart out of UConn, a classic developmental prospect who performed well in college but still has room to grow. He had the No. 6 overall grade in the draft class last year at 90.2 and he just started playing football in high school.
PFF is also sold on the Giants’ interior, where Kevin Zeitler and Will Hernandez are slated to start, but they are understandably uncertain about the center position.
Ultimately, despite the low ranking, PFF believes the Giants’ offensive line could play their way into the top half of the league as early as this year.
The Giants have some volatility up front heading into 2020, but with positive regression in a few areas — plus a boost from Thomas if he’s as polished as expected — they could sneak into the top half of offensive line units this season.
If Nate Solder can have a bounce-back season, there’s no telling how well this unit could play. The good news is that there’s actual optimism for the first time in nearly a decade.
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