Every NFL team has ‘steals’ and ‘busts’ in every draft class. Trying to predict those before any of the players the the field is a popular parlor game among draftniks and bloggers.
In 2019, the New York Giants are certain they stole several players but one in particular stands out — fifth round selection Shane Lemieux, a guard out of Oregon who has been likened to former Giant linemen such as Shaun O’Hara, Chris Snee, David Diehl and Rich Seubert.
Touchdown Wire’s Luke Easterling has identified Lemieux as the steal of the Giants’ 10-player draft class.
The Giants went into the 2020 NFL Draft with a clear agenda — to finally upgrade their offensive line with some young studs. They chose Georgia left tackle Andrew Thomas fourth overall and followed that pick up with UConn Matt Peart in Round 3.
Lemieux was there for the taking at No. 150 and general manager Dave Gettleman could not resist grabbing a tough interior hog molly such as the 6-foot-4, 310-pound Lemieux.
“Every really good club that I have been with, the offensive line has set the tone,” said Gettleman. “This is a tough kid who plays mad. He’s big, he’s powerful, he’s a pretty good athlete. We’re excited to add him to the mix.”
Lemieux, who played strictly at guard in college, will be tried at center for the Giants this summer.
“Shane’s a guy like Dave said, he plays with nasty,” added Giants head coach Joe Judge. “You turn the Auburn game on and right from the first snap he’s tossing bodies around. You can’t help but watch him. In a lot of cross over tape he jumps out at you as well. He’s a guy that’s going to have interior swing value. We’re going to cross train him guard and center. It’s going to be something he has been working on out at Oregon and we’re going to keep on building with that as well.”
Lemieux is ready to handle whatever the Giants throw his way. He has already been working at center and other spots on the line on his own in private workouts.
“That was probably just on me,” Lemieux said about the decision to cross train. “Especially as a rookie, there’s not really a guard that only plays guard. Versatility is the biggest factor in this game. Coaches want to be able to put you in multiple spots. I have really good mentors that told me that at training camp, no matter where you are, they are going to throw you in, and you have to be ready. I just want to be prepared before that happened. Even at pro day, somebody asked me to jump in at center and I was ready to do that. It just all works out and versatility is key.”
[lawrence-related id=648044,648039,646278]