Former New York Giants Pro Bowl center and NFL Network studio analyst Shaun O’Hara was recently asked on the air if he felt the Giants were doing enough to support second year quarterback Daniel Jones.
General manager Dave Gettleman has concentrated his efforts on shoring up the offensive line by signing veteran swing tackle Cameron Fleming and using three of his first five selections in this year’s NFL Draft on offensive lineman.
The Giants also hired former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett as their new offensive coordinator. Garrett brought Marc Colombo along with him to be his offensive line coach. That is a major upgrade over the previous regime.
But O’Hara was mostly impressed with the particular players the Giants chose to bring in. First round pick Andrew Thomas of Georgia, a massive, experienced tackle with a history of versatility and production is the most important addition.
“By taking Andrew Thomas fourth overall they secured the best tackle in this draft and its a position the Giants needed to address for the future,” O’Hara said on NFL Total Access Live. “He’s the only tackle in this draft that started at both right tackle and left tackle at a high level. There’s no question about whether he can play both sides.”
O’Hara believes the Giants will start Thomas first at right tackle, leaving Nate Solder to start at left tackle again. That is not optimal however, unless Solder can stop his free fall which began last year. His decline in play is of major concern to the Giants and one of the reasons they have been begun to load up at tackle this offseason.
The Giants also selected a tackle in the third round, Matt Peart of UConn, who O’Hara called a ‘developmental’ player. Oregon guard Shane Lemieux is an interesting kid the Giants added in Round 5. O’Hara sees him as a ‘utility lineman right out of the gate’ and reminiscent of Giants’ linemen of the past.
“He’s a solid player who reminds me a lot of Rich Seubert, a buddy of mine who played to my left, very savvy, very tough,” O’Hara said of Lemieux.
It is believed that Lemieux will be tried at center, a position he didn’t play in college, but at the very least will add depth to the Giants’ interior line.
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