Tag: Matt Peart

Giants roster outlook: Upgrades, downgrades or lateral moves on offense

Giants Wire examines the New York Giants offense and the changes made this offseason, offering a verdict on each unit.

The New York Giants are excited about their prospects on offense this season. There’s an interesting mixture of old and new faces converging within the unit.

The team used first-round draft picks on offensive players the last four years and have supplemented those players with other high round picks and select free agents.

Here’s a quick outlook of the Giants’ 2020 offense.

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Coaches

Gained: Joe Judge, Jason Garrett, Marc Colombo, others

Lost: Pat Shurmur, Mike Shula, Hal Hunter, others

Jason Garrett, a former Giants backup quarterback and head coach of the Dallas Cowboys the past 10 years, is the new offensive coordinator.

Garrett will bring a balance and some semblance of structure to the offensive game plan. He is a creative, aggressive play caller who has both the experience, temperament and talent to turn the Giants into a high-powered, respectable offensive team.

The staff is full of familiar faces: Marc Colombo (offensive line), Tyke Tolbert (wide receivers), Jerry Shuplinski (quarterbacks), Burton Burns (running backs) and Freddie Kitchens (tight ends) bring a legacy of success and experience to the Giants.

Verdict: Substantial upgrade

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2020 Giants training camp preview: Offensive line

Have the New York Giants finally solved their offensive line issues as they head into training camp here in 2020?

The New York Giants may or may not have solved their offensive line issues this offseason through the draft, free agency and a coaching change.

Then again, they may not have. Outside of two staples they have at the guard positions, the rest of the line is fluid at the moment, and with no preseason games and limited practice time in camp, they may not have time to put a cohesive group on the field.

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What’s new

Joe Judge, the latest consigliere to Bill Belichick in New England takes over as head coach. He knows his life as a first-timer in this league will be difficult so he surrounded himself with a veteran staff, mainly offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who just came off a decade-long stint as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

Garrett adroitly hired Marc Colombo, his offensive line coach in Dallas (where he coached three Pro Bowlers) to the same position here with the Giants. Colombo, a massive, intimidating lineman in his day, knows the ropes and will turn this unit into the band of tough guys Giant fans have been yearning for.

Here are the members of that band general manager Dave Gettleman hopes will make him proud:

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Nate Solder

With the salary cap getting pinched next year, Solder’s $20.5 million cap hit is untenable, so this is his swan song unless the Giants ink him long-term and tear up his current deal. Don’t count on that.

The former Patriot’s game is in decline, which is why the Giants used two of their top three draft picks this year on tackles. Solder is not guaranteed anything as camp nears, so he’ll have to show marked improvement if he is going to be at left tackle again this year.

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Report: Giants, rookie OT Matt Peart agree to terms

The New York Giants and third-round offensive tackle Matt Peart have agreed to terms on his rookie contract.

The New York Giants are expected to sign cornerback Darnay Holmes, offensive lineman Shane Lemieux and linebacker Cam Brown on Thursday, but they won’t be the only ones.

In addition to that trio, Jordan Raanan of ESPN reports that the Giants have also agreed to terms with third-round offensive tackle Matt Peart.

The 6-foot-7, 318-pound Peart is the living, breathing definition of “hog molly.” His arms were measured as the longest at the NFL Combine (36 5/8”) and he’s extremely athletic for his size. And although he’s considered a developmental tackle, Peart has an extremely high ceiling and with the right coaching, could become a long-term answer at right tackle.

“Growing up I always wanted to be a Giant. And now I get to put on the blue,” Peart said during an April conference call. “It still feels so surreal to me.”

Peart is not expected to start for the Giants in 2020, but could eventually take over the job at right tackle when Nate Solder departs and Andrew Thomas is moved over to left tackle.

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Giants’ offensive line ranked 20th by PFF

Pro Football Focus ranks the New York Giants’ offensive line 20th in the NFL, but believes there is some real upside to the unit.

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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Shaun O’Hara: Giants’ Shane Lemieux reminds me of Rich Seubert

Shaun O’Hara says New York Giants rookie offensive lineman Shane Lemieux reminds him of Rich Seubert.

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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Matt Peart was destined to become a New York Giant

Offensive lineman Matt Peart grew up a New York Giants fan in Patriots territory, and always appeared destined to land in East Rutherford.

UConn offensive tackle Matt Peart was always meant to be a New York Giant, it seems, with a little New England Patriots flavor thrown in.

Peart was sitting right on the edge of that Giants/Patriots border where you’ll find fans of both teams.

As fate would have it, that’s exactly where he ended up during the 2020 NFL Draft as the Giants, now coached by former Patriots special teams coordinator Joe Judge, selected Peart 99th overall late in Round 3.

Peart’s family moved to the Bronx from Kingston, Jamaica when he was five and his academic and athletic (mainly basketball) abilities earned him scholarship to The Governor’s Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts. It was there he discovered football.

“Going to Governor’s, I remember getting a slip with sports that you could play, and I remember of all of them I wanted to play football,” Peart said in an interview with SI.com. “It had always been on my mind because of watching the Giants … so I pulled the trigger on that.”

Peart did more than just pull the trigger. His ability and physical frame got him recognition as a two-star recruit and, after Governor’s, headed to the University of Connecticut.

At UConn, Peart started all 48 games after redshirting as a freshman. By his senior season, he was a first-team All-American Athletic Conference selection.

Peart, now 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds, reflected back on how Governor’s is responsible for helping him fulfill his football destiny.

“I don’t know what my future would have been if I hadn’t gone to Governor’s Academy,” Peart said. “Mainly because I didn’t know which high school I would have gone to.

“It was a school of about say 400 kids, I was one of three kids that was a Giants fan. Our history teacher was a diehard Patriots fan, and I remember we were cracking jokes about [Super Bowl XVLI] after the whole thing happened, and she threatened my friend and me with a pop quiz.”

But it is Peart’s family, mainly his mother and aunts who served as his teachers early in his life, that he credits the most.

“My family is one of the strongest foundations I have. When I chose to become a football player, they backed me, and they were there for me through the ups and the downs, and that support helped me get to where I am now,” he said.

And where Peart is now is the NFL with the team he grew up rooting for.

Giants among PFF’s most improved offensive lines

Pro Football Focus has named the New York Giants’ offensive line among the NFL’s most improved.

New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman finally kept to his vow and added the much-needed “hog mollies” to the team’s sagging offensive line.

“We spent a lot of time on this and we want to fix this offensive line once and for all,” Gettleman said during the NFL Draft last month. “I have always gotten a chuckle out of people who say you draft a quarterback and you have to get him weapons. No, you don’t draft a quarterback and then get weapons, once you draft a quarterback, you get guys in front of him that will keep him upright.”

That is what Gettleman did this offseason by signing swing tackle Cameron Fleming and adding linemen in the first, third and fifth rounds of the draft. Pro Football Focus like what the Giants have done with the line and have rated them their fifth-most improved offensive line this offseason.

5. NEW YORK GIANTS

Key Additions: T Andrew Thomas, T Matt Peart, G Shane Lemieux

Key Losses: T Mike Remmers, C Jon Halapio

It was clear the Giants could use an upgrade at the tackle position after last season. Nate Solder and Mike Remmers combined to allow 96 pressures in 2019, more than any other tackle duo in the NFL. While Solder is locked into the left tackle spot given his contract and the inability to move on without incurring $16 million in dead money, right tackle was a spot that clearly could be upgraded. As the top tackle on PFF’s Big Board, Thomas gives them that.

He came into the SEC as a freshman in 2017 and put up a 76.7 pass-blocking grade. To perform like that as a starting tackle in a conference where he was going up against quality talent on the edge week in and week out is impressive. All Thomas did from that point was improve, earning an 80.6 overall grade in 2018 and a 92.7 grade last season for Georgia. Nearly all offensive linemen struggle in their first season in the NFL, but Thomas has as good a chance as anyone in this class to handle the transition well and provide solid play out of the gate for the Giants. That alone is enough to land them on this list.

Thomas is likely to start this season — at some point — at left tackle. After all, you don’t draft a right tackle with the fourth pick in the draft. That would move Solder over to the right side where he’ll be pressed by Peart, Nick Gates and Fleming. Finally, the Giants have some decent pieces to play with at tackle.

The long view is to have Lemieux play either center or slip in at guard when Kevin Zeitler’s contract expires at the end of the 2021 season. Peart could very well end up challenging Thomas at left tackle as he has all the attributes of one.

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Expert says Giants’ Dave Gettleman ‘nailed the 2020 draft’

The praise continues to flow in for New York Giants GM Dave Gettleman, who many believe hit a home run in the 2020 NFL Draft.

After two questionable performances at the NFL Draft, New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman may have just “nailed” the draft on his third (and possibly final) attempt.

Trevor Sikkema of The Draft Network was not a fan of Gettleman’s first two drafts. In 2018, in a quarterback-rich class, the Giants took a running back, Saquon Barkley, second overall. The next year, in a defensive stud-laden class, Gettleman drafted Daniel Jones, a quarterback, sixth overall.

“I’ll be honest, I’ve taken my fair shots at Giants general manager Dave Gettleman’s draft selections in the past,” writes Sikkema. “After taking a running back at No. 2 in 2018, drafting Daniel Jones in the top 10 in 2019 and some questionable defensive picks beyond that, Gettleman has been on my ‘what in the world is this man doing’ list.”

This year, with the fourth pick in an draft where left tackles were in abundance, Gettleman made the right choice by selecting Georgia’s Andrew Thomas.

Sikkema likes not only that selection but the selection of UConn’s Matt Peart in the third round:

“In a stacked OT class, Thomas’ allurement was in his high level of play and readiness. He was a three-year starter in the SEC and went up against some of the best pass rushers college football has to offer; Thomas stood the test of time against them,” Sikkema wrote.

“But Thomas wasn’t the Giants’ only offensive line addition in the top 100. New York double dipped on their O-line need with UConn’s Matthew Peart with the 99th pick in the third round. Peart needs to work on his fundamentals and how technical he with his massive wingspan, but when he can put it all together, he’s extremely hard to get around. Even if he doesn’t play right away, Peart is exactly the kind of player the Giants want on the roster now to develop as much as they can.”

In Round 2, Gettleman may have landed the steal of the draft in Alabama safety Xavier McKinney.

“After passing on Isaiah Simmons at the top of the first round, the Giants added a player who not only can play on the back end but has a lot of experience roaming around the linebacker level and in the slot. Alabama coach Nick Saban asked a lot of McKinney, and McKinney continued to deliver from 2018-19. Adding McKinney’s athleticism and versatility to a safety group that already has Jabrill Peppers and now Julian Love should be a home run,” Sikkema wrote.

Sikkema also pointed out that fourth round selection Darnay Holmes of UCLA and seventh rounder Chris Williamson will add to an already talented secondary and that fifth round selection, Oregon guard Shane Lemieux will add depth and flexibility to the offensive line.

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Ex-scout believes Giants would benefit most with Matt Peart at left tackle

Former NFL scout Jim Nagy believes the New York Giants would benefit most from Matt Peart, not Andrew Thomas, playing left tackle.

The New York Giants selected Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas with the fourth overall selection in this year’s NFL Draft. Any offensive lineman with that high a draft status is usually earmarked to play left tackle in the NFL, but one scout may not be so sure the Giants will benefit the most by automatically placing Thomas on the left side.

Jim Nagy, a former New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks scout who also served as the Senior Bowl executive director and an ESPN draft analyst, told Zack Rosenblatt of NJ Advance Media that the addition of third-round pick Matt Peart of UConn could change the Giants’ mind on where the two massive tackles will wind up.

“I would think they’d probably play Andrew Thomas at left,” said Nagy. “But if you were starting from scratch and where they got drafted from wasn’t an issue, you’d probably put Peart and left and Thomas on the right.

“Usually you can’t get a guy with starting left tackle ability in the third round, and he’s got that type of upside. His feet, his length, he’s done some really good stuff in pass pro. He’s a better athlete than Andrew Thomas.”

The plan, although it hasn’t been revealed as of yet, is likely to have Thomas take over at left tackle for Nate Solder and have Solder flop over to the right side where he’ll be up against Peat, Nick Gates and Cam Fleming for the starting role.

Nagy believes the Giants will benefit best by plotting Peart in on the left side, maybe not right away but over time.

“He’s not as good of a football player right now but he’s a better athlete. That’s clear. That’s inarguable,” Nagy said.

That’s excellent news for the Giants as they are built on versatility and having more than one option at left tackle is a blessing in this league.

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Giants had eyes on Andrew Thomas dating back to 2018

With the fourth pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected Georgia OT Andrew Thomas, whom they had been watching since 2018.

When the New York Giants were put on the clock at No. 4 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, they already knew exactly whose name they were going to call.

It was Georgia’s Andrew Thomas, and it was always going to be Georgia’s Andrew Thomas.

In a post-draft interview, Giants’ direct of college scouting, Chris Pettit, acknowledged that the team had kept eyes on Thomas dating all the way back to 2018.

“Going back, I was at the SEC championship game in 2018 and our southeast area scout pointed out that Andrew was going to be a good player,” Pettit said, via Giants.com. “I noticed him there. We’ve known him for a long time. As far as him with the other class, this was a deep, deep class in tackles. I think everyone knows that. We were lucky we had the first chance of who we thought was the best tackle in the draft and we took him.”

Thomas was the first of 17 offensive tackles and 45 offensive linemen who were taken in the NFL Draft — a group that includes Giants’ third-round pick Matt Peart.

“I think Matt Peart is going to develop into a really good player. I’m excited to see how he’s going to develop down the line,” Pettit added.

Although the Giants had been carefully watching Thomas since 2018, Peart was a bit newer to their radar. However, both Pettit and the Giants now hope to keep eyes on the offensive tackle bookends for years to come as they dominate in East Rutherford.

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