Which Tackle Should The New York Giants Draft: Ronnie Stanley or Jack Conklin?
By Neal Lynch
Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley seems to be the consensus pick among mock draft experts for the New York Giants at number 10 in the 2016 NFL Draft, but should Big Blue take another look at selecting Michigan State Spartans tackle Jack Conklin?
Would the G-Men pass on Stanley? Pro Football Focus thinks so. Three months ago, Ronnie was among the top 40 draft prospects I thought the Giants should consider while Conklin didn’t make the cut, but with Mel Kiper projecting Conklin to Big Blue in his latest mock draft, should he get a serious consideration from Jerry Reese in the war room?
Stanley’s NFL.com draft profile gave him a grade of 6.52, which was second best among offensive linemen behind Laremy Tunsil from Ole Miss. NFL Draft Analyst Lance Zierlein had this to say:
"“Three-year starter with the outstanding foot quickness and pass protection talent expected from an early round left tackle prospect. Stanley showed great maturity in acknowledging his weaknesses and returning to school to work on them and improve his game. While Stanley’s core power is still a concern, he showed improved strength and run blocking prowess this year and should be ready to come in and start right away for a team looking to protect a high-end quarterback.”"
Live Feed
With the First Pick
NFL Draft analyst Gil Brandt was at Notre Dame’s Pro Day – Giants coaches weren’t present – and provided these notes on Ronnie:
"“Offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley — 6-5 5/8, 319 — did the short shuttle in 4.68 seconds and the three-cone in 7.96 seconds. He also had 24 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press. Stanley had a lights-out workout, showing that he can definitely play left tackle. The offensive line coaches in attendance worked Stanley and Martin very hard, and the two hung in there until the very end of the drills.”"
Four of the five CBS Sports experts have Stanley going to the Giants – Rob Rang, Dane Brugler, Will Brinson, and Jared Dubin. Across the board, each expert believes Stanley could be a “plug and play left tackle” from Day One while last year’s top draft pick Ereck Flowers would move from left tackle to right tackle. Rang and Brugler compared Stanley to recently retired New York Jet D’Brickashaw Ferguson, calling them both, “Dancing bears who use their natural athleticism and length to shut down speed”.
Retired NFL defensive end Stephen White of SB Nation believes that Stanley could be the best offensive tackle in the draft, writing:
"“So if it came down to Stanley or Tunsil first overall, I wouldn’t give a damn about 40 times or bench press or any of that shit. I’d take Stanley seven days a week and twice on Sunday because I’m reasonably sure from watching his film that, barring injury, he is going to be able to lock down edge rushers for the next decade or so.My team may not ever lead the league in rushing, but my quarterback should at least make it through a whole season without needing a backiotomy from repeatedly getting blasted from his blind side. If I’m pinning my hopes on a guy getting better at something, I will go with Stanley hopefully becoming a better run blocker rather than hoping Tunsil becomes a better pass blocker.”"
Joe Giglio of NJ.com wrote that NFL draft expert Mel Kiper, Jr. compared Stanley to Walter Jones, a 9-time Pro Bowler & 4-time First-Team All-Pro for the Seattle Seahawks who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. Jones was the sixth overall pick in the 1997 draft for Seattle.
On the other hand, you have Michigan State’s Jack Conklin, whose NFL.com draft tracker profile reflects a grade of 6.4, placing him third among offensive linemen behind Tunsil and Stanley respectively. Conklin’s 5.0 40-yard-dash was tops in his group.
Lance Zierlein compared Conklin to long-time Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jon Runyan, adding:
"“Possesses top flight size and strength at the tackle position and has the technique and recovery athleticism to make up for his average foot quickness. Conklin went from solid in 2014 to very good in 2015 and teams must now decide whether or not they want to give him a chance at left tackle or plug him in on the right side where he should be able to step in right away and become a quality starter. Conklin has some physical limitations, but he’s got solid technique and exactly the field demeanor that offensive line coaches will be looking for.”"
The five CBS Sports draft experts range in their landing spot for Conklin, as early as #11 to the Chicago Bears and as late as #25 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dane Brugler compared Conklin to Cincinnati Bengals tackle Andrew Whitworth, the 2-time Pro Bowler & 1-time First-Team All-Pro, citing Jack’s use of “his wide base and core power to control edge speed… despite lack of range and lateral quickness”. Brugler added that Conklin is “well-coached, physical and a natural competitor, which makes him NFL ready from Day One.”
Stephen White wasn’t as high on Conklin as he was on Stanley, writing that Jack will most likely be forced to move inside to guard to be successful in the NFL.
Meanwhile, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com believes neither Stanley nor Conklin should be the move for Big Blue, citing:
"“No NFL team this century has used two Top 10 picks on offensive linemen in a three-year stretch. The Giants, meanwhile, will have done it in consecutive years. They would also be only the second team since 2000 to use their first-round pick on offensive linemen in three of four years. The Cowboys are the other.”"
Raanan goes on to point out how well that’s worked out for Dallas who’ve only had one winning season since 2009. Jordan believes the Giants should opt for play-maker at wide receiver or running back, meaning Laquon Treadwell or Ezekiel Elliott.
Next: Giants 2016 Schedule Announced, Big Blue Will Go 14-2...
Admittedly, if Ezekiel Elliott is still on the board when the Giants are on the clock, it will be difficult to pass up. I thought Jerry Reese might be leaning towards Elliott after his press conference at the Scouting Combine and after Ezekiel’s comments about the G-Men going to the Super Bowl if they drafted him, I asked how the team could say no.