New York Giants: 5 things to watch the rest of the way

3. Offensive lineman Nick Gates

As the resident conductor of the ‘Nick Gates Train’, I’m quite sure it won’t be hard for you all to guess that I’m amped to watch the young offensive lineman earn his place in the league over the last six games — you all should be, too. This franchise has fallen from grace over the better part of the last decade – the main reason for that has been shoddy offensive line play. Hitting on an undrafted offensive lineman is a quick route towards a functional roster and offensive line.

The versatile lineman got his first career start in Big Blue’s last game against the Jets, and more than held his own, as according to Pro Football Focus he allowed just two pressure on 57 total pass block snaps. From the moment I first watched him play, I noticed a different technical level between him and many other offensive lineman that excited me, and that was on full display in Week 10.

No matter how the injury report shakes out the rest of the way, Nick Gates has to be a starter for the rest of the year. He’s practiced at all five positions over the course of this season, and it would behoove of the coaching staff to figure out which one suits him the best and stick with it, without taking Nate Solder’s, Mike Remmers’ or even possibly Jon Halapio’s feelings into consideration.

This offensive line has been a travesty for far too long, and with Will Hernandez appearing the be the only legitimate long-term piece, we need to see what Nick Gates can do over the last six games.