GMEN HQ
FanSided

NY Giants: Evaluating impact of rookie class | Grades

By Danny Friedman

ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 26: Saquon Barkley of Penn State poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being picked #2 overall by the New York Giants during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 26: Saquon Barkley of Penn State poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being picked #2 overall by the New York Giants during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 13
Next
Matt Peart #74 of the New York Giants (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
Matt Peart #74 of the New York Giants (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

Round 3, #99 overall: OT Matt Peart, UCONN

The NY Giants double-dipped with two tackles in their first three rounds of the draft. Matt Peart was seen as a raw, developing tackle with exceptional arm length, footwork, and size that make scouts drool when thinking about his potential.

The Giants took Peart 99th overall. The team acknowledged he would have a lot of work to do and that he could be heading into an unofficial “Redshirt” rookie season.

Injuries, an offensive line rotation, and a yearning for experience led to Peart seeing the field in his first season. Peart saw 153 total snaps on offense. There is a good amount of film to work with and see what worked and what didn’t for the UCONN rookie.

He held up very well in the Giants’ first win of the year vs Washington. Peart held the WFT front seven in check all game from the right side. Peart started off the year surprisingly strong but his performance dropped as the season went on.

The low point of Peart’s rookie season was against the Ravens in Week 16. In the 4th quarter, the Giants let up sacks on three consecutive plays in a disastrous sequence to all but end the game. It appeared at least two of the sacks could be pinned on Peart and he was clearly overwhelmed and overmatched by an explosive, veteran Baltimore pass rush.

All things considered, Peart showed a lot of the reasons the team was excited about his potential on the field. His raw strength, size, and athleticism is better than most tackles. As he refines his technique and sees more and more NFL snaps, there’s real optimism to think he can be an answer at right tackle which has been a huge problem in NY for years.

Rookie Year Grade: B

2021 Role and Beyond:

Expect Peart to get as many chances as possible to win the starting right tackle job next season. Peart will definitely face competition whether the team opts to resign Cameron Fleming, the impending return and decision on Nate Solder, and the team can still opt to add another tackle via the draft or free agency.

The Giants used a rotation at right tackle in 2020. If the team feels Peart is still not ready for the job full-time, you can expect to see a veteran free agent or another high draft pick push Peart for the job. Dave Gettleman is infatuated with big men up front and Peart is an exciting prospect for this team’s future.

Home/NY Giants News