Can NY Giants’ Shane Lemieux break out in Year 2?
Shane Lemieux has the chance to become an anchor along the NY Giants’ offensive line, especially with a strong 2021 campaign ahead
Optimism seems to be surging about a second-year NY Giants offensive lineman breaking out and becoming one of the premier players at his position in 2021.
No, not No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft Andrew Thomas at left tackle, but offensive guard Shane Lemieux.
“I hope for their sake that it’s Daniel Jones,” an AFC Offensive Coordinator recently told FanSided, when asked who he believes is the NY Giants’ best player not named Saquon Barkley. “But, I really like their two offensive guards … Will Hernandez and Shane Lemieux. They’re both really tough, and really mean up front.”
Now, NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger is hopping on the Lemieux bandwagon, listing him as one of 10 players in the trenches across the league who are primed for a breakout campaign in his second season:
"The Giants were reeling at 1-6 heading into November — although beginning to play better — and chose to start their fourth-round rookie guard against the eventual Super Bowl champion Bucs. They pulled Lemieux from the left on a variety of plays from traps to powers and sweeps, taking the Bucs to the brink before losing by two. But the Giants looked like a real offense that day. They then went on a four-game win streak; Father Judge’s coaching and Lemieux’s pulling had me believing they could turn things around. Why, you ask? It’s because whenever the Giants had great teams — Super Bowl teams — they had great pulling guards. In the 1980s, they had Billy Ard at left guard. In 2007 and 2011, they had Chris Snee at right guard. Forget what the grading services say, this kid has an inner fiber that burns hot and there’s a lot of nasty to his game. The Giants found their guard! Look for Lemieux to really impact the run game in Saquon Barkley’s return and protect Daniel Jones in a big year for the quarterback."
Lemieux took his lumps as a rookie, allowing 25 pressures in 504 pass-protection snaps last season, but under new offensive line coach Rob Sale, the NY Giants are optimistic that Lemieux can live up to lofty expectations as a starter.
Prior to being carted off from practice with a leg injury last week, Lemieux was a mainstay along the starting offensive line since spring, and looked to be off to a fast start to camp.
If Lemieux becomes the mauler the NY Giants believed they were drafting last spring, it would go a long way towards solidifying the left side of the offensive line, along Thomas, and unlocking the potential of the explosive skill players around Jones. In 2021 and beyond.
Matt Lombardo is FanSided’s National NFL Insider and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday.