With the NY Giants 2022 training camp less than two months away, the buzz and excitement about the future state of the team is palpable. After watching the New York Rangers, who had not been discussed as a playoff team, make it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals with a chance to win the Stanley Cup, New York is booming with excitement. Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen, who have watched the Rangers journey, are the two with the keys to the to the Giants franchise, hoping to get this team back to a top level.
Although the Giants are rebuilding and retooling their franchise yet again, there are multiple reasons to be excited. While the roster dealt with a massive shakeup yet again, the Giants are in a better place now than they were a year ago. While it is easy to have hope before the games start being played, there are three key position groups that are the strengths of the Giants roster, and may just be the reason the Giants go on a Ranger-like run in the future.
Here are the three strengths of the Giants roster
3. Andrew Thomas and Evan Neal
Yes, you read that right. The offensive tackle duo is one of the strengths of this Giants roster. After years of abysmal offensive tackle play, Joe Schoen and the Giants have fixed the offensive tackle quandary. Last season Andrew Thomas looked like an All-Pro caliber franchise tackle, recording 800 offensive snaps while receiving just five penalties and allowing just two sacks. PFF graded Thomas with an 82.1 pass block grade last season, ranking him 12th among NFL tackles.
Pass blocking is likely going to be key this season as Brian Daboll was the offensive coordinator of one of the most pass-heavy offenses in Buffalo. The Giants drafted Evan Neal with the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to become a franchise right tackle. Neal, a 6-7, 337-pound athletic freak, allowed an astonishingly low five sacks and nine hits in the 2,585 offensive snaps he played at Alabama.
While there are growing pains at most positions for rookies in the NFL, offensive tackles can play at a standout level in their rookie seasons, as seen by Tristian Wirfs on the Super Bowl-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. With Neal and Thomas able to slow down opposing pass rushes, we may see the best versions of Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley, and boy would Giants fans love to see that.