With how poor the offensive line looked at times last campaign, there’s no question that NY Giants general manager Joe Schoen will be working overtime to improve the unit this offseason. The interior offensive line needs a total makeover.
The Giants currently have both of their tackle positions locked down for the foreseeable future between both Evan Neal and Andrew Thomas. The future indeed is bright there, especially with Thomas coming off an All-Pro campaign.
This year’s draft class may not be as exciting from an offensive line standpoint as last year, but there are still some rather impressive prospects that could be plugged in as a Day 1 starter regardless of where they are picked. Here’s five big boys up front NY should keep an eye on:
5. Washington OL Jaxson Kirkland
To kick things off we have one of the more interesting offensive line prospects in this year’s draft class: Jaxson Kirkland. He may not be an incredibly touted prospect, but Kirkland has a ton of potential that the Giants may want to capitalize on.
Arguably the best part about Kirkland’s game has to be his versatility, as he has tons of experience at both guard positions, and left tackle as well. This is because Kirkland originally played the tackle position for Washington, however, due to some length concerns, he was shifted to the inside where he has looked rather good.
Outside of his lack of length, Kirkland is an incredibly exciting prospect from a body standpoint. His absolutely massive 6-7, 340-pound frame, combined with some rather incredible speed/athleticism make for a deadly combination that could lead to high levels of success in the NFL.
PFF projects Kirkland to be taken in the fifth round and while we think he deserves to go a bit higher due to his upside, if he manages to slip that far down, the Giants could get a massive steal who could be a game-changer for an offensive line that really needs it.