WEST ORANGE -- The Giants have stuck with offensive tackles Ereck Flowers and Bobby Hart this offseason, much to the chagrin of their fans.

David Diehl believes the decision may soon pay off.

"When people are asking me going into this year who could be the pleasant surprise," the former Giants lineman told NJ Advance Media, "I honestly think either Ereck Flowers or Bobby Hart could be the comeback players of the year this season."

Flowers and Hart struggled last year on the edges for the Giants, with Hart losing his job at right tackle to departed veteran Marshall Newhouse in the season's final weeks. Hart is projected as the Giants' right tackle for now, although free agent D.J. Fluker and draft pick Adam Bisnowaty could have something to say about that. Flowers is expected to get a third year at left tackle after a rough start at the position to start the year.

General manager Jerry Reese has recently supported both players and stressed their youth. Flowers and Hart, who both turn 23 before the start of the season, could have been in this year's draft, Reese said. He feels their first two seasons should be looked at as developmental years in which they gained valuable on-the-job experience.

Diehl agrees expectations need to be tempered a bit for young offensive linemen entering the NFL, given the increased difficulty of the college-to-pro transition in this era.

"You're talking about two young players, and we really see across the league when it comes to offensive line play, the top guys aren't coming in and starting at premiere tackle positions anymore," said Diehl, who helped host the 2017 Clara Maass Medical Center Golf Invitational Monday at Montclair Golf Club. "You look at (the Dolphins' Laremy) Tunsil, 'Oh, he's going to be a great tackle.' But he still hasn't been a tackle in Miami. Lael Collins, he was in a rotation in Dallas.

"You can really see that that transition for offensive lineman coming from college to the pros, it's taking a little bit of time. I think those are two guys (Flowers and Hart) with the experience that they've had, they've got a lot of work ahead of them, but I think they're on the right path."

Diehl also believes the much-maligned Giants offensive line is moving in the right direction as a whole. After quarterback Eli Manning posted a mediocre 2016 season and the run game again failed to produce, the line has been the target of significant criticism this offseason. Diehl said he's been there, done that, and praised the work of left guard Justin Pugh, center Weston Richburg and right guard John Jerry this offseason, as well as Flowers and Hart.

"We did the same exact thing, when it was myself and (Chris) Snee and (Shaun) O'Hara. We went through the same tough times, when we were called the worst offensive line, we were bashed and battered," said Diehl, who now does broadcast work for the Giants.

"You can sit here and come out to the media and do whatever you want, but I just know the attitude those guys have taken all across the board. ... Those guys went to work this offseason. They are taking it as a personal challenge to come out this season and play their best football."

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James Kratch may be reached at jkratch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.