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The Giants desperately need help on the offensive line, and in particular, at tackle, a problem that came to a head when their 2015 first-round pick, Ereck Flowers (chosen ninth overall that year) continued to struggle so badly yet forcing the coaches to stick with him, because there was no depth behind him.

Without a human wall to protect Manning, having all the big-time skill position players in the world won’t mean very much if there is no room to run or if Manning has to continue to get rid of the ball in under three seconds rather than attempting to stretch the field.

This is why an offensive linemen has to be among the Giants’ first three picks, and why the unit might potentially see both a draft pick and a veteran free agent added.

While many expect the Giants to potentially look toward free agency to fill this hole—Bengals Pro Bowl left tackle Andrew Whitworth is a popular name appearing in conversations—the Giants still need to address the tackle spot with youth, as even if they were to land Whitworth, at best they might be able to get two or three years out of the 35-year-old.

The problem is the college crop of offensive tackles doesn’t appear to be very deep either, with many of the prospects appearing to project to guard.

Utah’s Garett Bolles, 6’5”, 300 pounds, is someone whom B/R draft analyst Matt Miller has on the upswing in his offensive tackle rankings. Besides being a feel-good story—Bolles overcame a troubled youth, as outlined by Mike Sorensen of the Desert News, and became a mature and responsible young man who stayed out of trouble off the field—Bolles also has demonstrated the maturity and commitment toward his craft.

A combination of a veteran such as Whitworth and Bolles, the latter of whom needs a tad more polish, would certainly be a big improvement for the Giants’ offensive tackle spot.

Moreover, if the Giants opt to move Flowers to right tackle, which would probably be the case if they sign Whitworth, Bolles’ presence would hopefully push Flowers to get better.