NY Giants: State of the offensive line reclamation project

Dave Gettleman and Pat Shurmur were both adamant in their respective introductory news conferences months ago that fixing the offensive line of the New York Giants was a priority.

Gettleman talked of his fondness for finding "hog mollies," his term of affection for strong, big-bodied players who know how to fight in the trenches. It's a descriptor he adopted from a longtime scout with whom he worked early in his career with the Buffalo Bills — another name for the Northern Hogsucker fish, which traditionally is exceptionally strong for its size and, strength developed by swimming against heavy currents in fast-moving streams, and its physical appearance isn't a thing of beauty.

Now, Gettleman didn't exactly make the latter part of his offseason quest for the Giants, and the philosophy meshed well with exactly what Shurmur was asked to do with the Minnesota Vikings as their offensive coordinator a year ago.

"We didn't change the oil up there," Shurmur said of the work done on the Vikings' offensive line. "We changed the transmission."

The Giants put the engine of their offense in the shop back in February.

Come Monday with the start of OTAs (offseason team activities), Shurmur and Gettleman will get to take their line out for a test drive.

Here is our look at where that offensive line reclamation project stands following free agency and the NFL Draft:

Left tackle

There was plenty of angst regarding what the Giants would do up front offensively when they missed out on All-Pro guard Andrew Norwell, who signed with the Jaguars after an eleventh-hour push. That decision may have seemed to wreck the perceived plan initially, but the Giants’ shifting gears and bringing in Nate Solder may have been a far better positional fit.

Without Solder, there's no telling where the Giants would have gone to fill left tackle. Their entire draft might look differently with Norwell and without Solder. That being said: Don't sleep on the upgrade Solder represents compared to what the Giants have had protecting Eli Manning's blind side over the six seasons since Super Bowl XLVI.

Malcolm Bunche may be listed at guard on the team's website, but he played left tackle with the first team during rookie camp. The 6-foot-6, 320-pounder earned a contract after participating as a tryout.

Considering the lack of options behind him, you can make the argument Solder is as valuable as any player on the roster right now.

Left guard

The poster boy for Gettleman's hog mollies is second-round pick Will Hernandez, who is being lauded around the league as one of the top draft sleepers and potential impact players as a rookie. There's no question the Giants have high hopes for Hernandez, who will start his career at left guard next to Solder.

Shurmur has mentioned that Hernandez— like all his other guards— will be cross-trained on both sides of the lines so they're comfortable in both spots.

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Undrafted rookie Nick Gates of Nebraska played tackle in college, but he worked at left guard this past weekend. Any combination of John Jerry, Jon Halapio and John Greco will compete for reserve spots behind Hernandez, but we'll get to that when assessing right guard. Bloomfield native Kristjan Sokoli has bounced back and forth between offensive and defensive line (in Seattle), so it will be interesting to see if he can find a home in a reserve role.

Center

The Giants brought Jones back on his restricted free agency tender for just under $3 million, and this is his job to lose. He showed enough last season to convince the Giants he can handle the responsibilities, but Jones will need to continue to impress.

Evan Brown, the undrafted rookie from SMU, brings an impressive résumé with him. He excelled as a pass blocker, and if Jones slips, Brown is an intriguing possibility to apply some pressure. Ethan Cooper has been Jones' backup in the offseason program, and he is a possible beneficiary if Brown struggles to get up to speed. Also keep an eye on Halapio, who can play center and guard.

Right guard

The Giants signed the guy who Norwell will be replacing in Jacksonville, and Patrick Omameh is the likely choice to move to right guard and start with Hernandez stepping in on the left side. He has played in 53 regular season games with 45 starts, including 24 at right guard.

Here's where the fun begins: the Giants could save $900,000 by cutting Jerry. The money is somewhat insignificant relative to the salary cap, of course, but we don't know for sure how the current administration views Jerry. Is he the best option as a backup? Greco played for Shurmur dating back to his days with the Cleveland Browns, while Halapio showed up on film at the end of last season. The presence of 6-foot-4, 330-pound Chris Scott is something to watch. Scott earned a contract after spending rookie camp as a tryout, and he has a history with Gettleman in Carolina.

Omameh has the lead here, so it will be interesting to see how things shake out. Could see Halapio (with his ability to play center) have a reserve edge with Jerry, Greco and Scott fighting for, perhaps, one other spot. If Gates comes on, they'll all be duking it out.

Right tackle

Ereck Flowers' return to the team Monday is significant for the simple reality that, as long as he is here, he's likely the one to beat out for the starting job. The transition from left tackle to right tackle won't be easy for Flowers, whose technique has let him down throughout his up-and-down career.

If Flowers is ready to work and is motivated to show he belongs in the league, the Giants will do what they can to make this work. If not, there are no guarantees he'll be on the team for Week 1.

That leaves Wheeler as an important piece to the puzzle. He might just be the best option at left tackle if disaster were to strike with a Solder injury. And Wheeler showed enough as a rookie that the Giants might have no choice but to turn to him on the right side, at least early on. His best fit might be as a swing tackle. Undrafted rookie Tyler Howell of Missouri is a sleeper here. He moved well at rookie camp and has intriguing size (6-8, 328).

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