EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — With an aging and oft-injured offensive line, the Giants were expected to look seriously at guards and tackles during the first round of Thursday’s N.F.L. draft. It helped that it was a draft deep with talented offensive linemen.

But when the four top-rated tackles and the two most highly regarded guards were selected nearly an hour before the Giants picked 19th, could the team still justify taking an offensive lineman?

Talented defensive linemen were still available, as was a celebrated tight end and the one of the best-known players coming out of college, Manti Te’o.

The Giants stayed the course and took Syracuse offensive lineman Justin Pugh.

“He’s a terrific football player — big, smart, high test scores and a team captain,” General Manager Jerry Reese said minutes after the selection. “He’s our type of guy — clean. No warts, no off-field issues and a good athlete. He’s a solid football player, and I think you win with solid football players.”