Ereck Flowers

Ereck Flowers' ankle was a problem during his rookie season.

(Bill Kostroun | AP Photo)

The Giants offensive line comes with concerns, even without factoring in left tackle Ereck Flowers. He's become an afterthought given the state of the right side of the line.

The results of Flowers' rookie year indicate there should be real concern. He struggled to handle pass rushers off the edge, and led the league in pressures allowed. Until he blossoms into the player the Giants expected when they drafted Flowers ninth overall in 2015, it's far from a given.

But there were also enough signs of hope last year that much of the problems can be brushed off inevitable, natural growing pains. Flowers, 22, started 15 games as a rookie as quarterback Eli Manning's blindside protector, gaining invaluable on-the-job experience.

Atlanta's Jake Matthews is the precedent that Flowers and the Giants hope to follow. Matthews was the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. He had a troubling rookie year clouded by poor results and a bad ankle.

It's quite similar to Flowers. His rookie season was a constant on-field struggle marred by ankle injuries.

The Giants were forced to work around their tackles - Flowers and Marshall Newhouse - last year. They schemed around the deficiency, with Manning releasing the ball quicker than ever in order to avoid the inevitable pressure off the edges.

Flowers was the primary offender.

Most pressures allowed by OTs last season:



1. Ereck Flowers, NYG (69)

2. D'Brickashaw Ferguson, NYJ (59)

3. Garry Gilliam, SEA (58) — Pro Football Focus (@PFF) May 24, 2016

The ankle can be partly to blame, but it was just a small piece of the story. Flowers, 22, was considered raw and technically flawed coming out of Miami. It showed in his first professional season, and led to a rocky relationship with former line coach Pat Flaherty. The two butted heads on multiple occasions throughout the season, multiple individuals with knowledge of the situation told NJ Advance Media.

Fortunately for Flowers, rookie struggles on the offensive line don't always equate to long-term problems. And Flaherty is now in San Francisco. He was not brought back as part of the coaching staff under Ben McAdoo.

New line coach Mike Solari is believed to be more flexible. The hope is the new approach benefits Flowers so he can bounce back in a similar fashion to Matthews last year.

In his second season, Matthews went from being among Pro Football Focus' worst tackles to a Top 20 player at the position. He was the No. 19 offensive tackle. (Actually 18th considering Giants guard Justin Pugh is ahead of him as a tackle.)

Flowers was 74th out of the 77 offensive tackles graded in 2015. His 23.9 pass blocking grade was the second worst among tackles.

Just taking into account the mental growth, that should improve this season. Flowers is expected to show significant progress.

Healthier and with more experience under his belt, Matthews had an 80.1 pass-blocking grade in Year 2 after allowing seven sacks and 51 pressures his rookie season. He cut that number to 38 total pressures last year.

If Flowers can cut his pressures by 20-plus percent, it would become a lot more manageable. The Giants offense (ranked eighth overall last season) could be even better.

This isn't a completely uncommon trend for a young offensive tackle. Playing left tackle as a rookie is a difficult undertaking, one the Giants were hoping Flowers could avoid. Their original plan was to start Flowers at right tackle with Will Beatty on the left. That was until Beatty tore his pectoral muscle last spring.

It put the Giants and Flowers in a tough spot. Working alongside Pugh, they're expecting a massive jump similar to Matthews' in Year 2.

"Oh, it's going to be huge. Last year, still learning the system, it was new to him; a lot of calls, me and him we're working on things together," Pugh said earlier this offseason. "I think this year it's more of we've already got that feel, we're already building on that trust that we built last year."

The Giants need it desperately. The left side of their offensive line is supposed to be the least of their concerns with Flowers, a Top 10 pick, no longer a rookie.

TALK IS CHEAP, Ep. 54: Can Giants survive their weaknesses?

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Jordan Raanan may be reached at jraanan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanRaanan. Find NJ.com Giants on Facebook.