Four of the six members of the Giants’ 2021 draft class are defensive players and none of the six is an offensive lineman. What does that tell you?
Clearly, the Giants did not feel desperate to bolster their line and they did not like the value on the board when offensive linemen were available. This does not preclude the Giants from signing offensive linemen as undrafted free agents or waiting for the veteran market to see what shakes out.
Sure enough, the Giants added two linemen immediately after the draft concluded, agreeing to terms with Brett Heggie (Florida) and Jake Burton (Baylor).
“It’s really apparent we have a little more confidence in our offensive line than you guys do,’’ general manager Dave Gettleman said Saturday after all the Giants’ picks were in. “We’re happy with the group we have, obviously you’re always trying to get better. You’re not gonna just take a player to take him.’’
It is not as if the Giants purposely avoided taking an offensive lineman. They had at least one of them rated ahead of linebacker Azeez Ojulari, but he was off the board after the Giants traded down from 42 to 50 in the second round.
On Day 3, when the Giants seemed primed to take a guard prospect, they took an outside linebacker, a running back and a cornerback with their three picks.
For now, they have Andrew Thomas, Matt Peart, Nate Solder as their three top tackles. They have Nick Gates at center. They have Shane Lemieux and Will Hernandez at guard. They have veteran backups Zach Fulton, Jonotthan Harrison and Chris Slade on the interior.
Is that good enough?
“You don’t want it to be good enough, you want it to be good,’’ Gettleman said. “Right now, our offensive line is what it is and the players are who they are and we’re gonna move forward.’’
If head coach Joe Judge was adamant that the offensive line needed help, there likely would have been a way to add one in this draft.
“I’m encouraged by the guys we have on our roster right now,’’ Judge said. “I would say we’re always looking to make every position more competitive but right now we’re committed to working with the guys on our roster and improving each one of those individually, and that should help the unit collectively.’’