December 27, 2024

Here’s just how lackluster Giants, Jets offensive lines look entering 2021 | Bad news for Daniel Jones, Zach Wilson?

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The Giants and Jets had bad offensive lines last season.

That much you know.

But will things be any better in 2021?

Probably not, according to Pro Football Focus.

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PFF ranked every NFL offensive line entering 2021. The Jets are 28th, the Giants dead last, at No. 32. Yikes.

Here’s what PFF has to say about the Jets:

The Jets have tried to improve their offensive line with volume over the past few years, but they still finished with a 29th ranking after the 2020 season.

There’s reason for more optimism, starting with left tackle Mekhi Becton, who graded out at 74.4 overall as a rookie, good for 32nd in the NFL. Right tackle is still an issue for New York, with George Fant returning as the starter after a 61.6 overall grade last season that ranked 69th among 89 tackles.

First-rounder Alijah Vera-Tucker will likely start at left guard, though there’s a chance he could compete with Fant at right tackle. Vera-Tucker had success at both guard and tackle in college, and he projects as an excellent pass protector with some stickiness to his blocks in the run game. Greg Van Roten returns at right guard after finishing with the 44th-ranked grade (63.0) among guards last season.

The Jets continue to make moves to get their line back on track, but they must improve at right tackle and Vera-Tucker needs to hit the ground running for this to become a middle-of-the-pack unit.

And here is PFF’s take on the Giants’ offensive line:

Giants offensive linemen have combined to produce the fifth-worst overall grade in the league over the past two years, and they rank in the bottom eight in both pass blocking and run blocking.

First-rounder Andrew Thomas started at left tackle and struggled to a 62.4 overall grade. His 54.7 pass-blocking grade also ranked just 82nd out of 89 qualifiers. Matt Peart, a 2020 third-rounder, is competing at right tackle after grading out at 69.7 overall on 150 snaps as a rookie.

On the interior, Nick Gates returns after moving to center for the first time in his career in 2020. He managed just a 59.7 grade, though, ranking 29th among centers.

Guard is wide open, with several players battling for the two starting spots. Will Hernandez is a three-year starter at left guard, although he hasn’t graded over 60.0 since his rookie season. Shane Lemieux played 504 snaps there last year and struggled to a 32.2 overall grade. Zach Fulton is also in the mix after recording a 63.0 overall grade last season, ranking 44th among 86 qualifying guards.

The bottom line is that the Giants’ offensive line is a massive question mark. They need their young players to develop and their veterans to provide career years just to rank in the middle of the pack for 2021.

For context, here’s where PFF had the Jets’ and Giants’ offensive lines in its ratings last year:

JETS

Pass blocking: 31st

Run blocking: 20th

GIANTS

Pass blocking: 32nd

Run blocking: 23rd

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Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.

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