Did the New York Giants land 2 potential steals on offense and defense in 2020 NFL Draft?

The New York Giants need to have a fantastic 2020 NFL draft to finally piece together a team that has struggled over the past few seasons to produce any sort of quality. Finding late-round value picks that can contribute in future years is essential toward growth. General manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Joe Judge made it a priority to address the linebacker and offensive line positions.

While it is too soon to tell if the Giants really landed any steals in the draft, there are several players with high upside we can keep an eye on.

Here are two players on both sides of the ball the New York Giants could develop into starters:

1.) Offensive steal: Shane LeMieux

When the Giants drafted Shane LeMieux in the fifth round, expectations were low. Any late-round offensive linemen are generally considered to be projects that require at least one season of actual development.

However, Lemieux brings a streak of toughness and physicality the team is lacking in the trenches. While his balance can be thrown off, and he is slow off his stance, there is plenty of physical abilities to work with.

“Shane’s a guy like Dave said, he plays with nasty,” added Giants head coach Joe Judge. “You turn the Auburn game on and right from the first snap he’s tossing bodies around. You can’t help but watch him. In a lot of cross over tape he jumps out at you as well. He’s a guy that’s going to have interior swing value. We’re going to cross train him guard and center. It’s going to be something he has been working on out at Oregon and we’re going to keep on building with that as well.”

The most exciting aspect of LeMieux is that he projects as a possible center option and guard. The Giants are currently lacking a center and will develop a position battle there to shake out the best of the bunch, hopefully. LeMieux will compete with Jon Halapio, Spencer Pulley, and Nick Gates this off-season.

“That was probably just on me,” Lemieux stated regarding his desire to train at center and guard. “Especially as a rookie, there’s not really a guard that only plays guard. Versatility is the biggest factor in this game. Coaches want to be able to put you in multiple spots. I have really good mentors that told me that at training camp, no matter where you are, they are going to throw you in, and you have to be ready. I just want to be prepared before that happened. Even at pro day, somebody asked me to jump in at center and I was ready to do that. It just all works out and versatility is key.”

Judge loves players that can play multiple positions and perform when called upon. Shane knows that the longevity of his career relies on adaptability, and he has taken the appropriate steps to function and various positions.