It feels like the New York Giants have tried everything and failed every time in their attempts to fix the offensive line. The early returns on this season’s offensive line upgrades were promising until injuries pulled key members of the unit out of the lineup and sent the whole train off the rails.
Upgrading the offensive line will be a priority again in 2025
The Giants have surrendered 42 sacks this season, the sixth-most in the NFL. While this is a noticeable improvement from the historically bad 85 sacks allowed in 2023, it’s still not a comfortable mark for the unit to reach.
Over the last few years, New York has swung and missed with several draft picks on the offensive line including 2022 first and third round picks Evan Neal and Josh Ezeudu, respectfully. Second-year center John Michael Schmitz has struggled immensely as well this season, casting doubt on whether or not he will develop into a capable starter going forward.
The Giants could target a dominant right tackle on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft
The biggest blemish on general manager Joe Schoen’s resume, however, is Neal at right tackle, who was drafted with a top-10 pick in 2022. Neal is borderline unplayable at this point, which will cause Schoen to seek his replacement in the upcoming offseason. There is an intriguing, dominant right tackle prospect who is projected to be available on Day 2 of the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft. Purdue’s Marcus Mbow could be a priority target for the G-Men in April.
Marcus Mbow could be a priority target for the Giants
Mbow is a mean-streak tackle with size and plus athleticism at the position. He’s a natural right tackle who won’t need to transition to a new position at the next level, as many collegiate left tackles have to move to the right side in the NFL (such as Neal). Mbow currently ranks No. 83 on Pro Football Focus’s Top-250 Big Board.
The Draft Network’s Justin Melo recently projected Mbow to the Giants in the second round of his seven-round mock draft:
“The Evan Neal experience obviously hasn’t worked out,” Melo explained. “The Giants have played a slew of blockers at right tackle this season, showing no remaining confidence in their first-round bust. Neal will finally enter a contract year in 2025 and the Giants will anxiously wait for it to expire.
“Drafting a right tackle to pair with Ward represents the reset this offense needs. Marcus Mbow plays right tackle at Purdue, meaning a position switch wouldn’t be required for this projection. Mbow is an outstanding athlete with a finisher’s mentality.”
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Mbow is a 6-foot-5, 300-pound right tackle who also has experience playing guard. He started 12 games for Purdue this season and surrendered only 22 pressures and four sacks across 367 pass-blocking snaps. Mbow’s strong performance this season earned him a 73.4 overall PFF Grade — the highest mark of his career.
The Athletic’s NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler recently reported that Mbow is currently “stamped with Day 2 grades from NFL scouts” but could be a riser throughout the pre-draft process. If he maintains his Day 2 projection, however, Mbow would be the perfect prospect to pair with whichever new franchise quarterback the Giants draft on Day 1.
