Giants should target late-round Oklahoma guard prospect to develop into a starter

Marquis Hayes, oklahoma, giants

The New York Giants need to rebuild their offensive line this offseason. Due to salary cap restraints, the Giants are going to have to rebuild their line through the draft. In order to make this happen, New York needs to start hitting on some of their mid-to-late round draft picks. One lineman that the Giants should target in the later rounds of this year’s draft is Marquis Hayes out of Oklahoma.

The Giants took a few chances on middle and late-round offensive linemen under Dave Gettleman. However, the likes of Shane Lemieux, Matt Peart, and George Asafo-Adjei have failed to pan out thus far. Additionally, a team with such a great need on the front line selecting only four offensive linemen in four years is not a recipe for success. Expect to see Joe Schoen step in and change this strategy in 2022.

There is a load of offensive line talent in the 2022 NFL Draft class. Offensive linemen should stack the first-round of this year’s draft, but the heart of the class comes in the form of the middle and late-round prospects, like Marquis Hayes out of Oklahoma. Hayes is a late day-two or day-three prospect that makes perfect sense for the New York Giants.

Why the New York Giants should target Marquis Hayes

Marquis Hayes was a three-year starter at left guard for the Oklahoma Sooners. In those three years, Hayes developed into a solid football player despite a somewhat limited athletic profile. He has the ability to dominate the trenches as an offensive guard, but Hayes is not a player that should be used too frequently as a pulling-guard or lead-blocker. Playing to Marquis Hayes’s strengths means keeping him between the tackle and the center.

Hayes currently ranks 95th on Pro Football Focus’s 2022 NFL Big Board. The Giants currently hold five picks in the top-100, making the Oklahoma product a reasonable target. Considering the needs Big Blue has on the front line, they would be wise to use more than one of those five top-100 picks on the offensive line.

Marquis Hayes is powerful in the trenches. As Lance Zierlein of NFL.com describes, Hayes “plays the game like a streetfighter, using length and strength to pummel overmatched opponents.”

“His body control is pretty bad but he’s long and has a pro body. Don’t underestimate that because teams draft that and then try to coach the player up and all of a sudden they are in the league eight years.” — Executive for AFC team via NFL.com

Marquis Hayes has the tools to be special. He allowed only one pressure over the final three games of the 2021 season. He might not be a star athlete, but Marquis Hayes is incredibly powerful and could fill a major need for the Giants at left guard. The New York Giants should target this Oklahoma product in the 2022 NFL Draft.

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