In Thursday night’s preseason game, starting left guard for the New York Giants, Shane Lemieux went down with a foot/toe injury. This comes right after Lemieux landed on injured reserve last September. The 2020 fifth-rounder for the Giants has only played in 13 games to date.
Head coach Brian Daboll did not give the most inspiring answer on the status of Lemieux. He is not set to practice this week. On whether or not the injury could linger over a longer time period, Daboll stated that “we’ll see”. It leaves the Giants with a concern upfront as the regular season approaches.
The New York Giants top two replacements:
For the Giants, the two players likely to fill in at left guard are rookie third-round pick, Josh Ezeudu, and third-year player, Ben Bredeson.
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Ezeudu was the fourth draft pick made by general manager, Joe Schoen. He offers good 6-foot-4 height and is 308 pounds. For a guard, Ezeudu’s length (34″ arms) and wingspan (82 1/4″, 95th percentile) give him some upside as a 22-year-old. The rookie tested well athletically too with an 8.36 Relative Athletic Score.
Over his last three years of college, Ezeudu started in 28 games. It is not ideal for him to be rushed in as a rookie as a result of injury. Nonetheless, he has the length and athleticism to help the Giants as a first-year player.
With Bredeson, only one start and 342 total snaps to this point have been accumulated. That being said, he did appear in eight games for the Giants last year and play 294 of those career snaps.
He offers a ton of size over 6-foot-4 and a half and 315 pounds. Bredeson was a fourth-round draft selection in 2020 and plays this upcoming season at 24 years old. Last year with the Giants, Bredeson struggled as a pass blocker where he allowed 14 total pressures. He did however thrive as a run blocker where he earned a 75.7 PFF grade.
Ezeudu offers some excitement as a rookie with more athletic potential. Bredeson gives the Giants a bit more experience. It will be fascinating to see who ends up taking the starting reps for the Giants at left guard between Ezeudu and Bredeson.