New York Giants Rookie to Benefit From Nate Solder Surgery

New York Giants, George Asafo-Adjei
May 4, 2019; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants offensive tackle George Asafo-Adjei (78) speaks to media during rookie minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Sarah Stier-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants will be without their starting left tackle Nate Solder for the spring. Solder will be undergoing surgery on his ankle and will miss all of OTA’s, but should be ready for training camp later in the offseason.

It is unfortunate to see Solder will be unable to participate in OTA’s, but Giants fans can sleep easy at night knowing that Solder’s injury is not too severe and will not keep him from missing any training camp or regular season action.

There is another silver lining that Giants fans can take from Nate Solder’s injury. OTA’s will kick off on May 20th, and without the presence of their starting left tackle, the Giants will get to see other tackles take snaps to fill in for Nate Solder.

One tackle in particular should get extra snaps that will have great importance on his development and future. Rookie George Asafo-Adjei will get a chance to prove his worth at OTA’s while filling in for the injured Nate Solder.

George Asafo-Adjei Stats And Highlights

“Big George” was the Giants’ 7th round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Asafo-Adjei played right tackle in college for the University of Kentucky. George was a full-time starter for one season in college, which was in 2018, his junior season.

Giants fans were excited to see general manager Dave Gettleman take a chance on the tackle out of Kentucky. Gettleman has found offensive line gems late in the draft in the past (such as Daryl Williams and Andrew Norwell), so Giants fans have high hope for Asafo-Adjei.

George Asafo-Adjei was expected to compete for the starting right tackle position prior to the Giants signing Mike Remmers. Asafo-Adjei would have been competing against Chad Wheeler for the starting position, but now the two will compete as depth players.

What will “Big George” provide the New York Giants?

George will provide great depth for the Giants at the tackle position in 2018, but the hope is of course for Asafo-Adjei to develop into a starting-caliber offensive tackle within the next couple of years. Giving “Big George” extra reps as a starter in OTA’s will be huge for his development in the NFL.

Asafo-Adjei is a giant human being, standing tall at 6 feet 5 inches and weighing in at 315 pounds. He also demonstrated great strength at his pro day this offseason, putting up 31 reps on the bench press at his pro day. George was Kentucky’s highest graded offensive lineman in 2018.

George flashed his potential a couple of times in his junior season. In 2018, Asafo-Adjei won SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week twice.

While Nate Solder recovers from his surgery, George Asafo-Adjei should see an increase in practice reps at OTA’s. It will be good for “Big George” to block the Giants’ starting pass rushers as he prepares for his eventual development into a starting tackle in the Giants’ future.