When Dave Gettleman took over as the GM of the New York Giants and started his revamp of the team during the NFL Draft last year, one of the first players to join the new regime was UTEP offensive lineman Will Hernandez – a player that the Giants were able to draft in the second round despite being projected by some to be a starter for a decade or more in the NFL.
There’s also few players that can speak about the team’s rebuild than Hernandez, as Hernandez was not only one of the first players on board but one of the ones to spend the most time on the field after joining Gettleman’s team. The current state of the Giants is one of the multiple subjects that Hernandez talked about recently while appearing on MSG 150.
Specifically, Hernandez said that the chemistry is already better than it was last year.
“That definitely helps you get ahead of the game. Because we did create that chemistry during the season last year. And it carried over to all of these offseason workouts and practices that we’ve been having. And throughout OTAs as well. We feel that we’re already way ahead of where we were last year. We picked it right back up where we left off and we just want to build off of that,” said Hernandez.
Of course, the Giants will attempt another look on the offensive line this season and the chemistry around Hernandez might just have to be rebuilt with the addition of Kevin Zeitler, Mike Remmers, and outlier right tackle prospect George Asafo-Adjei. The new additions should certainly help the team, but it doesn’t mean that the team will start out in week one with perfect chemistry. If anything, chemistry might be one of the biggest challenges this year.
Hernandez, though, is already warming up to Zeitler and praised the guard who he will likely spend the season playing opposite of.
“He’s a great person to learn from. Awesome guy. And great player. When I found out we traded for him, I looked him up. I tried to find out as many things as I could. I watched some film on him. And he’s definitely legit. I’m very excited to be able to learn from him as much as I can.”
With Eli Manning arguably on the decline, it’s up to the offensive line including Will Hernandez and Kevin Zeitler to provide the best protection and give Manning the best chance to win in what could be one of his last seasons. The level of success they can achieve – and the overall chemistry that Hernandez spoke about – will be a major factor in determining if the team wins or fails.