Scouting Primer for New York Giants' Top Offseason Needs: Part 1, Outside Linebacker and Offensive Line

The Giants have a lot of work to do this off-season to restock key position units. In this article, former NFL scouting intern Tom Rudawsky takes a look at the top characteristics the Giants may be looking for in two critical areas of need: outside linebacker and offensive line.

As the New York Giants approach the offseason and with impending changes to the front office likely ahead, it is key that they make sound personnel decisions to reset financially throughout the free agency process and bolster the roster with young players in April’s draft.

Here, in the first part of this series, we look at some of the specific traits to look for from a scouting perspective in two of the biggest positions of need, outside linebacker and offensive linemen, as well as what specifically the Giants lack at that position as they enter a crucial offseason.

Five Senior Bowl Players Who Can Help the New York Giants / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The 2022 Senior Bowl rosters are taking shape as we speak. So let's take a look at five early prospects that have accepted invitations that could immediately help the New York Giants.

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NFL Draft 2022: Biggest Risers and Fallers at Each Position / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Zach Dietz makes his picks for this year's biggest draft risers and fallers at each position.

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Edge/Outside Linebacker: The Key Traits

Playing outside linebacker in a Base 3-4 scheme, especially one like defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s, can mean playing many different roles.

First, size and long arms are crucial for succeeding on the edge from a physical standpoint. Winning matchups on the perimeter is largely about angles, and size/length helps a player create good angles for himself and his teammates.

For example, take an outside linebacker playing the run on a toss play, using his length to attack the offensive tackle's outside shoulder and knock him back. This forces the running back to take a wider angle with the ball allowing more time for the players at the second and third levels of the defense to make the tackle in the open field.

It also condenses the space that the ball carrier has to work with on the outside, this again due to a favorable angle created largely by the length of the defender. An outside backer’s frame is crucial when rushing the passer as well.

Undersized players with short arms can get easily snatched up and controlled by offensive tackles. The best pass rushers in the league are ones that can win with a variety of moves, and if a player is small with short arms, it limits the ways that player can attack an offensive tackle—unless they’re a truly rare athlete.

One of the biggest things to note, good or bad is his stoutness when watching a player play the run. Playing stout means playing with a strong lower body and being able to withstand an offensive tackle's or tight end's attempt to drive the player off the ball.

Playing football is largely about winning the line of scrimmage, which starts upfront with play strength. Playing with your hands is another key to playing the run. Some of the best run defenders in the game win early in the down because they’re able to use their hands to immediately uncover from the offensive player or knock them back and compress the tackle box.

Some players are not complete run defenders because they struggle to shed, or disengage, from the block. Using your hands to shed blocks is one of the biggest things all defensive coaches preach because it’s a necessary skill to play sound defensive football at all three levels of the defense.

As far as ideal traits rushing the passer, the qualities that first jump off the tape while watching a pass rusher are his first-step quickness and speed. Buccaneers rookie Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is a good example of this. His biggest weapon, especially right now, is his ability to get off the ball quickly and stress tackles with his speed.

As he continues to develop a complete pass rush arsenal and feel for the game, he should learn to use other moves and set up those other moves by the threat of his speed.

There are many different ways to win as a pass rusher, and a player like Markus Golden provides a good contrast to Tryon-Shoyinka. Golden has made money in the league winning with effort and power. In 2019 when he had ten sacks with the Giants, many of them were due to his relentless motor.

Golden also possesses a strong bull rush move, which keeps tackles honest as they have to respect his power. Like playing the run, hand use is key when generating pressure—the current version of Von Miller is a prime example.

Early in his career, he had an elite overall skill set. Still, as he’s gotten older and battled more injuries, he’s a player that experiences success in large part due to his savvy and outstanding technical hand use. 

Instincts are essential for playing every position, but Miller has great instincts and feel for rushing the passer. The best pass rushers in the league are the ones that possess a variety of these key traits: speed, power, hand use, variety, effort, and instincts/feel.

What the Giants need to add:

For a couple of years now, the Giants have had a lot of young players with potential that they’ve thrown into the mix at outside linebacker. Azeez Ojulari looks to be a player they can count on for solid production moving forward.

The one thing they’ve lacked for a while is that elite, lead-dog pass rusher that opponents have to show consistent attention to. After missing out on players like Chase Young and Josh Allen in recent drafts and not spending big money in free agency on a pass rusher, it’s time to show commitment to getting a game-wrecking talent on the edge. This draft presents the perfect opportunity to do it.

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Offensive Line: What to Look For

Finding quality offensive linemen is something that’s a struggle for most teams across the NFL. The reality is there are one or more starters on most offensive lines that, in an ideal scenario for that team, would not be starters.

It’s no secret that size, length, and strength are highly coveted traits among any position on the offensive line. But one trait that I think is taken for granted among football fans is balance and body control.

Balance and body control are among the most important traits an offensive lineman can possess, especially on the interior offensive line. It sounds simple, but so much of being a productive interior lineman is playing on your feet, playing square, and being able to wall off defenders long enough for the quarterback to release the ball.

Joe Thuney and Zack Martin, two of the best guards in the game, both thrive in this area. Thuney is a player who does a remarkable job staying square and playing under control at all times. He lacks top size and arm length, but his ability to play within himself and stay on his feet allows him to win most of his reps.

Two intangible qualities that are essential for offensive linemen within the NFL are toughness and smarts. Toughness is self-explanatory: When you engage in a forceful collision against a big, strong athlete snap after snap, you can’t lack physical and mental toughness.

For many teams, if they have questions about an offensive lineman’s toughness, it’s a factor that automatically rules the player out. Being a smart player and having good awareness are ever-important because the game moves so fast inside. Many NFL defenses are so complex along the front seven, constantly mixing in different looks and throwing different pressures at offensive lines, making succeeding at the mental aspect of the game necessary.

A shining example of this, unfortunately for the Giants, is Will Hernandez. He jumped off the tape out of college because of his size and nastiness. Still, he’s a player that has never gotten the mental intricacies of playing the position, and it’s ultimately what’s made him a player the Giants (presumably) would like to replace.

Centers are often the smartest players on the offensive line, and that’s no coincidence. The center position is one of leadership, command, and awareness, as you often assist in play-altering communication pre-snap. With a center, the other skill that must be vetted in the evaluation process is his consistency snapping the ball in all different kinds of weather.

An errant or botched snap can immediately ruin a play, and in some cases, cause turnovers, so being able to snap the ball accurately no matter the conditions is absolutely a pre-requisite for playing the position well.

Moving outside to offensive tackle, teams are often enamored by athleticism, and for a good reason. As discussed in the edge/outside linebacker section, length, speed, and athletic ability are coveted traits, so those traits, too, are desirable for offensive tackles.

When watching all offensive linemen (but especially a tackle), foot speed is a trait that’s heavily evaluated. Playing light on your feet with smooth, easy movements allows the player to mirror defenders and put themselves in beneficial positions throughout the rep.

Having good feet is one thing, but being able to redirect and recover if the player gives up a favorable angle is another. It’s not realistic to expect any offensive lineman to dominate every rep from the start, but losing the rep badly and causing a sack or negative running play often makes an offensive lineman stand out negatively. The offensive linemen who have great redirect/recovery skills possess a combination of athleticism and body control.

Lastly, the top linemen in the sport are the ones that hone in on the technical aspect of playing the position. Being technically sound means having good timing and hand placement, among other things.

The best offensive tackle in the sport is, in my opinion, five-time All-Pro David Bakhtiari of the Green Bay Packers. Bakhtiari isn’t the best athlete or most powerful player on the planet. Still, he is an elite technician with phenomenal timing and hand use and is a player that plays under control at all times.

In 2020, when Giants fans saw then-rookie Andrew Thomas turn a corner and play productive football down the stretch, it was due to the improvements he made technically, playing with much better timing and hand use to go along with the already impressive physical and athletic tools he possesses.

No matter what position on the offensive line you’re evaluating, the players that stand out the most are the ones that, simply put, can block their man the vast majority of the time. And that’s done by a combination of size, length, strength, technique, balance, toughness, and athletic ability.

What the Giants need to add:

There is almost universal agreement that the Giants’ effort to build their offensive line has been a catastrophic failure, and it’s hindered the success of many other players on the team. Yes, injuries to starters Nick Gates and Shane Lemieux have hurt, but I would argue the Giants showed confidence in young players that were pretty unproven far too early, and it’s backfired.

Matt Peart has been an absolute disaster – as has veteran Nate Solder. Hernandez hasn’t gotten any better. Over the last five months, the Giants' young players such as Billy Price, Ben Bredeson, Wes Martin, and Matt Skura have shown why any of their former teams didn’t previously covet them.

Assuming Gates can fully recover from his injury, the Giants have two of five starters locked in. The team needs to continue working to find three more starters. Needless to say, Giants fans better hope this retooling of the offensive line goes much better than the last attempt. 

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