New York Giants host Taylor Lewan
Taylor Lewan (77) walks off the field. Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Michigan Wolverines offensive tackle prospect Taylor Lewan is one of the top ten most talented players in the 2014 NFL Draft class overall, and he’s the third-best tackle behind blue-chip prospects Jake Matthews and Greg Robinson. While Lewan isn’t regarded as a blue-chipper, he’s pretty darn close, and he would have been a top ten prospect had he decided to declare for the draft last year. There are significant character concerns associated with Lewan, but those haven’t stopped any buzz. In fact, his draft stock has actually been rising over the past couple of weeks, as Mel Kiper Jr. recently stated that Lewan won’t make it past the top six picks and is a possibility for somebody picking at No. 2.
I think Lewan is an excellent player who brings the total package at the offensive tackle position, but I find it hard to believe that he would be taken that high. He’s not expected to be one of the top ten picks in the draft, but he won’t last long after the top ten. In fact, he’s expected to be taken by the New York Giants with the 12th pick overall, and draft insider Tony Pauline reports that the Michigan product is getting ready to visit the Giants today.
Aside from the character concerns, drafting Lewan makes perfect sense for the Giants, who could still use some more upgrades on the offensive line even after tweaking things this offseason. Their line was abysmal last year, and Lewan would be a franchise tackle from day one. He’s agile, displays good technique, and has a mean streak in the running game. Drafting Lewan would not only give the Giants a very good starting tackle, but it would allow last year’s first-round pick Justin Pugh to kick inside where he is expected to be a top guard.