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New York Giants: Ereck Flowers Wasn’t The Best Choice

By Nafisa H

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The New York Giants have a lot of areas of need. Defensive line. Offensive Line. Safety.

With so many areas to address during this year’s NFL Draft (and all of those rumors), there was no way of knowing which way they would go with their first pick at No. 9.

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Most mock drafts predicted that the Giants would draft University of Iowa’s Brandon Scherff but the Washington Redskins took him at No. 5. So the Giants took the next best offensive lineman (in their opinion): University of Miami offensive tackle Ereck Flowers.

Flowers has good size, great upper body strength, short area foot quickness and good hip flexibility. His athleticism allows him to be a very good run blocker.

Flowers’ run blocking skills will help the Giants in an area that they desperately need to approve in. Last season, the team’s offense managed to finish ranked 10th in the league in total offense. However, there was a big disparity between the team’s pass offense (which ranked seventh in the league, largely due to Odell Beckham Jr.’s monster rookie campaign) and the team’s rush offense (23rd in the NFL).

Perhaps the biggest strength that Flowers offers the Giants is his versatility. He’s considered a tackle by practically everyone. However, he could also play right guard. This adaptability is very important to the Giants, especially after their injury-riddled offensive line was shuffled frequently last season.

However, while there are a lot of pros with Flowers, there are also several weaknesses.  He’s a beast of a player and very powerful. Yet, his footwork is choppy, he has several false start penalties called on himself, and his lean lower body causes him to be thrown off balance by smaller defenders.

I don’t think that Flowers was the best option at No. 9 for the Giants. The team needed to take advantage of their high pick and draft a player that could make an impact from the beginning. While Flowers certainly bolsters their run offense, his pass protection skills leave a lot to be desired and his undisciplined technique could prove costly to the Giants.

Flowers definitely would’ve benefited from an extra year in college working on his technique and mastering the nuances of the game. While not the best pick in the first round since he’s a work in progress, he does offer the Giants tremendous upside in the long-run and has the intangibles necessary to excel in the NFL.

With his strength, athleticism, and drive, Flowers has the potential to evolve into a high-caliber, well-rounded offensive lineman that could eventually justify the team’s use of their top-ten pick.

Next: 2015 NFL Draft: Live Day 1 Updates, Grades and Analysis

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