The New York Giants made a bold move to secure their next franchise quarterback on Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Now, they must figure out how to protect Jaxson Dart, whenever the team deems he’s ready to take over as the starter.
The Giants’ offensive line remains a work in progress now a week after the draft. The return of All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas from a 2024 Lisfranc injury will be a hot topic throughout training camp. Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, left guard Jon Runyan and center John Michael Schmitz remain the favorites to start at their respective positions.
The wild-card spot is right guard, which should come down to an intriguing training camp battle. The team is expected to transition former tackle — and No. 7 overall draft pick — Evan Neal to guard, with fifth-round rookie Marcus Mbow out of Purdue and 2024 starter Greg Van Roten also in the mix.
Sterling Xie of Pro Football Network recently took that potential position battle a step further, predicting the Giants to sign former All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff away from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“Of course, late free agency doesn’t bring many quality starting options,” Xie wrote for PFN. “Scherff might be an exception to that rule, though he’s 33 and last made the Pro Bowl in 2021. Still, he didn’t allow a single sack in 592 pass-blocking snaps this season.
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“Among guards, only Trey Smith of the Chiefs (665) had more pass-blocking snaps without allowing a sack. The Giants could use that level of reliability, as Greg Van Roten is the team’s current projected starting right guard.”
Scherff is at least an intriguing short-term option, especially as insurance for Neal as he attempts to make the transition to guard. Scherff played some of his best football of his career with the Washington Commanders from 2015-22, including a first-team All-Pro nod during his dominant 2021 season. The five-time Pro Bowler still has some gas in the tank entering his age-33 season, as he strung together some solid seasons as a pass protector for Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville.
Spotrac projects Scherff’s market value to be in the range of $6.7 million for one year. That feels like a nice value, and if the Giants aren’t loving their depth on the interior in training camp, Scherff has the chops to enter the picture late and lock down the right guard spot.
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