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Everyone knows the New York Giants could use some help along the offensive line. In fact, there are several areas where the Giants could use help but the Giants must add one or two prospects along the offensive line in the 2015 NFL Draft. If they don’t use their first pick on someone like Brandon Scherff then they could certainly pick up someone in the later rounds and one fit would be Duke guard Laken Tomlinson.
Tomlinson is strictly a guard who chose Duke because he wanted to be known as a student athlete. He is someone who Duke coach David Cutcliffe raved about, a leader who leads by example, keeps his head down and gets stuff done.
As a prospect he is ranked very highly among guard prospects and, depending on where a team uses Scherff, could be the best guard in the draft, a position Scherff projects to. Tomlinson is someone Tom Coughlin would love, a guy who is always working to get better, doesn’t have off-field issues and plays mean and smart on the field.
The run game is where Tomlinson excels and he uses his 6’3”, 323-pound frame to open holes. He doesn’t have the most amazing physical skillset but he plays hard and plays smart which allows him to make up for what he lacks athletically. He could turn into Pro Bowl quality guard in time.
Last season, he showed drastic improvement as the year wore on. He was a little shaky in pass protection early on, coming off balance a bit but showed marked improvement as the season wore on and turned into one of the best guards in the country. By the end of the year he was looking very good in pass protection and might actually be the best guard prospect in the Draft. He works hard to make corrections and loves to learn on and off the field.
If the Giants choose to forgo offensive line, a smart move, they could always get Tomlinson in a later round. Depending on whether or not there is a run on offensive linemen, he might be had as late as the third round. His character is exactly what the Giants look for. He should also be able to step in right away and become part of the Giants’ offensive line rotation but might be ready to start right out of the gate. If the Giants choose another direction in the first round then Tomlinson makes complete sense in a later round.
