The New York Giants chose not one, but two offensive linemen from the University of North Carolina in last month’s NFL draft . Those decisions drew some questions from critics about their scouting practices.
The Giants had been under fire for not dropping a wide enough net during their college scouting process and taking two players from the same institution cast some doubts if things had indeed changed.
But sometimes tapping into a good thing can, well, be a good thing. That is what veteran North Carolina head coach Mack Brown is saying about the Giants selecting two of his linemen — Joshua Ezeudu and Marcus McKethan — in this year’s draft.
“These guys, they know what they’re doing, they’re tough, they understand the game, they’re very driven,” Brown told Giants.com. “I think in the case of both of these young guys, their football is ahead of them. I really think they’re on the cutting edge of what’s next. I think the Giants were really smart in drafting both of them.”
Ezeudu was selected in the third round (67th overall) and has experience all along the line. Brown, who won a National Championship as the head coach of Texas in 2005, has also worked as a television analyst.
“Josh is really smart, and he can play anywhere. He’s very athletic,” Brown said. “We thought he was one of the best offensive linemen in the country. In fact, we wanted him to come back because we thought he could be a first or second rounder the next year. I think he’s just going to grow and grow and all of it is ahead of him. He had a sore knee at one point. He also fought through an ankle, so he’s tough. He played through all of those issues.”
Ezeudu played both guard and center at UNC and that was what attracted him to the Giants. In their scouting of him, they likely discovered the 6-foot-7, 340-pound McKethan, a punishing guard, in the fifth round.
First-year general manager Joe Schoen was excited about adding both players.
“Huge human being. Very good size, length. Again, some versatility, he’s played tackle and he’s played guard,” Schoen said of McKethan. “Again, going to add depth and competition to the roster. We’ll probably start him at guard, but he does have tackle flex.”
