The New York Giants lucked into rookie OL Marcus Mbow in the fifth round of this year’s draft. Mbow was projected to go much earlier in the draft but slid into Round 5 to the benefit of Big Blue.
Now the Giants are trying to determine where Mbow fits in best on their offensive line. The versatile rookie has been developing at more than one position behind the scenes.
Giants’ Marcus Mbow is training at all five offensive line positions
Matt Citak of Giants.com recently shared some insight on Mbow’s development, explaining that he has been training at all five positions on the offensive line as the Giants work to determine where he fits best.
“Marcus Mbow is one of the most versatile offensive linemen on the team,” Citak wrote. “Since the end of the 2024 college football season, Mbow has been training at all five positions along the line. This comes after spending time at both guard and tackle while at Purdue.
“Given the depth the Giants have along the offensive line, Mbow will likely be given some time to develop. At which position exactly remains to be seen, although the Giants did indicate he would at least start off at tackle.”
Versatility is a critical trait for young offensive linemen to possess. Mbow already has experience at both right guard and right tackle, but expressed interest in learning the center position and flipping over to the other side of the line earlier this offseason.
At 6-foot-4, 303 pounds, Mbow is a bit undersized to be a tackle, although the Giants have indicated that would be where he starts out. Most analysts viewed Mbow as more of a guard during the pre-draft process. But with his size, experience, and athleticism, he could find a home at any of the five positions.
Where could Mbow fit in on the Giants’ offensive line?
For now, Mbow will work as a depth piece behind the scenes with the potential to eventually take over a starting position at any of the offensive line’s five alignments.
During his time at Purdue, Mbow was a quality player. He was a three-year starter for the Boilermakers. In his sophomore season, he was the starting right guard. As a junior, he started at right tackle before a season-ending injury cut his campaign short after six games. He returned as the starting right tackle in his senior season in 2024.
Across 666 snaps in 2024, including 385 pass-blocking reps, he surrendered 25 pressures and three sacks with seven penalties.
Greg Van Roten is returning as the Giants’ starting right guard this season, but that position is certainly up for grabs. If Mbow can develop quickly and outperform Van Roten, he could have a chance of winning the job. Or, if Van Roten is to get injured this season, Mbow would likely get the call into the lineup.
The same can be said at center, though, as John Michael Schmitz enters a crucial third season as the starter. If Schmitz underperforms or deals with an injury, Mbow could potentially fill in at center.
Mbow could even be a backup right or left tackle, with both LT Andrew Thomas and RT Jermaine Eluemunor having dealt with injuries in their careers.
The Giants needed to add offensive line depth this offseason at more than one position, and they seemingly did that with the addition of just one player in Mbow.
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