The Giants used the third of their three fifth-round picks on North Carolina offensive guard Marcus McKethan, grabbing another Tar Heel lineman after snagging Joshua Ezeudu in the third round.
Like with most of the Giants’ later picks, both players have versatility that appealed to the Giants.
“Huge human being. Very good size, length. Again, some versatility, he's played tackle and he's played guard,” GM Joe Schoen said. “Again, going to add depth and competition to the roster. We'll probably start him at guard, but he does have tackle flex.”
“You'll see here in OTAs and in training camp, we are big believers in mixing and matching as many people as we can early on because you can only get so many to go to a game. And the more you can do, the more you can do,” head coach Brian Daboll added. “Most of the players, unless you're really, really, really good at one spot, and that probably goes throughout our team offensively and defensively, is as much versatility as you can have, the better it is for the team.”
In McKethan’s case, what the team saw on tape makes them believe he can swing outside as well, despite not having played tackle at UNC. He feels the same, and feels he has one big attribute that will help his cause.
“I’m just somebody that loves to move people, I just love contact,” he smiled.
There’s one other thing that makes him and Ezeudu smile, too: the chance to play with each other again at the next level.
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“Oh, this is a great feeling, playing next to somebody for three years, just getting to go to the same NFL team, it's really just like a dream,” McKethan said.
One thing that was helpful for both players, and for the Giants, was having offensive line coach Bobby Johnson at UNC’s Pro Day,
“That's always valuable. The process, Joe talked about this, the communication we've had from the scouting department, the coaching staff, the people that set up the trips, it was very well organized, thought out,” Daboll said. “The coaches put a lot of time and effort into it, same with the scouting department. It's been really good interaction with both sides.”
And now, the Giants have two versatile linemen who can’t wait to be together again.
“Man, I love Marcus, we’re really close. I’m just very excited right now,” Ezeudu had said shortly after the pick. “I'm close really with everybody but I just can't wait to call him and scream with him on the phone together.”
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