What Is Giants' Plan for Mbow?

The New York Giants, for the first time since 2023, have spent a draft pick on an offensive lineman.

It came in the form of a Day 3 pick, when the Giants drafted Purdue offensive lineman Marcus Mbow with the 154th pick. Despite his draft capital, the path to playing time is fairly reasonable, if not in 2025 than in 2026. He might be a mere injury away from stepping into the starting lineup, but figuring out where he’s playing is less clear.

After he was drafted on Saturday, head coach Brian Daboll suggested that he’d start at tackle.

“We'll start him out at tackle is the plan, but I think once you get to those type of down the line linemen, if you will, the position flexibility is important, but we'll start him out at tackle,” Daboll said.

After spending the 2022 season at right guard, Mbow has spent the vast majority of the last two seasons at right tackle. However, his 32-inch arms don’t meet the NFL’s standard for the position, which means shifting back inside is a distinct possibility.

During his first media availability, the rookie lineman hinted at the Giants' flexible plans.

“I feel like I'll be able to succeed at all five positions,” Mbow said. “Been working them all, and they all feel pretty good, so I'm excited to see where they want me.”

It’s important to note that just because his arm length merits the position change, it doesn’t mean New York will oblige. A handful of tackles have found success despite their physical limitations; others have tried and failed before kicking inside. There isn’t necessarily a right or wrong course of action here. The New York faithful might remember a similar situation with Justin Pugh when he entered the league.

With that said, Mbow isn’t just preparing to play tackle or guard. He’s working at center, too.

“I've been working on it since the season ended, so just practicing snapping and whatnot, but it doesn't feel too abnormal to me,” Mbow said.

That doesn’t just make him more versatile – it gives him one more reason to see the field. Center John Michael Schmitz has had an unsteady start to his career, and his main backup is starting right guard Greg Van Roten. Mbow might not know where his chance will come, but he’s making a point to welcome it as soon as possible, and he might have the skill set to pull it off.