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New York Giants OL Jermaine Eluemunor Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Most Indispensable Giants: Team Can't Afford to Lose This Underrated Honorable Mention

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Gene Clemons | Last updated May 20, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Up next in the New York Giants On SI voting for the most indispensable players on this year's Giants roster is the second of our three honorable mentions, offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor.

Jermaine Eluemunor, RT

Jermaine Eluemunor made a believer out of doubters in 2024. He came in to be the starting right guard, but because of Evan Neal's injury, he began training camp as the right tackle and never relinquished the position.

Eluemunor immediately improved the pass protection on the right side by improving consistency. He was not overpowering anywhere, but he was consistent, and most times, that is all that is required to be effective in the NFL, especially against the elite edge rushers that exist in the NFC East.

Why He's Indispensable

Eluemunor is the second-best offensive lineman on the team. He has established himself as the right tackle of the present and recent future. At 31 years old, he still seems to have a few more years of great production in him, especially when you consider that he did not become a starter until a few years into his NFL career.

He is not the best run blocker, though. According to PFF, his 56.9 run block grade in 2024 ranked 93 out of 140 tackles. However, he is a willing fighter in the trenches. What he has excelled at is his consistent pass protection.

His 71 pass block grade ranked 47th. Pass protection was a major need for the Giants when Eleumunor joined the team, and he clearly upgraded the offensive line there.

Perhaps the most underappreciated element of Eluemunor’s game is his versatility, which is what makes him so indispensable.

Remember that he was signed to play guard and ended up at right tackle. After an attempt to replace an injured Andrew Thomas with someone from outside the organization failed miserably, the team turned to Eluemunor to man the left side. He stepped in and held his own at the position.

The ability to not only perform well as a guard or tackle, but also to do so on the left or right side, is something very few offensive linemen can do at a high enough level.

Eluemunor seems to be the model for the offensive line, which now boasts multiple players who can play multiple positions.

What Happens if He’s Missing?

If this were 2024, the answer would be disaster. There were no clear answers behind Thomas at left tackle, which ultimately meant that Eluemunor was the answer at left tackle.

So, if Eluemunor were to have gone down for an extended period, that would be bad because although Neal was there to replace him on the right side, there would be no answer on the left.

Fortunately, the team knew that the next step to improving the offensive line had to be improving its depth.

During free agency, they signed Stone Forsythe and James Hudson III as backups at left and right tackle. This means that if Eluemunor or Thomas missed significant time, there would be an immediate option or two to fill in.

The Giants also drafted former Purdue offensive lineman Marcus Mbow this year. Head coach Brian Daboll has already said that Mbow will begin at tackle and possibly learn both sides.

There are those who believe that Mbow could come in and start immediately, so the fact that he will be a depth at both tackle positions is beneficial to dealing with the loss of Eluemunor for any period of time.

His List Ranking

The fact that Eluemunor went from not being mentioned on our 2024 list to being an honorable mention now speaks to his value on this team.

He has proven to be someone the team can rely on to show up and do his job consistently.

There is an argument to be made that he should be in the top five because quarterback is suddenly a position of extreme depth for this team.

The fourth-string guy has the most experience in the offense but is the least talented of the bunch. This could be a group in which all four can be plugged in and play well.

If Eluemunor has another quality season, he will have a number next to his name.

Moving Forward

Eluemunor is a young 31-year-old without as much wear on his body. So there is no reason why he could not man this position for the next three to five seasons.

He is more compact, usually resulting in fewer injuries than the longer offensive linemen deal with. If he can continue to improve his run blocking, he could turn himself into a Pro Bowl-caliber performer at the position.