Big Blue View
The mail’s here!
Ken Goldstein asks: James Hudson. I have heard his name mentioned several times as being a solid pick up this offseason.
But I truly no very little about him as a offensive tackle.
Do we really have the much needed depth to the offensive line, that has failed us so many times these past few years.
The previous two seasons - I’ve said that without Thomas at left tackle, the season is lost. He was the one person the team could least afford to lose.
What is the real backup plan at left tackle - in case he gets hurt again?
It was obvious to everyone here that last year they didn’t really have a game plan for that.
Ed says: Ken, James Hudson is the real backup plan at left tackle. He was signed to be the swing tackle and was aligned as the starting left tackle all spring while the Giants slow-played Andrew Thomas’s return from Lisfranc surgery.
Here is what I wrote about Hudson a few weeks ago:
The 26-year-old Hudson was a fourth-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2021. He has played in 49 regular-season games with 17 starts. Hudson has significant experience at both tackle spots. In 2024, he was almost exclusively at left tackle, playing 207 snaps there and just 15 on the right side.
When I asked Jared Mueller of SB Nation’s Dawgs By Nature, which covers the Browns, about Hudson he used the word “inconsistent.” Which is probably why Hudson has never been a full-time starter.
Pre-draft scouting reports indicated a raw player with tremendous physical upside but limited experience. Here is a snippet from Ourlads:
He is still incredibly raw and inexperienced, but there is absolutely no denying his physical talent and upside. He has a lot to learn and clean up but there is a level of explosion, twitch, and power here that very few can match. It may take a year-plus, but he could be a starting tackle or guard for a long time, and a very good one.
Hudson has yet to reach that starting status. He could, though, be an important player for the Giants in 2025. The Giants drafted offensive lineman Marcus Mbow in Round 5. While they believe he has five-position versatility, Mbow played only a handful of left tackle snaps in the spring and it seems like putting him at that critical spot as a rookie would be a last resort.
“He’s a guy that when we targeted tackles in free agency, obviously there’s a reason that he’s here,” Bricillo said. “We like him. He brings some traits that we really like. He has a level of toughness. He has a high character as far as a standard for himself and he works.”
The reality is that some players on any team are harder to replace than others. When you lose a left tackle who, at his best, is an All-Pro that is going to be a major blow...
