Big Blue View mailbag: Old friends, new questions as training camp arrives

The mail’s here!

We have made it, good people! This is the final Big Blue View mailbag before training camp starts. Let’s get to it.

Doug Mollin asks: On Monday, you had a story on [Andrew] Thomas being in ESPN’s top 10 tackles.

Got me thinking back to that 2020 OT draft class — four top-ranked tackles with many experts having their own favorites and rankings.

Six years later ....

• Wirfs is #1. Not many people would argue against that.
• Thomas is #2. Injuries have been the main culprit reducing his value.
• Becton is a distant #3, even coming off of an Eagle make-over.
• Wills is #4, also derailed by injuries and The Browns. Currently a free agent and may take the season off.

Who were you pounding the table for back in that draft? I remember personally being fine with any of them other than Becton.

Ed says: Doug, I’m almost ashamed to admit that I was a Becton guy. In my final mock draft of that year, I took Becton for the Giants over the other three tackles.

Here is some of what I wrote:

I am fully aware, of course, that Becton is probably the riskiest of what is considered the Big 4 offensive tackles.

I don’t know if Becton is the best offensive tackle in this class ... I know this — he’s my favorite. Potential gets GMs fired, but what I know is that the 6-foot-7, 364-pound Becton has the highest ceiling of any tackle in this class. If there is a Hall of Fame offensive lineman in this draft class, odds are he is it.

I’m going for broke. The Giants have won 12 games in three years. Solid is for later. Drafting scared is for someone else. Safe is for the next GM. The Giants will probably take Jedrick Wills of Alabama, and that would be just fine. So would Tristan Wirfs or Andrew Thomas. I’m going for the home run.

I would have been wrong. That much is clear. There were reports before the draft that GM Dave Gettleman loved Wirfs. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett pounded the table for Thomas. Gettleman gave him Thomas. Both ended up being better choices than the guy I would taken a swing on.

Gregg Wanlass asks: Another year of optimism and yet concerns. We seem to have stacked our offensive line with bodies, yet it seems the final alignment is TBD. Given that experience playing together is really important for effective line play how do we use the relatively short period of time to 1) choose the starting unit; 2) select who makes the team; and 3) give players reps in different positions to achieve the flexibility needed once injuries occur.

*While the coaches will use training camp to set the lineup I would imagine going in they have a desired composition —which to me would have Neal at LG. Just seems logical for them to hopefully get some ROI from...