With starters Nick Gates and Shane Lemieux both undergoing (likely) season-ending surgeries in recent days, the New York Giants continue to tinker with an offensive line and seek plug-and-play options at an area in desperate need of bodies. They may have found that with the re-signing of Jonotthan Harrison. The veteran offensive lineman who spent training camp with Big Blue has been added to the practice squad, but could easily factor into the gameday rotation at either guard or center as he has 42-career starts under his belt.
Joining Harrison on the practice squad is a player far less likely to sniff the field this season, but one who presents intriguing upside as a developmental piece along the team’s offensive line. Towering 6-foot-7-inch Foster Sarell, a former top offensive tackle recruit in the nation, has been added to the team’s 17-man practice squad. Undrafted out of Stanford in the 2021 NFL Draft, Sarell was originally signed by the Baltimore Ravens but was waived on August 31st, failing to make the team’s final 53-man roster.
A ‘Prototype’ Offensive Tackle?
Dubbed the “best offensive lineman I’ve seen out of the Northwest” by 247Sports’ national recruiting editor Brandon Huffman (via SBLive), Sarell was a five-star recruit out of Graham-Kapowsin High School.
Named the most valuable player at “The Opening” in 2016 — a star-studded camp that showcases elite recruits on Nike’s Oregon campus — Sarell’s former high school coach, Eric Kurle, claimed the Washington native was a “prototype” offensive tackle. Recruiting services clearly agreed, as Sarell was a consensus top-15 recruit nationally and the No. 2 overall player in Scout.com rankings (h/t Bleacher Report).
The 2016 @Final5Linemen OL
MVP – Foster Sarell
Jamaree Salyer
Walker Little
Alex Leatherwood
Wyatt Davis
Cesar Ruiz
While Sarell failed to live up to the otherworldly hype surrounding him as a high school phenom, he still performed admirably during his collegiate career. Here’s what the scouting report on Sarell looked like coming out of Stanford, per Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline:
Sarell was a solid starter for two years at Stanford, and he’s an athletic right tackle prospect with a large upside. He must fill out his lanky frame, improve his playing strength and give attention to detail, but Sarell is a solid developmental prospect who should get practice-squad consideration.
Sarell possesses the size and traits worth giving an extended look in hopes he can tap into his once-lauded potential — especially among a Giants offensive line that could use some upside and promise.
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Giants Sign Steven Parker, Terminate TE’s Contract
In other roster news, the team has added defensive back Steven Parker to the practice squad. The 25-year-old Oklahoma product has appeared in 22 regular-season games since going undrafted in 2018. All four of Parker’s career starts date back to 2019 when he appeared in 14 games for the Miami Dolphins under defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who serves in the same position for the Giants.
Throughout his career, the 6-foot-1-inch, 210-pound defender has also spent time with Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings and most recently, the Dallas Cowboys, where he played eight games in 2020.
In a corresponding move, the Giants terminated the practice squad contract of tight end Ryan Izzo. The former seventh-round draft pick of the New England Patriots started 16 of 18 games over his two-year run in Foxborough from 2019-2020.
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Giants Add Former No. 1 OT Recruit in the Nation, Sign Ex-Cowboys DB