Getty One of the New York Giants' undrafted rookies appears to be making a roster push.
The New York Giants’ 2024 undrafted class currently runs 10 deep as of June 21 — if you count running back Dante Miller.
According to The Athletic’s Dan Duggan, one of those rookies has a decent shot of making the 53-man roster this summer. That player is North Dakota State guard Jake Kubas.
“The Giants gave Kubas $270,000 guaranteed, which was one of the biggest guarantees any undrafted free agent received in the league this year,” Duggan wrote on June 17. Noting that the promising offensive lineman climbed the depth chart and “worked as a second-team guard during the spring.”
“[Kubas] could get bumped if the Giants favor someone with tackle experience like [Matt] Nelson or [Yodny] Cajuste,” he went on to acknowledge, before stating that “the Giants may not need to load up on backup tackles since they can move [Jermaine] Eluemunor outside if necessary.”
Kubas was voted All-Missouri Valley Football Conference First Team, first team All-America by Stats Perform and FCS All-America Third Team by the Associated Press his senior year. He started 14 games at right guard that season and weighs in at 6-foot-4, 308 pounds.
Giants Could Cut Recent Draft Pick on Offensive Line
If Kubas makes the team, it’s likely that a recent draft pick won’t make the final cut. Whether that’s Marcus McKethan or Joshua Ezeudu.
Duggan had nine blockers making the 53-man roster during his post-minicamp projection. Considering five of them are starters, that would leave four backups behind the first-team OL.
The reason McKethan and Ezeudu could be on the hot seat is that the Giants spent money on veteran depth in 2024. The aforementioned Nelson, Aaron Stinnie and Austin Schlottmann were all brought in to compete for a job and account for injuries, should any occur.
Duggan predicted that Stinnie and Schlottmann would make the team alongside Ezeudu, while leaving off Nelson and McKethan among others.
“It’s challenging to call the last few backup spots on the line,” the beat reporter admitted, “especially because they could be filled by an outside addition like Tyre Phillips, who is on track to be ready for camp in his recovery from a torn quad.”
His final assessment on the interior: “[Jimmy] Morrissey was ahead of Schlottmann during the offseason program as the backup center, but it’s important not to overreact to every spring development. The Giants gave Schlottmann a two-year, $2.8 million contract with $500,000 guaranteed this offseason, so they obviously like him. Morrissey was signed to a one-year, $985,000 futures deal with no guaranteed money.”
Stinnie, Schlottmann and Kubas would give Big Blue loads of depth at center and guard if Eluemunor needed to bounce outside. Ezeudu would then serve as the swing tackle in this scenario.
Should the Giants Add Another Offensive Tackle?
The Giants have improved their blocking unit on paper in 2024, supplementing it with Jon Runyan and Eluemunor, as well as Stinnie and Schlottmann.
With another year of development under their belts, the hope is that center John Michael Schmitz and right tackle Evan Neal can take a step forward too. That feels plausible for “JMS,” but trusting in Neal could prove risky.
Although Eluemunor’s versatility provides an insurance plan, it’s not a stretch to argue that the Giants could use one more reliable swing tackle outside of Ezeudu — even if that means Kubas missing the cut. That player could also replace Ezeudu outright, if the former third rounder continues to struggle.
Duggan mentioned Phillips. Will the veteran OT re-sign once again after recovering from injury?
It’s a late-offseason option or an early in-season possibility, at the very least.