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David Diehl not giving up right tackle job easily

The New York Giants' incumbent right tackle, David Diehl, is not prepared to lose his job to first-round pick Justin Pugh just yet.

Win McNamee

The New York Giants appeared to attack the offseason with one goal in mind: restock the bodies in the trenches.

The signature move, of course, was drafting Justin Pugh, the offensive tackle out of Syracuse in the first round of the draft. And when you're the first-round pick of the New York Giants, you're expected to contribute ... immediately.

Pugh has been working at right tackle. The starting job, however, won't be his without competition.

James Brewer, a former fourth-round selection in the 2011 NFL Draft, is a strong contender to start at right tackle. There will be competition for the position. But apparently so is the incumbent -- David Diehl.

When asked about taking the job away from Diehl, New York Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride conceded it won't be easy.

"(Diehl) is not going to give up the job. He doesn’t care who has been drafted; he was a low draft pick when he got here and no one ever expected a lot from him. What has he been playing now – 10 years? He has been a starter. I think it is going to be very difficult for someone to unseat him, but certainly Justin was brought in for just that reason – to earn a starting position," said Gilbride.

"So it looks like Justin has enough ability – until you put the pads on, you know – but it looks like he moves well enough. He looks like he is intelligent enough – it looks like he is focused, professional, determined. So I would be surprised if he doesn’t come into play for us down the road."

'I think it is going to be very difficult for someone to unseat him (Diehl).' - Kevin Gilbride

if Brewer wins out, Diehl or Pugh could become the team's sixth lineman, which gives the team a strong group of starters along with more than capable backups, especially with David Baas and Chris Snee recovering from injuries.

Depth is a luxury. It's also something the team lacked last season.

After an offseason of getting guys healthy and restocking the depth chart, the offensive line appears to yet again be one of the strongest areas of the team.

Whether Pugh, Brewer or Diehl gets the start is irrelevant, as Gilbride sees an opportunity for each to contribute.

"They will be fairly healthy, probably healthier than they have been the last few years, which is a very positive thing. Maybe more importantly we added some young blood that can come in and look like they have the skill set to be able to play and contribute down the road," said Gilbride.

New York Giants' "There is no question, we needed an infusion of talent at that spot – young talent that would be able to come in and eventually assume starting roles. How soon that will be remains to be seen."

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