Is Shane Lemieux a viable 2020 center candidate for the Giants?

Can he be the answer at the much-fretted about center position?

That’s all New York Giants fans seem to want to know when it comes to the team’s fifth-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, Shane Lemieux.

Let’s take a closer look at Lemieux as we continue profiling the 90-man roster the Giants will bring to training camp.

The basics

Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 310
Age: 23
Position: OL
Experience: Rookie
Contract: Unsigned

How he got here

Lemieux started at left guard for the Oregon Ducks for four seasons, 52 games in all. In 2019 he was a team captain, second-team All-American, and second-team Pac 12. Lemieux missed one snap throughout his college career, aside from lopsided games where backups were inserted across the board.

With most of the viable center prospects off the board already, the Giants selected Lemieux 150th overall hoping to cross train him as a backup for Will Hernandez and Kevin Zeitler at guard as well as a player who could become an option at center.

GM Dave Gettleman called Lemieux “a tough kid who plays mad.” Coach Joe Judge said “he plays with nasty.”

2020 outlook

The big question, of course, is can he play center? The Giants believe he can, and Lemieux said in a post-draft video conference that it is something he has been working on.

“I think I’m an offensive lineman, that’s what I’m coming in as,” Lemieux said. “That’s what I have been playing, I’m a football player. I’m a football player that plays offensive line.”

The other question is, in a year where there was no on-field program and what training camp will look like is anyone’s guess right now, whether there will be adequate snaps to find out if Lemieux is a viable 2020 option at center. That may end up being a long-term transition that doesn’t happen this season, if it happens at all.

At the very least, the Giants are hoping that Lemieux can provide them with quality guard depth should they need it.