Should the Giants pursue Orlando Brown Jr.?

Orlando Brown Jr. isn’t happy in Baltimore. He’s the starting right tackle but he wants to play left tackle, the position occupied by Ronnie Stanley. Stanley was an All-Pro in 2019.

Brown is the son of the late Orlando Brown, the former left tackle who split 12 years between the Ravens and the Browns.

There’s no doubt that the addition of Orlando Brown Jr. would make the New York Giants a better team, having come off his second consecutive Pro Bowl in 2020.

But that’s almost certainly not going to happen.

The Ravens made their decision last year

Make no mistake about it: the Ravens probably knew of Brown’s long-held dreams of playing left tackle to honor his father. Brown Sr. told a young Brown Jr. that the best tackles don’t play on the right side.

“Growing up in my household, if you were going to play O-line, my dad didn’t want you being on the right side,” Brown told The Baltimore Sun in November.

Yet last offseason, the Ravens signed Stanley to a five-year extension worth $98.7 million. They view him as Lamar Jackson’s blindside protector of the future.

Brown is on the move and the Ravens will most likely attempt to replace him via the draft. It’s not an ideal scenario for Ravens GM Eric DeCosta, but he’ll be well-equipped with a king’s ransom in return for Brown Jr.

Gettleman loves his O-lines

We know how Giants general manager Dave Gettleman likes to construct his roster. He likes rough and tough dudes who dominate the line of scrimmage. Central to that philosophy is a great offensive line.

Before New York, Gettleman’s Carolina Panthers made the playoffs three times, including the Super Bowl, over his five years in Charlotte.

Carolina had a quality offensive line with Jordan Gross and Ryan Kalil making the Pro Bowl in Gettleman’s first season.

But Gettleman made it even better.

He drafted five-time Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner in 2014 and serviceable right tackle Daryl Williams in 2015, a one-time second team All-Pro. Carolina fired Gettleman less than three months after he took up-and-coming tackle Taylor Moton in the second round in 2017. Moton earned an 80.1 grade in 2020 from Pro Football Focus.

Gettleman loves the o-line. He loves making it better, and Giants fans are well aware of what a great offensive line can do for a playoff team.

The GM could feasibly pursue Brown Jr. and move Thomas to the right side, since he played both tackle positions at Georgia.

Why the Giants won’t trade for Brown Jr.

It likely doesn’t make sense for the Giants to pursue Brown Jr., who will undoubtedly come with a steep price tag. Think first-rounders.

The Giants already invested in their left tackle of the future when they took Georgia’s Andrew Thomas with the fourth pick in the 2020 draft. While Thomas struggled down the line, he finished the year strong enough for PFF to name him a breakout candidate in 2021.

Gettleman then got crafty and then took UConn tackle Matt Peart in the third round. We can assume the Giants would love to see Peart as their right tackle of the future, should his development pan out.

The Draft Network made it clear that the Ravens are only going to move on from Brown in return for “big capital.”

“Brown is everything and a bag of chips,” wrote analyst Benjamin Solak. “He’s young, talented and cheap for 2021. He’s a three-year starter with high-quality play already under his belt, especially in the running game. Players like this don’t just become available.”

Solak says he’d be surprised if a first-round pick isn’t the starting point, along with additional draft compensation.

“In that [Jason] Peters and [Laremy] Tunsil each required at least one first-round pick in a trade, I think Brown will clear that bar comfortably.”

That’s a problem

The Giants just don’t possess a lot of draft capital with six picks in the 2021 draft. They’ve got their picks from the first to fourth rounds along with two sixth-rounders.

On top of that, the team has some serious offensive needs. Retaining that first-round pick will help those deficits. The clear expectation is that the Giants will attempt to help quarterback Daniel Jones by selecting a pass-catcher with the 11th pick.

Ed Valentine noted that most predictors have the Giants taking Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. ESPN’s Todd McShay has them taking Florida tight end Kyle Pitts, who caught 12 touchdowns in 2020.

If it’s not offense, the Giants have other needs.

Big Blue View’s Nick Falato has New York taking Georgia edge rusher Azeez Ojulari in the first round and Stanford cornerback Paulson Adebo in the second. Falato projects the Giants to take Oklahoma State wide receiver Tylan Wallace in the third round.

Any way you put it, the Giants would be left with little draft capital by giving up their first-rounder for Brown Jr. And in 2021, Gettleman needs to fill up his grocery cart at the draft.

What’s your opinion, Giants fans?