There’s little doubt Zack Martin fits the profile of a player the Giants would take in the first round of the NFL Draft.
There’s also little doubt Martin plays a position the Giants need to upgrade and, according to scouts, he can find a home at multiple spots along the offensive line. The Giants own the 12th overall pick on May 8 when the draft gets under way, and there was a strong feeling that if they want Martin, he would be there waiting for them.
Not so fast, says ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay, who contends Martin is “absolutely worth at the very least a top-15 pick’’ and predicts Martin will not last beyond No. 12.
McShay, speaking Wednesday on a conference call, described Martin as a “classic plug-and-play guy,’’ meaning he should be able to start from Day One. Greg Robinson, Jake Matthews and Taylor Lewan are ranked higher than Martin as tackle prospects.
At Notre Dame, Martin started 50 of his 52 games at offensive tackle, yet he is viewed by many as the top guard prospect in the draft. If the Giants take him at No. 12, it is because they believe he can be a tackle, despite a lack of great height (6-foot-4) or reach. The Giants last year made Justin Pugh from Syracuse their first-round pick, and as a rookie he started every game at right tackle despite not having the desired arm length for a tackle.
“One of the big questions is he’s got 32 7/8-inch arms, so kind of the Mendoza line with tackles,’’ McShay said. “Like to have 33 or more, or really 34 or more, for obvious reasons. It’s just harder to get around the guy. So it’s a little bit of a concern, but I still think he can be a good starting tackle in the league.”
The Giants prefer their offensive linemen to possess the ability to be versatile along the line, and the feeling is Martin can make a go of it in the NFL at all five spots. If the Giants share that view, Martin becomes an even more desirable player. The Giants have concerns at left tackle (where Will Beatty is coming off a broken right leg and a dreadful 2013 season), right guard (where veteran Chris Snee is coming off elbow and hip surgeries) and perhaps center, where they signed free agent J.D. Walton, a former starter with the Broncos who has not taken a snap in an NFL game in two years.
McShay also sees the 12th overall pick as possibly being a coveted spot, because if quarterback Johnny Manziel is not taken at No. 4 by the Browns, he could slip all the way down to the Rams at No. 13. That means any team that wants to swoop in and get Manziel might be inclined to trade up to get ahead of the Rams, which would put the Giants in play for a possible trade down for additional picks.