Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Draft Prospect Profile | OT Lucas Niang, TCU
TCU offensive tackle Lucas Niang was heavily recruited after high school but committed to TCU after rejecting scholarships from Penn State, Auburn, Miami, and Georgia.
Niang moved into the starting lineup midway through 2017, when he helped the TCU Horned Frogs win their first-ever Big 12 Championship. After that, he’d start all 13 games at right tackle for TCU as a junior in 2018, maintaining a sack-less streak for the entire season, as well as his three-year run and 28 games as a starter.
Niang is a large human being with an impressive combination of length, power, and mobility relative to his size. As a run blocker, he uses his hands well and does a nice job of coordinating his hips and feet to push defenders around effectively.
He’s also a skilled pass blocker, using his wingspan to envelope pass rushers while standing his ground. He can also slide well, mirroring his man to remain in front of him.
On the other side, Niang isn't universally regarded as a "great" athlete due to being occasionally knocked off-center by blitzes and quicker defensive linemen.
Niang might need some technical refinement with his footwork and body control to reach his full potential in the NFL, but there's certainly more than enough skill and ability with which to work in this young prospect.
Why He’s a Fit
The Giants have been attempting to address the offensive line position for years but have come up short in putting together a unit that has had a chance to solidify over multiple seasons in the same way the great line of 2007-2010 did.
This failure to do so again reared its ugly head in 2019 as quarterback Daniel Jones got knocked down far too often, and the running game had to scratch and claw for room.
At TCU, Niang showed the ability to push people around and create space in the running game. He consistently forced defensive linemen to take much longer to get to his quarterback.
He has the size and the physical tools; he needs a year's worth of NFL coaching to take his game to the next level and could be a good depth project for the team.
