Once the Student, Will Hernandez is Ready to Be the Teacher
It wasn't that long ago that New York Giants left guard Will Hernandez was a young pup who attached himself to the hop of a veteran to learn everything he could about surviving life in an NFL pit.
As Hernandez enters his third NFL season, things have certainly changed. He no longer has that veteran--left tackle Nate Solder--lining up alongside him on the Giants offensive line, as Solder has opted-out of the 2020 season.
Instead, he has a rookie, Andrew Thomas, the team's first-round draft pick chosen fourth overall, in that spot, which now means that instead of being the student, it's up to Hernandez to be the teacher.
"Yeah, you know, it really does seem like yesterday that I was a rookie and you know, I was learning from Nate," Hernandez said during a video conference call with reporters on Monday.
Hernandez wouldn't confirm whether Thomas is lining up alongside him in on-field drills, but he did say that if he is thrust into a role in which he'll have to help bring a rookie along in his development, the lessons he learned from Solder have prepared him well.
"Nate Solder really taught me a lot on the field and off the field," Hernandez said. "He also taught me how to treat a rookie. I felt like I got treated by him with the utmost respect, attention to detail, and him wanting to help me get better.
"It's the same thing, you know, that I would instill in anybody that was brand new coming in and playing next to me--I would take a lot of the same things he did with me and add my own personality to it."
Before Hernandez can worry about helping his teammates, he's had to worry about fixing his deficiencies. Last year, Hernandez didn't quite take the big leap forward many expected of him, his struggles showing up primarily in pass protection.
But Hernandez has never been one to rest on his laurels, and he attacked his off-season training with a critical eye on his own game to correct the issues that held him back.
"I've grown a lot since (last year)," he said. "I have been focusing on this new offense, new techniques--a new attitude for everything. I think that we've gotten a lot better, at least me personally.
"I've been able to look back on a lot of things that I did wrong or I didn't do as best as I could, and I've been able to correct them. And now I'm just focused on the future of what I'm doing now."
Besides potentially having to help Thomas, Hernandez could also end up having to help Nick Gates, his close friend on the team, and a guy with whom he trained in the off-season.
Gates spent last year practicing at center but has never played it in a regular-season NFL game. Still, both general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach, Joe Judge, repeatedly mentioned Gates' name as a possibility at center, even after Solder's opting out likely puts Gates more in the mix at right tackle.
"I've always thought he was a great player," Hernandez said of Gates, his close friend on the team and a guy with whom he trained during the off-season. "I've always thought he was, you know, he has what it takes to play.
"Whether he lines up to me or any of the other spots, I honestly think he's good enough to play anywhere on that offensive line."
Regardless of what the starting lineup looks like, Hernandez said everything starts with the offensive line.
"We know it starts with us, and we're definitely going to do everything it takes to, to get after and make it happen," he said.
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