Marcus Mbow Draws Positive Reviews from Coaching Staff Following Extended Action

Mbow held his own in his first extensive starting action last week.

New York Giants OL Marcus Mbow | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

New York Giants rookie fifth-round draft pick Marcus Mbow has a golden opportunity before him to put together tape showing he’s ready for full-time duty next year on the offensive line.

According to offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, Mbow, who last week stepped in to start at left tackle, is doing just that.  

“Marcus did some good things,” Kelly said Thursday. “There are times when he passed-protected well, was solid in the run game. 

“I think, as always, when you watch the tape, you're going to have one or two plays that you're going to want to have back. Whether it's technical, finish, or whatever. But for the most part, I thought he did a good job.” 

The biggest issue with Mbow right now is his strength. All too often against the Raiders, he was put on rollerskates, though he battled to hold his ground. But with a pending offseason in which he’ll spend time in the weight room, that’s something that Kelly believes can help the former Purdue star.

“I think for a lot of these guys, particularly in that position, but really from any position, the jump from year one to year two physically is huge,” Kelly said. 

“There are more opportunities. They're now in a position to go and train year-round, if you want to call it that. Not worrying about running a 40, not worrying about some of these things that you're never going to do again once you leave Indy. 

“So now you're preparing your body for those extra months to go and play football. So, for all these rookies that are going into year two next year, I think they all have a tremendous opportunity to go and get bigger, stronger, and get themselves ready to go play a full NFL season.” 

Acclimation overload

The other factor that Kelly thinks will help Mbow is that, by the time this season is over, he will hopefully have adapted to the longer season than he was previously accustomed to in college.

“The season's long for these guys coming and playing many games, however,” Kelly said. “It's a big difference coming here and having to go from, call it the middle of July, until hopefully February. 

“So being able to mentally understand what you need to do to get your body ready to do that is just as important as the physical part of it. So, there's definitely room for growth there in terms of his ability to go and get bigger and stronger, but I would say that's the case for the majority of these rookies.”

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