The Good, Great and Ugly of Giants OL Marcus Mbow's Rookie Season

When the New York Giants were able to grab Purdue offensive lineman Marcus Mbow in the fifth round of last year’s draft, it was universally praised as a great pick.

He immediately showed during training camp why it was so good because of his ability to not only play guard, but also play tackle on both the right and left sides. This made him an extremely valuable utility offensive lineman.

Mbow got some meaningful game reps early in the season when he had to replace James Hudson, filling in for Andrew Thomas at left tackle, after Hudson’s infamous meltdown lowlighted by his committing multiple penalties on one drive.

While Mbow did a decent job, you could see he was still a rookie who was feeling his way around.

Fast forward to the final game of the season, where Mbow started against that same Cowboys team, and you could see significant improvement.

It was in that game that we evaluated what Mbow does well and what still needs refining. So let's look at the good, the great, and the ugly of Mbow's rookie season.

The Good: Absorbing Power Moves

The Good of #NYGiants rookie OL Marcus Mbow is his ability to handle the bull rush. pic.twitter.com/2mNTnCW8Br
— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) February 16, 2026

One of the most difficult pass-rush moves for offensive tackles is the bull rush. It is particularly challenging because edge rushers will use their speed to get offensive linemen to retreat, only to then strike them in the chest and turn that speed into power.

Mbow does a great job of absorbing that contact and limiting the ability for the rusher to push him into the quarterback.

While this does not mean there are never tight quarters for the quarterback, the tackle's job in these situations is to keep their body between the pass rusher and the quarterback, and Mbow does that very well.

In this game against the Cowboys, there were several occasions where edge rushers took a full-speed run at Mbow and tried to knock him back into the quarterback. Mbow was able to hold up decently.

The Great: Fluid Feet in Pass Pro

The Great of #NYGiants rookie OL Marcus Mbow is his calm feet. pic.twitter.com/6Z0jyKDEvE
— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) February 16, 2026

Pass protection is all about control. The person who controls and dictates the movement is normally the person who wins the rep. Fluid feet tend to be quiet feet. The more fluid an offensive lineman is in his movement, the more it allows him to stay on balance and keep his body under control.

This is the best part of Mbow's game in pass protection because it allows him to change direction quickly, adjust to stunts and line games, and cut off speed rushes from wide-nine techniques and blitzing second-level defenders.

Fluidity in his lower half is what gives him such great balance. It also allows him to vertically set and adjust outward to wide defenders without turning his shoulder or giving up the angle to the quarterback. Additionally, it enables him to step inside rushes as secondary moves.

The Ugly: Attachment in Run Blocking

The Ugly of #NYGiants rookie OL is his inconsistency in his run blocking. pic.twitter.com/bMbXa9lcUt
— Coach Gene Clemons (@geneclemons) February 16, 2026

The interesting part about this is how much people talk about his level of violence and the nasty streak he seems to have. But in the run game, it is important not only to strike a defender but also to latch on to him so he can't get off and make a play.

The inability to stay connected on a block will make running backs distrust your block, potentially leading to backfield moves that hurt the team's overall success.

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This is an area of growth for Mbow as he goes into the offseason and prepares for his second year. He will have to get better at running his feet so that defenders can't control him or avoid him before he can make contact.

In several instances in run blocking against the Cowboys, you see him make decent initial contact but not really run his feet and road-grade the defender out of there as Andrew Thomas would. You also see him, when trying to get to the second level, not able to reach a defender to block.

Coach's Corner

As simple as it may seem, Mbow should spend the majority of his offseason working on his strength and his core explosion. That will allow him to better control defenders in his run blocking. The aggression is already there, but a little old school, bigger, faster, stronger never hurts as well.

It then becomes muscle memory for him, which means getting back to the basics on the sled and just working on striking and running his feet, play after play.

There is no magic elixir that makes this better. There is no coaching point or teaching tip he can implement immediately. It is not even necessarily a mindset that he is looking to improve; it is just the consistency of the movement.