Bryan Hudson's Elite Run-Blocking Could Finally Earn Him a Giants Roster Spot

The New York Giants' offensive line has played relatively well over the last two seasons, but with a new coaching staff in place, the line appears to be gravitating toward becoming less of one filled with technicians on the interior and more with powerful people movers who are athletic enough to not only climb to the second level, but also to pull.

Enter Bryan Hudson. The ACC Jacobs Blocking Trophy in his final season who was also was named the first-team All-ACC, Hudson began his NFL journey as an undrafted free agent out of Louisville, signed by the Detroit Lions after the 2024 draft.

The Giants, in having gotten an up-close look at the young center that summer during the joint practices with the Lions, eventually ended up bringing Hudson to East Rutherford following Hudson’s brief stint with the New England Patriots.

Hudson offers versatility as both a center and a guard, and he can even long snap if needed, which is probably among the qualities that appealed to the Giants.

Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t beat out Austin Schlottmann last year for the backup center/guard spot, so Hudson sat on the practice squad for the majority of the 2025 season.

With Schlotttmann having gone to the Titans, Hudson will once again get a chance to compete for a spot as a backup interior offensive lineman, his main competition being 32-year-old Lucas Patrick, who was signed as a free agent this past offseason.

BRYAN HUDSON, IOL

Height: 6-5
Weight: 305 lbs.
Exp.: 2 Years
School: Louisville
How Acquired: FA-’24

2025 in Review

Hudson spent the majority of the 2025 season on the practice squad as developmental depth. He was elevated from the practice squad for the team’s Week 17 game against the Las Vegas Raiders when starter John Michael Schmitz was sidelined by an injury. Hudson saw three snaps at center in that game.

During last year’s preseason, he took snaps at center and at both guard spots, the breakdown being 24 snaps at center (all of which came in the first preseason game), 46 snaps at left guard (the only spot where he had snaps in all three games) and 16 snaps at right guard (first preseason game only).

In three games played, Hudson actually fared well, allowing just three pressures in 62 pass-blocking snaps (99.2 pass-blocking efficiency rating).

Where he really stood out was in run blocking, where, in 24 running game snaps, he recorded a 90.1 PFF grade, which was the best summer grade by any of the Giants’ offensive linemen by a country mile, and the second-best grade league-wide.

Contract/Cap Info

Hudson is in the second and final year of his deal with the Giants. He’ll carry a cap hit of $855,000, all of that his base salary. If he doesn’t make the 53-man roster, the Giants will get that full amount back on their 2026 cap.

2026 Preview

As was the case last summer, Hudson has a more experienced veteran, Lucas Patrick, ahead of him in the backup center/guard role behind Schmitz.

The Giants, at least in the spring, really didn’t rotate Schmitz out of the first-team reps, and with first-rounder Francis Mauigoa pretty much set in stone to be the new starting right guard, Hudson will probably see most of his snaps this summer at left guard.

Hudson’s best chance for a roster spot will be to continue showing his prowess as a run blocker. He is quick off the snap and, more often than not, hits his target with his hands.

He also shows smoothness when climbing to the second level, suggesting a functional level of athleticism. And he can move people out of the way.

These skills and abilities, combined with his comfort working in a phone booth, appear to fit what Harbaugh might be looking for in an interior offensive lineman.

Patrick, remember, missed some time in the spring dealing with what Harbaugh called “old guy stuff.”

If Hudson can have a strong camp and stay away from the trainer’s room, he would be a far cheaper option than Patrick’s $1.262 million cap hit, Hudson bearing more upside at this point in his career.

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