Giants Mission: Building the Great Wall of East Rutherford for Jaxson Dart

John Harbaugh has made it very clear: Jaxson Dart's future was one of the primary forces that drew him to the New York Giants.

Key Takeaways:

Protecting the Franchise: Head coach John Harbaugh and GM Joe Schoen are prioritizing the offensive line to ensure second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart has what he needs to succeed.
Ongoing O-Line Competition: While Jermaine Eluemunor was re-signed at right tackle, the team is fostering a wide-open competition at right guard.
Draft Strategy: Draft expert Charlie Campbell of Walter Football projects the Giants going offensive line in the first round and has a specific pick in mind.

So it should not surprise anyone that the team's new head coach has been working with general manager Joe Schoen to ensure their young franchise quarterback has what it takes to succeed.

The front office wasted little time adding weapons in the passing game during free agency. Tight end Isaiah Likely (Baltimore) and speedy wide receivers Darnell Mooney (Atlanta) and Calvin Austin (Pittsburgh) have track records of making big plays to move the ball downfield.

However, nothing was more important than the team's re-signing of starting right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, who had always professed he wanted to stay but was due for a hefty raise after his most productive season.

Once Schoen secured left tackle Andrew Thomas's counterpart, he began working on setting up a competition at right guard.

Starter Greg Van Roten had become a free agent after last season and currently remains unsigned, which prompted the retention of Evan Neal, Joshua Ezeudu, and Aaron Stinnie to become the lead contenders for the vacancy.

But is there enough in this group to allow the front office to feel comfortable? Schoen admitted this week that he's remained in contact with the agents of some of the remaining veteran free agent offensive linemen - and defensive linemen - left on the board.

Harbaugh didn't shy away from the topic, either.

"I think the offensive line is like our team: It's a work in progress," he said. "The whole team is a work in progress still. We don't play until September. We have a lot of work to do."

At the same time, Harbaugh also offered an optimistic outlook for Neal and Ezeudu.

"I'm excited about those two guys," he said. "You watch them really from the beginning. I mean, I remember back as far as the draft process, those two players were guys that we felt really good about in Baltimore. We had them highly graded. They haven't broken through yet, but why can't they?"

Highly respected NFL Draft guru Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball wasn't taking any chances in his latest mock draft, sending Utah tackle Spencer Fano to the Giants with the fifth overall pick after giving strong consideration to wide receiver Carnell Tate, safety Caleb Downs, and linebacker Sonny Styles.

Campbell already had running back Jeremiyah Love and tackle Francis Mauigoa off the board in the first four selections.

Utah Utes offensive lineman Spencer Fano offers position flexibility on the Giants o-line if he's selected. — Utah Utes offensive lineman Spencer Fano offers position flexibility on the offensive line that could be hard for the NY Giants to pass on in the first round. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

"Put him [Fano] in at guard and really just continue to build up that talent," Campbell told Big Blue Breakdown Live! "If they have an issue or injury at tackle, it gives them the flexibility to move Fano to that spot and still have a good blocker there."

"Continuing to build up the offensive line, you can never go wrong with that approach. And improving the blocking in front of a young quarterback can never, can never be a mistake doing that," he explained.

"So sure, I just felt like that pick could help Dart more in Year 2, and they have a lot riding on him, and I think he showed a lot of promise last year, obviously. But you want to keep him healthy. He can't lead you to wins if he's injured and on IR. So, building up the blocking and helping him ... you can't go wrong with that approach."

Campbell, whose mock drafts over the years have drawn high praise for nearly a decade, offered his detailed perspective on what strategy he thinks the Giants will employ and who they'll take through the first five rounds during this week’s Big Blue Breakdown podcast, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

Listeners will also be able to ask questions of host Paul Dottino via chat or video call.

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