Giants Sign 6'9" 'Human Mountain' Dodji Dahoue: Why the Raw EMU Tackle is the Perfect Project

Standing 6-foot-9 and weighing 310 pounds, UDFA Dodji Dahoue didn't play football until 2021. Here is why the Giants are betting on his rare physical traits.

Dec 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants helmets on the field before the game between the Giants and the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The abundance of offensive linemen that have been added to the New York Giants roster through free agency, the draft, and the undrafted free agent pool makes it really difficult for any young offensive lineman to make the roster.

Competition will be higher than ever before, but, like all good teams, there is still room to add pieces for development later. Eastern Michigan's 6-foot-9 offensive tackle, Dodji Dahoue, is a perfect candidate to be cultivated on the practice squad.

Let's examine a few of the reasons why.

The physical prototype

Dahoue is 6-foot-9 and 310 pounds, and that's where it starts. Those types of measurables for an offensive tackle put him in the 1% of the 1% playing the position.

When you're starting from there, it makes a big difference in what your upside could be if you figure it out. When you get to the professional ranks, teams often identify athletes with rare physical dimensions as projects with traits.

They want to invest more time to see if they can bring out the best in that prospect. While you can't put someone like that on your active roster, especially when you are so deep at the offensive line, it's a perfect place to work with and try to pull the best out of them on the practice squad.

A fast learner

In 2021, Dahoue entered college at Santa Rosa Junior College, having never played football. While walking around campus, he was often mistaken for a basketball player.

n 2021, he joined the football team as a tight end, and that is where he learned the basics of the game. In 2022, he was selected as the SRJC Freshman of the Year, and in 2023, he became a team captain and an All-NorCal conference team selection.

He received a scholarship from Eastern Michigan in 2024. After appearing in six games as a reserve, he became a starter in 2025, playing five games before suffering a season-ending injury.

To go from never playing football to a Division I starter in four seasons is a quick ascent.  Dahoue is only 21 years old. It is amazing he's shown this much growth in such a short amount of time.

But now, in the NFL, he could be a three-year project and, at 24, become a fixture on the team for the next 10-plus years.

He has time and is seemingly willing to learn, with only a few bad habits already acquired. This type of raw piece of clay is something most position coaches would kill to get their hands on.

A low-risk, high-reward prospect

Sometimes teams are forced to keep players they have paid a significant amount of money for on the practice squad in hopes of getting them onto the main roster later. Those players who eat up more space but don't provide any value on Sundays can be hard to stomach.

However, Dahyu is a cheap developmental piece. Signed as an undrafted free agent with no guaranteed money in his deal, the team can pay him the league minimum and allow him to sit back and learn on the practice squad until he is ready to compete for a position in the two-deep.

If he never works out, it's no harm, no foul for the organization, since they've invested only minimal resources in him. But if he does pan out, you have an extremely affordable, talented, prototypical piece to add to your roster. That is extremely attractive for any organization.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news, and send your mailbag questions to us.