EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — For months before Thursday’s first day of the N.F.L. draft, the Giants were expected to take an offensive lineman to bolster one of the weakest parts of the team.
But when the top-rated college offensive lineman, Iowa’s Brandon Scherff, was taken four picks before the Giants selected, the Giants’ brain trust must have done some soul searching.
The team stuck with its plan and instead took Miami offensive tackle Ereck Flowers, a 6-foot-6 330-pounder. Flowers could play right guard or right tackle, and he is viewed as a potential starring left tackle in the future.