New York Giants: Identifying the Perfect Draft Replacement for Chris Snee

Later this month, the New York Giants will replenish their roster with a new rookie class.

New York's main focus on draft day should be to find replacements for the players lost on the open market this offseason. However, there is one hole from last year that was never fully filled—the one created by Chris Snee's retirement.

Snee, 32 years old at the time, didn't announce his retirement until late July. This meant the Giants didn't have a chance to replace him in free agency or the draft last offseason.

John Jerry, who signed a one-year deal worth $770,000 to join the Giants last year, ended up starting all 16 games in place of the former All-Pro at right guard during the 2014 season.

The loss of Snee has hurt New York the most in the running game. In 2008, Snee's heyday, the Giants fielded two separate 1,000-yard rushers in Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward. By 2012, the last year Snee was selected for the Pro Bowl, the Giants still averaged a healthy 4.6 yards per carry (seventh in the NFL that year).

Year	Starts	Rush Rank (YPC)	Pro Bowl	Notes
2008	16	1st (5.0)	Yes	All-Pro
2009	16	20th (4.1)	Yes	--
2010	16	7th (4.6)	Yes	--
2011	15	32nd (3.5)	No	Super Bowl Champ
2012	16	7th (4.6)	Yes	--

However, Snee lost all but three games of his 2013 season to injury, and New York's ground game suffered as a result. The Giants ranked 30th in the league that year, averaging only 3.5 yards per carry. With Jerry in the 2014 lineup, the team's average improved slightly (3.6) but still ranked 30th.

Jerry was re-signed this offseason to a two-year, $3.3 million contract, according to Rotoworld, but he can't be the Giants' primary option at right guard, given the way he blocked last year. New York needs a real road-grader in the running game, someone who can finally fill the void Snee left behind.

That player is the Iowa Hawkeyes' Brandon Scherff.

Scherff is widely viewed as the best offensive lineman in this year's draft class. Less than a year ago, Bleacher Report draft expert Matt Miller wrote about him potentially becoming the top prospect in the 2015 class. More recently, B/R's Justis Mosqueda wrote about Sherff, saying he has "all the tools to be the highest drafted guard in nearly 30 years."

That should be enough to grab the attention of the run-weary Giants.

It's unusual for a guard to warrant a top-10 pick, but Scherff is so highly regarded because he was a dominant left tackle in college. He won the 2014 Outland Trophy, awarded to college football's best interior lineman, and was a unanimous All-American as a senior.

Although he is athletic enough to hold his own on the edge, Scherff's size has led to him being projected as a guard in the pros. At 6'5", Scherff's height is in the 15th percentile for NFL tackles, and his 33 ⅜-inch arms are in the 19th percentile, according to Mock Draftable. Compare those measurements to NFL guards, and suddenly, Scherff is in the 63rd percentile for height and 42nd percentile for arm length.

A switch to guard in the NFL would not be a slight against Scherff's ability or potential impact. The Giants should know this from facing the Dallas Cowboys twice last year.

A year ago, the Cowboys drafted the Notre Dame Fighting Irish's Zack Martin 16th overall, four picks after New York selected wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Martin, who played left tackle for the Fighting Irish, started at right guard for all 16 games last year and became an All-Pro as a rookie.

Meanwhile, Dallas posted the league's second-highest rushing yardage total (2,354) as featured back DeMarco Murray took home the individual title for his 1,845 yards on the ground.

Scherff has drawn comparisons to Martin from B/R's Miller, as seen in the video above. Yet, Miller believes Scherff has a higher upside than Martin due to his O-tackle flexibility.

The Giants should consider drafting Scherff with the ninth overall pick later this month. Like Martin did in 2014, he can step in and play right guard with All-Pro potential as a rookie. The former Hawkeye will be a more suitable Snee than Jerry ever dreamed of being.

And the options don't end there.

Giants general manager Jerry Reese said right tackle Justin Pugh could move inside to guard, depending on what the team does this offseason, per Nick Powell of NJ Advance Media. The team hasn't landed anyone in free agency who could supplant Pugh, but Scherff could certainly bump him over one spot.

Then, if the Giants truly believe in Scherff's ability to play tackle, maybe he could take over for Will Beatty as the team's franchise left tackle in a few years.

In the meantime, New York will settle for a new Snee.

Kevin Boilard writes about the New York Giants at Bleacher Report.