Once promising Giants draft pick now in real danger of missing the roster

Not all draft picks work out in the NFL. It’s an unfortunate part of the business. Each team gets seven—one per round—which is what makes them so valuable. The early picks (Days 1 and 2) are the premium ones, which makes it a much tougher pill to swallow when a team misses on one. But it happens... all the time.

The New York Giants found that out the hard way in 2022, when they used a third-round pick on Joshua Ezeudu out of North Carolina. The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder was supposed to be an athletic, versatile lineman who could help shore up the interior, but three years later, things just haven't panned out.

That brings us to where things stand now. Every team starts the summer with a 90-man roster, which means tough decisions are coming when it’s time to cut down to 53. It’s roster projection season, and while most cuts come from the back end, former high picks aren’t guaranteed a thing, especially if they’ve struggled to find their footing. And bad news for Ezeudu: He's on the list.

Josh Ezeudu might have already played his last snap in East Rutherford

It shouldn't be all that shocking to think Ezeudu's on borrowed time in New York. The G-Men have done nothing to show they have faith in the 25-year-old.

This offseason, Joe Schoen addressed the offensive line by bringing in swing tackles Stone Forsythe and James Hudson III, re-signing Greg Van Roten, and drafting Marcus Mbow. Those moves came after last offseason, when Schoen upgraded the line by adding Jermaine Eluemunor, Jon Runyan Jr., Aaron Stinnie, and Austin Schlottmann for 2025. With 2024 UDFA Jake Kubas on the rise, the depth chart is getting crowded fast.

Aside from a crowded depth chart, a few other things are working against Ezeudu. One: his lack of consistency and production across his first three professional seasons. Coming out of UNC, he was viewed as a project, but fast-forward to now, and he's still a project. That doesn't bode well for him. Two: he's in the final year of his rookie contract, and Big Blue could save $1.5 million by cutting him. If they aren't planning on re-signing him anyway, this feels like a pretty logical step.

Unless Ezeudu puts together the best camp of his life, it’s hard to see how he survives the cut. At this point, the Giants have no time to waste on players who won't contribute to winning football. It's as simple as that.

Their offensive line play has just been too inconsistent in recent years to justify keeping a player who's not consistent. If Ezeudu hasn’t figured it out by now, there’s little reason to believe he will.