National Football League

Chris Snee offers insight on offensive line draft prospects

Published Apr. 27, 2015 10:08 a.m. ET

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Former Giants offensive lineman Chris Snee chose the hang up the cleats and retire as a Giant last July, but that doesn't mean he can't help his former team with the decisions they make on the field. Snee has been volunteering to help New York Giants offensive line coach Pat Flaherty break down and evaluate game tape of the different offensive linemen in the upcoming drafts.

What makes Snee qualified to help now? During his playing days, he was a game tape junkie.

"I felt it always gave me an edge on Sunday that I could break down a defensive lineman and have a strategy and a game plan," Snee told Newsday this past week. "Honestly, I missed that part of it as much as the game days. The game days a little bit more, but the preparation part and just locking myself in a room and watching film, I really missed it."

Snee has since evaluated three of the upcoming draft's top offensive line prospects after admitting that he needs at least a day in the film room to get a true sense of each player.

University of Miami offensive tackle Ereck Flowers has been most popularly linked to the Giants during the pre-draft process. Although most of the information flowing about the draft right now is truly misinformation designed to confuse other teams, Flowers has the size and athletic upside that most teams covet at the offensive tackle position.

On Flowers, Snee said that he "has a little edge to him" but "he'd be a work in progress."

"He's young and you can see there is a lot of technique work that has to be done," Snee said of the 21-year-old junior Flowers. "It's tough when you pick ninth overall because you want the guy to come in and be an impact player so you can't really afford a project."

Stanford offensive tackle prospect Andrus Peat also has the prototypical body type, one or two of his game tapes highlight his defieciens in pass protection. Although these games have been the talking point among most pre-draft analysis on Peat, Snee chose to focus on his impact in the running game.

Snee liked Peat's game overall and when asked to describe him, he simply said, "I think he finishes."

There was one prospect, however, whose game reminded him most of what the Giants were looking for in an offensive lineman during his tenure with the team.

Snee said he liked the toughness and nastiness of Iowa's Brandon Scherff. "He's got that in him," Snee said of the fire he and the Giants like to see from their linemen. 

Many believe that Scherff is the best overall offensive lineman prospect in the draft, but some analysts see him as a long-term solution at offensive guard instead of tackle due to his short reach.

Snee will continue to work with the Giants as the draft nears, and his insight could have an impact on the team's draft plans along the offensive line.

(h/t Newsday)

Photo Credit: Tim Farrell/USA Today

For more on the Giants and the entire NFC East, you can find Dan on Twitter @DanSchneierNFL or Google +.

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