In the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, the Giants selected Indiana OT James Brewer. Brewer is not expected to play right away but has all the necessary skills to make an impact once he gets his head in the Giants offensive system.
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College Career:Brewer has imposing size and impressive talent, but*because of injuries, he *played the entire season's schedule only once in five seasons at Indiana, as a junior in 2009. He was limited to 29 games during his Indiana career, but he started 21 games at right tackle in his final two seasons. A foot injury wiped out what would have been his first varsity season in 2007. The following year, Brewer saw action as a reserve right offensive tackle in the team's first eight games before sitting out the Hoosiers' final four contests with a severely sprained ankle. In 2009, Brewer started all 12 games at right tackle, teaming with All-America left tackle Rodger Saffold to lead an offensive line that allowed only 16 sacks. Last season, he started nine games at right tackle and missed three more with an ankle sprain. Brewer led the team with a career-high 87 knockdowns, was named All-Big Ten honorable mention and received the Don Howell "Outstanding Offensive Lineman" Award, given to the team's top blocker.
Strengths:Brewer is an outstanding athlete for his size. He has long arms and quick feet. At the scouting combine, Brewer benched pressed 225 pounds 25 times, but the Giants believe he can add 10-15 pounds and get stronger.
How He Fits In:As a student of the game. Brewer won't be expected to play on the line immediately. Like Mitch Petrus, the team's fifth-round draft choice in 2010, Brewer will spend his rookie season getting acclimated to the NFL and the Giants and learning how to play in the league from the team's veteran linemen. At this point, Will Beatty and Brewer are the Giants' tackles of the future. Brewer's middle name is Da'One, but it will likely be a while before he is the one on the offensive line for the Giants.
Personal:Brewer attended Arlington High School in Indianapolis, as a senior, when, in 2005, he started at offensive guard and was named to the Class 5A All-State team and received All-Star football honors from the Indianapolis Star…Competed for the football team as a freshman at Warren Central High School…Gave up the sport to concentrate on basketball while attending Lawrence Central High during his sophomore and junior campaigns. He was a general studies major.
The Quote:"This guy is going to get so much better with the pro techniques and with this being his fulltime job. We see him coming in and developing. Not a lot of pressure to come in and play right away, but we always expect our guys to come in and be ready to play in case there are some injuries. He's a smart kid, we think he can come in and do that. We would like for him to get a little stronger and learn better technique. We think his improvement is the upside for this guy." – General Manager Jerry Reese
