Daniel Faalele is a Giant: What are his strengths, weaknesses?

Daniel Faalele | Getty Images

The New York Giants have signed former Baltimore Ravens right guard Daniel Faalele. The 26-year-old has played over 1,000 snaps at right guard over the last two seasons for John Harbaugh. Unique, at 6-foot-8, 380 pounds, Faalele is a hulking interior offensive lineman who possesses an immovable anchor and excellent strength at the point of attack, but is limited by his athletic ability and high center of gravity.

Faalele surrendered 30 pressures and four sacks last season and has allowed 83 pressures and 12 sacks over his 1,377 pass blocking reps. He also committed 11 penalties over that two-year period, and can get grabby when defenders attempt to work the half-man relationship. Below are his Pro Football Focus grades and statistics:

Faalele exhausts power rush moves with his size and ability to absorb force. On plays that are within structure, Faalele posted a 93% pass block win rate at right guard over the last two seasons. However, the plays that he does lose in pass protection look rough, and his marginal lateral agility, change of direction, flexibility, and footspeed prevent him from locating rushers that are outside of his orbit.

Overall, Faalele flashes dominance with his power and elite size, but is functionally inconsistent and struggles to be adaptable when forced to move and open up in pass protection. His size suggests that he’s an elite run blocker, but he’s underwhelming for his size, albeit functional. He often gets caught leaning and struggles to bring his feet together, leading to balance concerns.

Nevertheless, he’s been durable, and he certainly fits the power element that the Giants are trying to instill under Harbaugh, Greg Roman, and Matt Nagy. It’s no guarantee that Faalele starts; the Giants retained Evan Neal, Josh Ezeudu, and Aaron Stinnie, who are all currently competing for the right guard spot; Jake Kubas is still on the roster, and the team signed Lucas Patrick. The position is far from solved, but the Giants — at least — gave themselves several options to rely on if they fail to add a guard in the draft. Enjoy the video below!