GIANTS NET UTEP’S HERNANDEZ IN DRAFT:
Pick UTEP’s Hernandez in Rd. 2
The Giants drafted Saquon Barkley No. 2 overall to take pressure off Eli Manning on Thursday. And on Friday, they selected UTEP offensive guard Will Hernandez with the second pick of round two (34th overall) to protect their veteran QB and block for their dynamic new running back.
“I’m beyond excited,” Hernandez said on a conference call. “The fact that I get to work with guys like (Barkley) — wow.”
Hernandez, 22, a four-year starter at left guard for the Miners, is a 6-foot-2, 327 pound “power broker,” in the words of Giants GM Dave Gettleman, who said the Giants “had a solid first-round grade on Willy.”
Hernandez indeed was projected by many to be taken in the early 20s, but five quarterbacks and three running backs going in the first round helped push him into the early second. And the Giants may have struck gold on what Gettleman calls a true “hog molly” — translation: a bruising big man who dominates the line of scrimmage.
“Will Hernandez is one of my favorite players in this draft,” longtime Dallas Cowboys personnel executive Gil Brandt tweeted. “Unbelievable value at this point. Will be @saquon and Eli’s best friend. Plug him in for the next decade.”
Hernandez was considered the second-best guard prospect in this draft behind Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson (sixth to the Colts) and true to form was the second off the board. Cleveland took Nevada guard Austin Corbett at 33rd to open Friday’s action, but Corbett played mostly tackle in college.
Hernandez started all 49 games in his four years for the University of Texas-El Paso at left guard, was a second-team AP All-American in both 2016 and 2017, and led all offensive lineman at the NFL Combine with 37 reps of the 225-pound bench press. His combine and pro day performances improved his draft stock even more.
Gettleman said Hernandez will audition at both the left and right guard spots but added that free agent signing Patrick Omameh, most recently a left guard for the Jaguars, played right guard also early in his career.
Hernandez is the third major addition to the Giants’ offensive line this off-season, following the signings of Patriots left tackle Nate Solder and Omameh from Jacksonville. Head coach Pat Shurmur said the Giants’ process in this draft is “eerily similar” to what the Minnesota Vikings did last year to beef up their front for a run to the NFC Championship Game, taking Florida State’s Dalvin Cook with their first pick, Ohio State center Pat Elflein with their second pick, and signing two free agents in tackles Riley Reiff of the Lions and Mike Remmers of the Panthers.
“Whether you coach offense, you coach defense, it doesn’t matter what position you coach – if you can’t block them, nothing works,” Shurmur said. “So we’ve made obviously an effort here to improve ourselves up front, so all those guys that do the fancy stuff can do their thing.”
Hernandez comes off as humble and grounded, clearly due in part to his upbringing in Las Vegas, where for two years at one point Hernandez’s family was forced to live in a glorified storage shed after losing their home due to financial problems.
Hernandez demonstrated in a recent NFL.com episode of “Destination Dallas” that the ceilings in the shed were only about 5-foot-8 high, and there was one spot where the ceiling went higher where Hernandez could stand up straight if he wanted to stretch out.
“Boy, if you look at my life then and now, it’s completely night and day,” Hernandez said Friday night. “I did go through a lot. A lot of it I can’t complain too much about it because it shaped me into the player and the person I am today. And honestly I think if I wouldn’t have gone through all that, I don’t know if I would be here. I’m telling you, it changed me. It changed my mindset, it changed my mentality. It completely made me the player I am. I took all of that and took it out on the field. I don’t wish it on anybody, but I’m thankful it happened.”
Hernandez, who played soccer as a kid — his dad played professionally in Mexico — took up football at 13 years old. In his sophomore year, adversity hit and Hernandez actually left school to work for his dad’s construction company. But two coaches at his high school convinced him to come back and play football and straighten out his grades.
That laid a foundation for Hernandez to fulfill an NFL dream and join the Giants, who hosted him on an “amazing” official pre-draft visit in which the offensive lineman said he was blown away even to see Manning in person.
“I saw him from afar, didn’t get to meet him personally, but it was crazy to see him in person,” Hernandez said. “He’s an awesome player. Obviously I know so much about him, I see him all the time and it was just crazy that I was in the same room with him.”
Asked how crazy it is that now he’s charged with protecting Manning, Hernandez added: “Of course. It’s so much responsibility. I’m ready to go, though. I got him. I got him 100 percent.”