Oregon guard Shane Lemieux was selected with the No. 150 overall pick by the New York Giants, landing him in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday morning. 

Much like his counterpart in linebacker Troy Dye, Lemieux waited longer than expected to hear his name called. But just as in Dye’s case, he finds himself in an excellent position — on a team that fits his style and gives him a chance to compete for a role early in his career. The Giants’ No. 1 positional need entering the draft was offensive line. They nabbed Georgia tackle Andrew Thomas with the No. 4 overall pick and circled back to grab a second tackle in UConn’s Matthew Peart in the fourth round. 

Lemieux was an iron man at Oregon. He started 52 consecutive games at left guard, playing 3,611 snaps over his career. He was selected to All-American teams in both 2018 and 2019. The four-year starter comprised an impressive line in 2019, joining fellow four-year starters in Calvin Throckmorton and Jake Hanson alongside Penei Sewell, Brady Aiello and Dallas Warmack.

“Barrel-chested grinder with the toughness and power to play brute ball in the trenches,” reads Lemieux’s NFL.com Draft profile. “Lemieux is well-known for his toughness and intelligence. He’s an experienced, well-schooled guard. He’s athletic enough to perform in a variety of run schemes, but does his best work with combo blocks and double teams. Against NFL interior athletes, he will find it tougher to keep blocks centered and sustained. He should be OK as a run blocker early on, but his issues in pass protection might not be quickly fixed and could push him into the ‘good backup, eventual starter’ category.”

Lemieux projects as a guard or center at the pro level.