The New York Giants will need to address the right side of their offensive line over the course of the 2026 off-season. They could opt to use the 2026 NFL Draft to find a long-term solution for their right guard position.
If so, the Giants could do much worse than Iowa right tackle Gennings Dunker. Dunker could well stay outside at tackle at the NFL, however his frame, play strength, competitive toughness, and fringe-tackle athleticism could allow him to excel at guard.
There’s always a risk when it comes to asking players to transition from their collegiate position to another at the NFL. However, Dunker is the kind of player who can not only make it work, but excel. And he’s the type of young man teams will want to work with. He should be on the Giants’ radar, but the question is whether they’ll have the opportunity to draft him.
Prospect: Gennings Dunker (67)
Games Watched: vs. Iowa State (2024), vs. Wisconsin (2025), vs. USC (2025), vs. Nebraska (2025)
Red Flags: none
Measurables
Height: 6-foot 4 7/8 inches
Weight: 320
Arm length: 34
Hand size: 10 inches
Strengths
Best traits
- Competitive toughness
- Size
- Play strength Quickness and agility (at guard)
- Arm length
- Run blocking
Gennings Dunker is a stout offensive lineman with a thick build, long arms, and great play strength to go with the kind of competitive toughness you’d expect from an offensive lineman from Iowa.
Dunker has good size at 6-foot 4 ⅞ inches, 320 pounds, with 34-inch arms. He pairs that with a relatively fluid lower body, allowing him to play with good initial leverage to maximize his play strength. Dunker moves well within his range and does a good job of hitting his pass protection landmarks in a timely fashion, as well as getting in position to deliver his blocks in the run game. He’s a reliable run blocker who’s able to easily absorb power as well as fend off most speed rushers. He also does an excellent job of keeping his head on a swivel to pick up delayed pressure from stunts, twists, or blitzes.
He is also a potent run blocker who’s athletic enough to stress defenses laterally on outside zone runs, as well as drive defenders off the ball when blocking downhill. Dunker blocks with good initial leverage, uncoiling his hips to uproot defenders, and plays with a definite “nasty” streak. He also has great grip strength to go with big hands, allowing him to control blockers once he’s engaged, as well as easily anchor against power.
Weaknesses
Worst traits
- Hand usage
- Quickness and agility (at tackle)
Dunker’s single biggest weakness is his hand usage. He’s quick to get his hands up, well-coached enough to understand the importance of winning inside leverage, and has meathooks once engaged.
However, he has a strong tendency to fire his hands early and “catch” defenders in pass protection, or allow his hands to drift wide when firing his punch. In the former case, skilled technicians will be able to bat his hands away, while wide hands will make it more difficult to control NFL defenders or open him up to offensive holding calls.
Beyond his hand usage, Dunker’s biggest issues are his quickness, agility, and footspeed. They aren’t terrible, per se, however he definitely seems to have a limited range on the edge and struggles to recover if initially beaten. He has a tendency to lunge and get out over his skis when faced with particularly athletic pass rushers or if he has to cover a lot of ground against a rusher.
Game Tape
(Gennings Dunker is the Iowa right tackle wearing number 67)
Projection
Gennings Dunker projects as a starting guard at the NFL level, with the potential to be a Pro Bowl player.
Dunker may be able to stay on the edge if necessary at the NFL level, however his best path would likely be to follow in the footsteps of Brandon Scherff, Justin Pugh, Zack Martin, and Joel Bitonio as a very good – but somewhat limited – college tackle who becomes an excellent guard in the NFL. Dunker absolutely will need to continue to work on his hand usage if he moves inside, however that move would also solve most of his concerns at tackle. He might not have great athletic traits for a tackle, but he could be a very athletic guard.
If his future team moves him inside to guard, they might be well-served to keep him on the right side. Dunker has played a whopping 2,029 snaps on the right side over the last three seasons, and keeping him there would likely shorten his learning curve.
Does he fit the Giants? Yes
Final Word: A late first or early second round pick
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