Would Alijah Vera-Tucker look good in blue?
In the never-ending effort to offer GM Joe Schoen suggestions for ways to upgrade the New York Giants’ offensive line, Pro Football and Sports Network has an intriguing idea. PFSN has proposed a trade for New York Jets’ guard Alijah Vera-Tucker.
PFSN says that the Giants “should not be content with the depth chart as it currently stands.”
Of Vera-Tucker, a 2021 first-round pick by the Jets who will be 26 this season, PFSN writes:
Guard Alijah Vera-Tucker could be an intriguing addition if the New York Jets, who are currently facing a dilemma, are willing to deal with their neighbors.
The Jets have a roster full of talented players nearing the end of their contracts. New general manager Darren Mougey must make tough decisions about which young standouts to extend and which to let go. And among those with trade potential, Vera-Tucker stands out as a viable candidate.
After two injury-shortened seasons, Vera-Tucker finally stayed healthy in 2024 and performed well, allowing a 1.74% pressure rate. Still, he logged fewer than 450 snaps in each of the two previous years, so reliability could be a concern.
The Jets also can’t pay everyone, so they’ll need to decide how valuable Vera-Tucker is because he could command decent trade value.
Valentine’s View
This is something I do not believe will happen. I would not, though, be upset if it did.
At right guard, the Giants have 35-year-old Greg Van Roten and a group including Evan Neal, Jake Kubas, Aaron Stinnie and perhaps rookie Marcus Mbow trying to take that job. Best-case scenario, Neal wins the job and becomes a better than average guard. Worst-case, Van Roten is still the best the Giants have and his pass blocking (7 sacks, 35 pressures allowed in 2024) continues to be an issue
At left guard, Jon Runyan Jr. is a perfectly average starter. Entering his age 28 season, though, Runyan has no guaranteed money remaining on his three-year, $30 million contract. Maybe the Giants will want to try and upgrade.
Vera-Tucker started at left guard for the full season in 2021, his rookie year. In 2024, he started for the full season at right guard. He has also played a handful of snaps at the tackle spots.
Pro Football Focus grades are not, as I always caution, the be-all and end-all in determining player performance. The fact that Vera-Tucker has graded in the 70s, with a career-best 77.7 grades in 2024, tells us, though, that he is a good player and might still be getting better.
Vera-Tucker’s pass protection (4 sacks, and career-bests in pressures allowed — 16 in 619 pass-blocking snaps — and pass-blocking efficiency (98.3%) was also the best of his four-year career in 2024.
The catch, of course, would be price. The Giants have only six picks in the 2026 NFL Draft and do not have a third-round pick after the trade up to select Jaxson Dart.
Is Vera-Tucker a player you would be interested in, Giants fans?
