David Diehl has played every position on the Giants offensive line except for center. He is their left tackle today, but do the Giants wish he was still at left guard?

Diehl was drafted by Big Blue in 2003 as a 5th round selection. He played right guard in 2003, right tackle in 2004, left guard in 2005 and 2006, and he has held down the left tackle position for the past two seasons.

When the Giants moved Diehl to left tackle in 2007 after cutting Luke Petitgout, they could only hope things would work out. So far they have.

Still, when the Giants gave Diehl a new contract last spring, it included escalators that would increase his pay if he stayed at left tackle. That may be a sign that they want him to push himself to stay at tackle…or it could mean that they plan on moving him back to guard.

Guy Whimper was drafted in the 4th round of the 2006 draft with hopes of becoming a left tackle in the future. In 2006 he was raw, in 2007 he was a back up and in 2008 he was placed on injured reserve on August 30th.

I remember John Madden saying the Whimper looked ready to start in the 2007 season. I believe it was the opening game against Dallas. 

Adam Koets was selected by the Giants in the 6th round of the 2007 draft, again to be a tackle.

William Beatty was a second round selection in the NFL draft in 2009.  He again will be groomed to be a left tackle. At 6-6 and 307 he was considered the most athletic tackle in the draft according to the Giants.

Why do the Giants keep drafting offensive tackles with the hope of them playing on the left side?

Diehl was abused by DeMarcus Ware of the Cowboys near the end of the 2008 season. Then again who wasn’t? Diehl has been on record as saying that he is a tackle and not a guard. But…

Beatty figures to be at least a year away from stepping in, and this could be Whimper’s last training camp if he doesn’t show signs of real improvement.

Where does that leave Diehl? For now left tackle is his position to lose. However, considering the drafts of the past few years, it looks more and more like the Giants would be more comfortable moving him back to guard. What do you think?

Here’s a quote from Sinorice Moss regarding his injury:

“It’s not serious,” Moss said, adding, “It was frustrating because it was the end of practice. I felt something in my leg — something I didn’t really want to feel. … I know when it’s something that’s serious and when it’s something where you just need to rest your legs. I just feel like one of those things.”

From Tom Coughlin on the injuries to his players:

“There are different degrees of strains, but we’ve been looking at a couple of young guys that have been out forever,” Coughlin said. “Why they’re not progressing to the point they can come back …”

PM Practice Report:

• Eli Manning hit Domenik Hixon on a play action pass over the middle. Hixon has been getting good separation from defenders all spring.
• At one point, Dave Tollefson and Darcy Johnson mixed it up with a short scuffle.
• Guy Wimper lined up at right tackle

AM Practice Report:

• Domenik Hixon made a nice catch in between double coverage.
• Ramses Barden made a diving catch for 20 yards

For more information on both AM and PM practices read Patricia Traina’s blog.

CB Corey Webster (shoulder), DT Fred Robbins (knee), DT Barry Cofield (knee), OT William Beatty (hamstring), DT Rocky Bernard (shoulder), WR Taye Biddle (finger), TE Travis Beckum (hamstring), and TE Lee Vickers (unknown) did not practice. LB Clint Sintim (hamstring) was limited. WR David Tyree (hamstring) started to practice, but left after a few plays.

From The Giants Afternoon Practice:

• Sinorice Moss strained a hamstring in a 2:00 drill to end practice. He did make a diving catch on the ball thrown by David Carr.
• Lawrence Tynes was 3-4 on field goal attempts.
• Hakeem Nicks made a nice grab on 7-on-7 drills

Gerris Wilkinson is fighting to remain with Big Blue. He hopes to put questions on his ability to play for the Giants behind him:

“I feel like I’ve definitely been improving,” he added. “Now I’m just trying to work on the details. I’m pretty comfortable with his defense. I’ve been in it for three years now. And I’m comfortable with the coaches and the team and everything. It’s just a matter of focusing on details and staying healthy.”

Terrell Thomas On Sinorice Moss:

“I think his back is against the wall. We drafted two wide receivers and he really hasn’t played to the potential that he has. He’s one of my good friends and we talk about it all the time. He’s just waiting for his opportunity. He’s a hard-worker and I think it’s really starting to show. Plus he’s in a contract year this year and for some reason when people are in contract years they play better.”

Morning Big Blue Practice:

• Sinorice Moss (there’s that name again) made a pair of nifty over-the-shoulder catches on deep passes
• Kevin Boss made a nice play in the end zone, pinning the ball to his butt with his right hand on a pass from Eli Manning
• Hakeem Nicks made some nice catches
• David Carr looked sharp
• Mario Manningham made a nice over-the-shoulder catch with Terrell Thomas in close coverage.

That’s it for today. Stay tuned for more New York Giants news.