I did not see this posted previously, but it's an excellent piece that attempts to explain the various reasons offensive line play is spiraling around the sport.
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/11/2/16596392/offensive-line-crisis-league-midseason
“It’s such a technical position,” Robinson says. “You can’t just be big, move to the left, move to the right, and move straight ahead and be effective. It’s hand placement, it’s body coordination, and it’s playing with good power angles.”
A disproportionate number of starting NFL offensive linemen in recent years have come from a small collection of programs, and the percentage of quality linemen to emerge from that group is staggering. Wisconsin, for instance, has produced six starting NFL linemen in a pool of 160 players, including a pair of players (Kevin Zeitler and Rick Wagner) who reset the market at right guard and right tackle this offseason, a future Hall of Famer (Joe Thomas), and maybe the top center in football (Travis Frederick). Iowa boasts guys like Marshal Yanda, Bryan Bulaga, and Brandon Scherff, while Notre Dame counts Ronnie Stanley, Zack Martin, and his young brother, Nick.
Gleaning how these schools (and others like Ohio State and Stanford) have consistently churned out quality linemen comes down to a simple premise: By giving young players experience lining up in three-point stances and—in several of these cases, but not all—heavier formations that resemble those in the NFL, these schools move players further along in their development than most of their peers. Their education about what it takes to make it in the league doesn’t start from scratch. And given the barriers coaches now face in developing players after they’ve been drafted, the idea of finding linemen with strong starting points has become more attractive than ever.
As the development of young players has become less reliable, teams’ desire to have veteran offensive line talent has naturally increased. And with this year’s draft almost entirely devoid of plug-and-play offensive line starters, needy front offices were pushed to the free-agent market and forced to pay 110 cents on the dollar as a result of overwhelming demand. 
SB Giants lucked out with Diehl, Seubert, Kareem and O’Hara all signed to fairly low cost deals.
Fixing this line is going to be tough. I still think Flowers is a RT. Can Wheeler develop into a LT? Rough outings the last two weeks but he was going against Kerrigan and Mack
They have to do a better job finding interior OL in the middle rounds
You can see from that article why the theory that continuity on the line and offensive system would be beneficial but you have to have the right horses.
You can see from that article why the theory that continuity on the line and offensive system would be beneficial but you have to have the right horses.
That may be true but ours is exceptionally bad.
Jones should be back, I would re-sign DJ Fluker and obviously Flowers is returning. From there we know John Jerry is under contract but replacing him should be a priority. Can Chad Wheeler turn into a quality OT is the biggest question and will Adam Bisnowaty be a viable OG? Bobby Hart should only be a back up.
Pugh is a possible return but I am thinking he is too injured. Richburg with concussions is scary.
There is a good chance we draft OL in rounds 1-4 next April
Look at what Mike Munchak has done with several UDFA on the Pittsburgh offensive line.
What clouds the issue to me though, is that as far as coaching is concerned, three years ago, both Solari and Flaherty would be considered top of the food chain OL coaches. And neither one was able to make players out of what they were given to work with.
Spread offenses, faster DL, and limited practice time are why OL play has declined so dramatically.
Spread offenses, faster DL, and limited practice time are why OL play has declined so dramatically.
this, faster, quicker, stronger, technique
A developmental league would have such a great impact on the quality of play.
Or maybe the position itself needs to evolve
Yes. A not having more mobile QB is why the running game has sucked for years.
In a league w OL issues the Giants are one of the worst.
Quote:
Alas, this hideous RichRod system has entered the NFL and it’s sticking. And trying to execute it at the NFL level against quicker, faster, smarter players is very difficult for olinemen.
Or maybe the position itself needs to evolve
It has evolved in the sense that just being big and strong simply isn't good enough. Offensive Line needs to be considered as a skill position. It's stigmatized as "big uglies", but that job is absolutely a specialist position.