Former New York Giants player dies at age 40

Shane Olivea, an offensive lineman who spent 2008 with the New York Giants, passed away. He was forty years old.

The native of Cedarhurst, New York, did not provide a cause of death.

The NFL’s vice president of football development and Olivea’s former colleague, Roman Oben, shared the information on social media.

The San Diego Chargers selected Olivea, a 6-foot-4, 312-pound player who played collegiate ball at Ohio State, in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played for four seasons in San Diego, setting the groundwork for Charger running back LaDainian Tomlinson’s 2006 NFL single-season touchdown record.

The Giants cut him go due to a back issue. A few years later, he made an effort at a comeback in the UFL, playing with the Florida Tuskers (since renamed the Virginia Destroyers) in 2010. Following the 2011 UFL season, he retired.

Ranking Giants’ top 5 positional needs ahead of NFL free agency, draft

The NFL Scouting Combine is almost here, the Super Bowl is done, and the 2024 NFL offseason is getting closer to full pace with free agency starting in a few weeks.

There’s no better time to assess the gaps in the New York Giants’ roster than when the whole NFL community descends upon Indianapolis for the combine. It should go without saying, but wow, are there a lot of them. Finding the settled position groups could be a simpler exercise. However, that tale would be rather brief. To be ready for the release of our first Giants-focused draft big board the following week, we will list the top five needs for the Giants.

1. The offensive line

That the Giants gave up the second-most sacks (85) in NFL history, prior to Bobby Johnson’s resignation and the appointment of Carmen Bricillo as the team’s new offensive line coach, means nobody will contest that the Giants don’t require offensive line support.

With All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas and second-year center John Michael Schmitz, the Giants only have two places on the line. The Giants require assistance beyond them. The Giants’ main concern with this group is if they still think Evan Neal can contribute to the team in the future. Is he still playing right tackle, or should they give him a go at guard?