From a 2017 fifth-rounder struggling to find his footing to one of the top offensive linemen set to be available, Jermaine Eluemunor is finally hitting his peak just in time for free agency.
In his opinion, that peak places him at the top of all right tackles in the NFL -- not just those soon to be seeking new homes.
"I made sure to let anyone who wanted to hear me know that I believe I'm the best right tackle in the league and my film proves it," Eluemunor recently told .
Plenty of players might raise an eyebrow at Eluemunor's claim, especially long-established enforcers at the position such as Lane Johnson, Penei Sewell and Tristan Wirfs, among others.
There's no harm in trying to speak something into existence, though, and Eluemunor did enjoy a standout season with the Giants. He gave up four sacks across a career-high 1,088 snaps and earned a 76.7 pass-blocking grade from PFF, the best mark he's produced. While he has some consistency issues blocking in the run game, he's sure to keep his quarterback upright more often than not.
After starting 31 games for Big Blue over the past two seasons, he now ranks 20th in Gregg Rosenthal's top 101 free agents list. He's the top-rated right tackle available and second free-agent tackle overall, behind the Packers' Rasheed Walker.
Even at 31 years old, Eluemunor is set to get paid, a result of betting on himself by taking a shorter two-year deal with New York back in 2024 in order to build more momentum and prove his true worth.
"I knew what I was going to become and I was trying to maximize that," Eluemunor said. "I knew I couldn't go from $3 million [with the Raiders] to making top of the tackle market money. I was taking a huge bet on myself, which I knew I was going to come out on top of because I had that mentality."
New York was the offensive lineman's sixth NFL home, counting abbreviated stops in Miami and Jacksonville ahead of the 2021 regular season.
He's traveled a rocky road, beginning in 2017 with the Ravens, for whom he started three games across two seasons before being traded to the Patriots. After two seasons and eight more starts in New England, Eluemunor signed with the Dolphins ahead of the '21 campaign but became a training camp cut. He then joined the Jaguars, only to be released days later.
He finally caught on with the Raiders for the regular season, and after making three starts for the team during his first year there righted the ship to become a full-time starter at right tackle in Las Vegas from 2022-23. He cemented himself on the right side of the line again for the past two years in New York.
Traded once, cut twice and allowed to walk multiple times, Eluemunor has been forged by fire.
"Now I'm at that place where mentally I can't be broken," he said. "I'm going to keep getting better and better to where you're going to have no choice but to say that I am one of the best players at my position and one of the best players, period."
Whichever team signs him in the coming free agency period will be counting on just that.
