Jermaine Eluemunor: Challenge of facing T.J. Watt is daunting, but great opportunity

PITTSBURGH - Jermaine Eluemunor is a cautionary tale in the NFL when it comes to any prospect, but offensive linemen in particular, and giving up on players too soon.

Whether it's players giving up on themselves or teams giving up on young players too soon, there were far too many moments when Eluemunor could have thrown in the white flag. The New York Giants ' offensive lineman never did, though, and he points to a post-game encounter with a future first ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer two seasons ago as the validation he needed.

"Was after my second start at right tackle for the Raiders, the game was over and J.J. Watt sought me out, told me he liked my game on film and had a lot of respect for the player he thought I could be," Eluemunor told NorthJersey.com. "Khalil Mack had three sacks on us the week before, and J.J. beat me for a sack in that game, but he thought enough to come find me, him and the Cardinals' defensive line coach [Matt Burke]. That was a big moment for me in my career, it was like, 'If Watt thinks I can do this,' my confidence was sky high after that."

Which brings Eluemunor and the Giants to Monday night against the Steelers, and in a twist of fate, yet another high profile showdown for a 29-year-old offensive lineman suddenly thrust into even more of a leadership role with a greater presence required now that star left tackle Andrew Thomas is out for the season following foot surgery.

It'll be Eluemunor vs. Steelers star T.J. Watt, J.J.'s younger brother.

"When they highlight T.J. Watt on the broadcast to show how great he is, and he is, I'm well aware that I'm going to be in that circle, too," Eluemunor said. "This is the kind of matchup you want. You want to challenge yourself against the best. But if you don't bring some level of confidence in your own game, he's going to embarrass you. And no one wants to be embarrassed, I certainly don't, so I'm going to bring it and do my best to compete at a high level."

Watt, 30, has led the league in sacks in three of the past four seasons. He also shares the NFL single-season record (22.5 in 2021) with Giants Hall of Famer Michael Strahan. When asked about Watt on Wednesday, Giants coach Brian Daboll admitted that the thought of trying to slow him down had him a bit frazzled - mostly out of respect.

“Yeah, I mean, we could stay here for a long time talking about J.T. Watt. I’d say he’s unbelievable - T.J., you got me all flustered with the guy," Daboll said with a laugh. "You watch his tape and all the turnovers that he has and the style that he plays with. I mean, he’s one of the best players in the league. He creates issues in the run game. He creates issues in the pass game. He bats balls down. He jumps up and intercepts balls that you’d never think you could be intercepted. He’s got hustle, chase. He’s a dynamic football player. He’s one of the better defensive players in the league. He’s a problem.”

Eluemunor was headed for the training room after Thursday's media interviews for treatment on what is officially being called a hip injury that kept him out of practice Friday. Daboll told reporters he was hopeful Eluemunor would play; Eluemunor told NorthJersey.com that there was "no way" he would miss Monday's game.

Evan Neal was expected to be in Eluemunor's place at right tackle with the starters in Friday's practice.

“T.J. mainly plays over the right tackle, but they have shown to move him as one of those floaters in the middle of the defense. He can pick and choose whatever gap or whatever guy he wants to play against. So, that’s something that you always have to be ready for,” Giants left guard Jon Runyan Jr. said. "Jermaine has played against him a couple of times and I know he’s really confident going against him and it’s going to be a great battle between two great players and I’m excited to watch it.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Jermaine Eluemunor: Challenge of facing T.J. Watt is daunting, but great opportunity