Former Nebraska football lineman and New York Giants lineman Nick Gates has a bright future in the NFL. That's according to Gate's current head coach, Pat Shurmur.

Shurmur was talking about the positives that have come out of the last few weeks of the season. There haven't been all that many for a team that currently sits at 2-8 on the year.

One player the Giants head coach mentioned was Gates. According to NFL reporter Ralph Vacchiano, Shurmur has been impressed with the offensive lineman's play this season. Gates, who is seeing a rise in playing time in his second season.

Gates' rookie season was last year, though he didn't appear in a single game. This season, the former Nebraska football star has appeared in all 10 of the Giants contests and has started one, their latest loss to the New York Jets.

Even if the team lost, Shurmur saw enough to say that Gates played very well. He added, "We think he's got a chance to be a good player." According to Vacchiano, Shurmur isn't the only member of the Giants' administration who thinks Gates could turn into a bonafide player in the NFL.

There are other members of the front office that are quite high on him. The reporter believes they are high enough on him that he could be the starting right tackle for New York in 2020.

Skepticism

It should be pointed out that New York Giants fans are not united in that opinion. Many fans came out of the woodwork on Twitter to voice their displeasure at Shurmur's comments. One made it clear he didn't trust the front office enough to believe in their opinion of a player. That same fan believed he didn't think Gates played all that well.

Nebraska football in the NFL

In the last few seasons, former Huskers haven't exactly found a solid pipeline from Lincoln to the pros. Only a handful of Cornhuskers have been drafted.

Some players have managed to find success signing as undrafted free agents in the days following the NFL Draft.

Gates was one of those players. That means he worked his way from trying out for the Giants, to making the squad as someone who rarely saw the field, to a trusted backup this season. Now he's being looked at as someone who could be essential to the team's success in 2020.

Players like Stanley Morgan have managed to make a name for themselves as a reserve at the very least. The former Nebraska football wide receiver signed as a UDFA after last year's draft.

For a time, it looked as though he might make the Bengals' active roster out of fall camp. An injury undercut those chances but he was recently activated off the practice squad and has three catches so far this year. The former Husker saw quite a bit of action in the Bengal's most recent contest, getting targeted four times by rookie quarterback Ryan Finley against the Baltimore Ravens.