The Giants conclude this part of indoctrinating their rookies into life in the NFL
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — The New York Giants wrapped up their 2023 rookie mini-camp on Saturday with a second straight light practice. Here are some takeaways of the day.
A rookie contract more and less
Defensive tackle Jordon Riley, a seventh-round pick, has signed his rookie contract. He joins running back Eric Gray (round 5), cornerback Tre Hawkins III (round 6) and safety Gervarrius Owens (round 7) as signing rookies.
Go easy on draft picks
Saturday was another exceptionally light workout in which the draft picks didn’t take part in any of the few 7-on-7 reps.
“They’ve been on the road a bit, had a lot of visitors. One of the main things is to get out of here healthy, to let them understand how we do certain things, where certain things are. They will have plenty of time to get reps here over the next few weeks.
Daboll called involving rookies in training “a restart evaluation.”
“You meet, you prepare in terms of player selection, but now that they are here and determining how we do things,” Daboll said. “You only put so much with each player… kind of getting your feet wet.”
Hyatt as a punt returner?
Third-round pick Jalin Hyatt, a wide receiver, didn’t kick off or punt at Tennessee. Daboll said the Giants would “absolutely” consider Hyatt for the punt return role if he shows an aptitude for it.
“We’re going to put as many guys in there as we can to figure this one out,” Daboll said. “It is far.”
Hyatt was among a group of about half a dozen players on the court Saturday. He also appeared to do one-on-one work on the line of scrimmage releases with the Giants coaches.
Apart from that, there was again very little to discern from a practice where competition was very limited.
The “dead ball” snap
New center John Michael Schmitz used the new “dead ball” shotgun slamming technique during his college career. He continued to use it for two days of rookie mini-camp. Will this continue once he works with Daniel Jones?
“Anything comfortable for Daniel at the back,” Schmitz said on Saturday. “I’m flexible to do the dead ball snap or the regular snap. It doesn’t change anything for me.
Here’s more on the “dead snap.”
Schmitz learned of the dead shot from offensive line coach Brian Callahan at Minnesota.
“I felt it was a lot more controllable with that position, the dead snap. I just felt comfortable, it became natural when I kept doing it over and over again,” he said. said “We’ll see if I stick with it or change it. We’ll see what happens.”
Jordan Riley’s Journey
Seventh-round pick Jordon Riley moved from North Carolina to Garden City Community College to Nebraska and finally to Oregon during his college career. Coming to the NFL, especially as a draft player, might not have seemed like something that was in the cards for much of his time in college.
“Words can’t explain it,” Riley said Saturday. “I have come a long way. It’s just a blessing to be in this building. I’m from a small town in North Carolina, opportunities like this are slim. I’m just happy to be here. With all the stops, I have come to the right place here in New York.
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