Often on the first day of rookie minicamp, things can be a bit of an adventure.
That’s because you have 70+ players gathered, many of whom have never worked with one another before, trying to learn a new system and a new way of doing things.
This year’s start to the Giants rookie minicamp, while occasionally having its hiccups, actually looked smooth given the tempo, a sentiment with which head coach Pat Shurmur agreed.
“It was actually really good,” he said of the practice. “It was a pretty competitive day. We saw a lot of good things from a lot of the guys that we drafted. They competed well. This is the first day for some of them of hopefully a long career.
“There were certainly mistakes, but you clean those up as you go. It is fun to be back out on the field.”
The Giants are holding the rookie minicamp a week earlier than usual to give their youngsters an extra week to learn the material before joining the rest of the team on May 13.
Shurmur, who made this change from last year, clearly wants this year’s squad to hit the ground running, and it seems like things are off to a good start in that regard.
As for player performances, keep in mind this is a non-padded practice which in no way resembles game speed.
It’s a chance to teach the players new techniques and a new way to work, and an opportunity for the players who are hoping to stick around for a long time to impress.
So let’s run down a few observations keeping in mind that one practice does not make or break a player’s long-term chances.
Overall, not a bad start for Daniel Jones, who unofficially completed eight-of-14 pass attempts with about four dropped passes among them.
Jones started of rhythm, but then settled down and by the end of practice, was throwing some smooth passes, including a few deep down the field, to his receivers.
Earlier in practice, I thought Jones was rushing some of his throws, but again, he settled down and found a rhythm.
Rough start for fifth-round receiver Darius Slayton out of Auburn. Slayton opened practice with a couple of drops on balls in which he failed to extend his arms.
He then had a concentration drop, a knock against him in college and later on another errant ball, I’m not sure if he ran the best possible route—it looked like he made his break much too soon.
As practice went on, he became more sure-handed and seemed to be less reluctant to fight for the ball. He also did a much better job getting his hands up for the ball and looking it in, which he hadn’t been doing earlier in practice.
“He ran good routes,” Shurmur said of Slayton. “He had a couple of drops early. By the end of it, he made a couple of nice contested catches.
"There are a lot of new things to get used to--new routes, new ways of doing things, new places to line up. That’s just why you practice. I thought he finished the day well.”
Cornerback Henre Toliver, whom the Giants signed from the now-defunct AFL, is best described as a “grabby” defensive back.
I thought Toliver was guilty of defensive pass interference and holding on a handful of plays, and if he doesn’t work on that, he’s going to draw a lot of penalty flags.
Undrafted free agent running back Jon Hilliam out Rutgers got first dibs on the handoffs.
Hilliam runs with a purpose, but I thought he spent a little too much time going east-and-west, thereby missing some creases that if he had hit, might have gotten up the field.
It’s early, but an undrafted free agent who kept drawing my attention with his play was tight end C.J. Conrad out of Kentucky.
Conrad made one catch on a ball thrown at his knees and then made another on the perimeter after twisting his body into a weird position.
I don’t know what kind of blocker he is, as I haven’t watched film on him, but I thought he made a positive impression.
Tryout receiver Nehari Crawford, 5-10, 174 pounds out of Duquesne, went up for one jump ball along the sideline and used all he had to box out the defender from even getting a hand on it.
Undrafted free agent Alex Wesley (5-foot-11, 190 pounds) out of Northern Colorado struggled to separate on some deep balls.
Cornerback DeAndre Baker does thrive playing man-to-man coverage, which is no surprise since when the topic came up during his media session, he lit up when asked about what it is in the Giants scheme that makes it an ideal fit for his skill set.
“It’s a lot of man coverage. That’s what I excel in,” he said. “I can do a lot of things to help the team in man coverage when I get the opportunities. That’s what I like the most about the playbook.”
I thought at times Baker as a little too aggressive with his coverage, and I’m wondering if that might lead to a flurry of flags.
Regardless, I liked his competitive toughness-- he’s not willing to let a receiver make a fool out of him in coverage, and he certainly plays with a purpose out there.
Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence is a big man without pads, but with football gear on, he’s a sight to behold. But what’s so amazing to watch is how effortlessly he moves.
He exploded out of his stance against a blocking sled and hit it so violently that I thought he was going to knock it over.
Lawrence prides himself on his versatility, which includes the ability to play all the positions on the Giants three-man defensive line.
“I felt pretty comfortable playing all three positions,” he said in between the morning walk-through and the afternoon practice.
“I kind of did that in college as well. We’d learn multiple, so I’m kind of fluid with it and comfortable with
We won’t get to see what the pit players bring to the table until they can wear full pads, but Lawrence is undoubtedly a hungry young defender who has the potential to be an enforcer on that defensive front.
