The New York Giants will host their 2023 rookie camp this weekend at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
There’s a lot of anticipation after last week’s NFL draft. Here are a few things to watch for this weekend.
Speed
General manager Joe Schoen has been adding players to increase the team’s overall speed.
In the draft, Schoen selected several top-end speedsters in first-round pick Deonte Banks, third-rounder Jalin Hyatt, a wideout from Tennessee, and two late-round defensive backs: Old Dominion’s Tre Hawkins III and Gervarrius Owens of Houston.
After the draft, the Giants signed several very fast undrafted free agents such as West Virginia wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton, who has been compared to Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson by some statistical models.
Daboll, Kafka and Wink
After a successful debut season followed by unsuccessful rides on the coaching carousel, the trio of head coach Brian Daboll and his two coordinators, Mike Kafka (offense) and Wink Martindale (defense), will conduct their second rookie camp.
This time around they will have a clearer picture of what they are looking for and will be on more solid footing. Translation: they’ll be more comfortable with a full season under their belts.
It will be interesting to see (and hear) from these three this weekend.
Players to watch
Other than the players mentioned earlier, most will want to see new center John Michael Schmitz and how he handles himself in the middle of the line. The expectation is that the second-round pick stands out from Day 1.
Running back Eric Gray, a fifth-round pick out of Oklahoma, will be closely watched with Saquon Barkley not in the building. The Giants chose Gray over several other more productive backs.
Free agent quarterback Tommy DeVito, the former Don Bosco Prep and Illinois star, will be angling for a backup spot behind Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor.
Pittsburgh edge rusher Habakkuk Baldonado, who was born in Italy and has intriguing skills, is also an intriguing name. The Giants did not draft an edge rusher in this draft and Baldonado could be a sleeper here.
Oregon defensive tackle Jordon Riley is a player Schoen selected based on his experience and size. This weekend we’ll see if he can play a little bit.
