5 NY Giants Undrafted Free-Agent Prospects to Watch

Free agency and the draft were the easy parts for the New York Giants.

As the team begins its rookie minicamp this weekend, head coach Tom Coughlin and his staff will be on the watch for those hidden gems who could provide quality depth at their respective positions.

This quality depth, which the Giants haven’t always had at every position, is key in the event injuries strike again.

In addition, this depth doesn't necessarily have to be kept on the 53-man roster; the coaches might decide to stash an extra player or two at certain positions on the practice squad, designating those guys as the first they turn to if a roster spot does open up.

TE Matt LaCosse, Illinois

The Giants got by last year with a tight end trio of Larry Donnell, Daniel Fells and Adrien Robinson—barely.

Per Pro Football Focus, the Giants running game finished with a minus-8.0 grade (subscription required) when running behind the tight ends, which was certainly a factor in the Giants' averaging 100.1 yards on the ground per game, thus finishing with the league’s 23rd-best rushing attack last season.   

That leads to Matt LaCosse, whom the Giants liked so much that, per Jordan Raanan of NJ Advance Media, they not only gave the prospect a $5,000 signing bonus, but they also guaranteed the rookie $5,000 in salary, regardless of where he lands.

Coming from the Big 10, a conference that typically features the power running game, the 6’6”, 249-pound LaCosse helped block for a running game that averaged 3.7 yards per carry (413 rushes on 1,527 yards) and scored 16 rushing touchdowns.

Although primarily a blocker and a special teams contributor, LaCosse has some receiving experience as well, catching 38 balls for 397 yards (10.4 average) and six touchdowns.

His best season as a receiver was in 2013, when he posted career highs in receptions (20) and receiving yards (237).

If anything, LaCosse, who can also play a little fullback and H-back, makes for an intriguing practice-squad addition, though with a solid camp, it’s possible he could end up with a spot on the 53-man roster. 

LB Cole Farrand, Maryland

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

One of the most glaring holes on the Giants, as far as depth, is a lack of a young inside linebacker.

Maryland's Cole Farrand, who is 6’3” and 245 pounds, hopes to change that situation.

Although not athletically gifted and still raw for the position, Farrand was, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net, the Terps’ team leader in tackles last season (118).

Pauline says "Farrand is a hard-working defender and does a terrific job reading the action then making the play. He comes with limited athleticism but could make a roster as an eighth linebacker/special teams player.”

Sounds a lot like another undrafted free agent linebacker who was so instrumental on Steve Spagnuolo’s defense—some guy named Chase Blackburn, right?

It’s too soon to project Farrand to the 53-man roster—the practice squad would appear to be the more realistic option if he has a strong camp.

However, if history should repeat itself to where injuries strike down Jon Beason, and they suddenly find themselves short on depth for that inside linebacker spot, Farrand—if he develops—could provide insurance down the line.

CB/S Bennett Jackson, Notre Dame

Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports

Breaking slightly from the theme of undrafted free agents, let’s focus for a moment on a player who was drafted last year but didn’t make the 53-man roster.

That player is cornerback Bennett Jackson, taken in the sixth round of last year’s draft out of Notre Dame. Due to the roster numbers at cornerback at the time, the Giants weren’t able to fit this intriguing prospect into the roster and instead added him to their practice squad.

Unfortunately, Jackson, who never made it to the 53-man roster last year even when injuries started piling up at the position, suffered a knee injury that required microfracture surgery.

This year, Jackson is going to have another chance, and the numbers might favor him more if he’s fully recovered from the surgery that Jordan Raanan of NJ Advance Media reports he had in October 2014. 

Jackson, whom head coach Tom Coughlin told Raanan will be asked to learn the safety position this year, could have an inside track to backing up Trumaine McBride as the slot cornerback this year if, of course, Jackson is fully healthy.

In addition—and as is usually the case with players who are at the bottom of the depth chart at their respective positions—Jackson figures to contribute on special teams.

Per Pro Football Focus, Jackson only saw action on the punt coverage unit, that coming during the Giants’ third preseason game last season.

The then-rookie didn’t record any tackles. This summer, though, Jackson figures to have a lot more opportunities to make his case on special teams as well as on defense.

RB Akeem Hunt, Purdue

Former Purdue running back Akeem Hunt has a good chance of hanging around at minimum on the practice squad if he can transfer his explosive playmaking ability to the pro game.

Hunt, 5'10" and 183 pounds, averaged 5.5 yards per carry (371 carries for 2,035 yards) and scored 11 touchdowns.

He added 100 receptions for 841 yards and six touchdowns to his four-year college total, and he returned kickoffs, averaging 23.6 yards and scoring two touchdowns.

A concern with Hunt is his smallish size, which brings concerns about whether he would be able to take the pounding at the NFL level.

However, those concerns might not be warranted if one considers that most teams—the Giants included—use a rotation at that position to help prolong the shelf life of each running back.

Regardless, Hunt’s role on the team—he’s likely headed to the practice squad if he has a good camp—would probably be limited to special teams and receiving out of the backfield, where he could use his shiftiness in space to move the chains.  

OL Brett Jones, Regina

Before the competition to land La’el Collins, the talented former LSU offensive lineman who went undrafted and signed with the Cowboys on Thursday, there was another multi-team competition for a highly regarded offensive lineman who wanted the Giants as badly as they wanted him.

That prospect is Brett Jones, a 6’2”, 318-pounder who was the Canadian Football League’s top offensive lineman last year and its top rookie the year prior, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. 

Jones, who played center for the Calgary Stampeders, has a good chance to realize his dream of playing in the NFL if he can accomplish two objectives over the course of the upcoming camps and the preseason.

The first is to get used to the difference between playing offensive line in the NFL, where defenders line up on top of the offensive linemen, and the CFL, where the defenders are a yard back. 

The second thing will be for Jones, who excelled at center in the CFL, to learn how to play guard. The Giants typically like their offensive linemen to know two positions.

If Jones can make that transition and as show his cat-like quickness when having someone lined up on his nose, he just might edge out his competition—Dallas Reynolds, Eric Herman and Brandon Mosley among it—for a spot on the 53-man roster.

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand for this article unless otherwise sourced.

Follow @Patricia_Traina