The Most Intriguing Rookie Storylines at New York Giants' OTAs
As members of the New York Giants’ rookie class complete their education for the year, one by one they’re starting to join their hardworking teammates who have been kept busy with Phase 2 of the voluntary offseason conditioning program.
This rookie class—both draft picks and undrafted free agents—is being counted upon to fill in some of the cracks along the foundation of a Giants team that has missed the playoffs in the last three seasons.
In honor of those rookies, here’s a look at some of the intriguing stories that are starting to take shape and how the outcomes could affect the team moving forward.
Where Will Ereck Flowers Play?
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Although offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo and head coach Tom Coughlin wouldn’t confirm that first-round draft pick Ereck Flowers is destined to be the team’s starting right tackle, all the evidence points to that being the case.
That evidence includes Flowers working exclusively at tackle during the majority of his college career and being plugged in right away at offensive tackle during the Giants’ recently concluded rookie minicamp.
However, there is a secondary story worth watching regarding Flowers, and that is where his long-term future will be.
Flowers, who worked at left tackle almost exclusively during the rookie camp, appears to be the heir apparent to incumbent Will Beatty at that spot and not just based on where he took his snaps, but what McAdoo said.
“We believe that he has a skill set to play left tackle in this league,” the second-year offensive coordinator said.
“We are going to give him opportunities to train out there. We will give him opportunities to train at multiple spots.”
If Flowers, who again will probably be the starting right tackle this year, shows that he can compete at that left tackle spot, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Giants move Flowers to left tackle before Beatty's contract ends after the 2017 season.
When might that happen, if it is it going to happen? It won't be this year, and it probably won't be next year either.
According to Over the Cap, the Giants would end up with a higher dead-money charge ($5 million) versus actual savings ($4.175 million) if they were to cut Beatty prior to June 1, 2016.
The year to watch would be 2017, the last of Beatty’s contract. At that point, the Giants would only be on the hook for $2.5 million in dead money, while recognizing a $6.825 million cap savings if they were to part with Beatty.
By then, Flowers should be seasoned enough to where a move to left tackle won't be as big of a leap as it might be for him now as a rookie.
Will Landon Collins Emerge as a Defensive Leader, Despite Being a Rookie?
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Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo told reporters that he is looking for new leaders to emerge.
He might not have to wait very long for that to happen, as second-round pick Landon Collins has all the makings of a leader both on and off the field.
There’s just one tiny problem. Collins is a rookie, and he’s not about to step on the toes of his veteran teammates such as Jon Beason, Jameel McClain and Jason Pierre-Paul, all of whom probably have a more realistic chance of being voted as a defensive captain than Collins at this point.
Down the line, however, that’s going to change. McClain and Beason aren’t locked in for the long term, and neither is Pierre-Paul for that matter.
Collins, with a solid showing on the field, can quickly earn the respect of his teammates, both young and old.
“You just have to pick your moments and times when you can do that kind of stuff,” he told me for Inside Football's May 2015 issue.
“On the field, you want to make a correct call. If someone makes a bad call, you have to speak up, and when you speak up toward them, you have to show that you know what’s going on because if you do, they won’t look at you funny, they’ll think, ‘OK, he knows what’s going on,’ so they’ll respect you and listen to you.”
If he can continue to build on what he started during the rookie camp, where, according to Spagnuolo, Collins “was moving people around and directing,” that defense is going to be in good hands for years to come.
Will TEs Matt LaCosse and Will Tye Challenge Adrien Robinson and Daniel Fells?
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The Giants were able to reunite the band at tight end this offseason when they re-signed veteran Daniel Fells to re-join Adrien Robinson and Larry Donnell.
However, don’t expect that reunion to last if one or both of the undrafted free-agent tight ends, Matt LaCosse and Will Tye, have strong showings this summer.
LaCosse in particular stood out. In day-one blocking drills at the rookie minicamp, he squared up against the sled, anchored and hit it head-on, getting his hands right about where the shoulder pads would be if the sled had been an actual defensive end.
LaCosse then put his receiving skills on display in the second day of the rookie camp, catching every catchable pass—and one low pass from quarterback Gary Nova that required LaCosse to dive.
"The second day of camp, [LaCosse] really did play well, caught a lot of balls," head coach Tom Coughlin told Nick Powell of NJ Advance Media. "Gotta see him block; going forward, that's going to be the question."
LaCosse certainly has the background to answer the blocking question satisfactorily. Per Gordon McGuiness of Pro Football Focus, LaCosse graded out positively as a blocker (playing 386 snaps in 2014), but negatively as a receiver.
Tye, who flew under the radar at rookie camp, might have even more promise.
“Big, physical guy he can run, caught the ball well so we're excited about watching him," Coughlin told Powell. "I think he can block; I think he can do it all."
If Coughlin is correct with his early assessment, then Robinson and Fells better be planning to crank up their respective games this summer if they want to hang onto a roster spot.
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How Quickly Will Former CFL OL Brett Jones Adjust to the NFL?
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Long before there was a “competition” to land offensive lineman La’el Collins—a competition that, according to Robert Klemko of the MMQB, the Giants were never in given their geographic location and Collins’ desire to not play for a cold-weather city—there was a competition for another promising rookie offensive lineman.
That player is Brett Jones, the Canadian Football League star center who, in 2013, won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie Award, and who, in 2014, was recognized as the league’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman.
Coming from the CFL, where there is a one-yard space between the offensive and defensive linemen, is just one of the many adjustments that Jones is going to need to make in his NFL rookie year.
He is also likely going to need to learn how to play guard in addition to center, which would give him the versatility the Giants usually like to have in their offensive linemen.
The good news is that Jones has practiced at guard in the CFL, but the NFL is much different, as Jones has been finding out since commencing his on-field technique work this offseason.
“It happens a lot faster (in the NFL),” he told me for Inside Football's May issue.
“When you get your footwork down, you have to get on the guy right away, whereas in the CFL, you have time to load up and engage.”
While Jones, the affable rookie, who will compete with Dallas Reynolds, also a guard and center, for a roster spot, believes he’s making progress, he also acknowledged that he has a ways to go before he’s where he wants to be.
“I know I have a lot to work on. I’m excited with the OTAs coming up soon, and every day just keep working on my craft—and I have a lot to work on. It’s all new, and I’m excited to get better at it.”
The Giants coaches are probably equally excited to see him improve as well.
Where Does Defensive Back Mykkele Thompson Fit In?
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Every year, the Giants have that one pick in the draft that leaves everyone scratching their heads once the selection is announced.
The team didn’t disappoint in this year’s draft, the head-scratcher being their fifth-round selection, defensive back Mykkele Thompson out of Texas.
Thompson, for what it’s worth wasn’t even graded by NFL.com in its predraft analysis, but that apparently didn’t matter to the Giants, whom Thompson said on his first conference call with reporters were the only team to show any outward interest in him.
The question is where does Thompson fit in on defense? Head coach Tom Coughlin, at the rookie minicamp, told reporters that Thompson will be a safety, a role he should be able to handle, according to Pro Football Focus, who notes that, while Thompson allowed just 422 receiving yards in 2014, he also posted a 89.5 NFL rating (via PFF's Gordon McGuinness).
If the Giants hang onto four safeties, figure Landon Collins and Nat Berhe should be locks.
Veteran Josh Gordy also has a good chance of sticking around, which would leave Thompson to battle for a roster spot with Cooper Taylor, a Giants’ fifth-round draft pick in 2013 who has had trouble staying on the field since turning pro.
Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand, unless otherwise sourced.
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