The Giants currently have 91 players listed on their roster. Most of the draft picks are unsigned to date. Here I look at each player and write a positive blurb on each. That is what the offseason is for. It is a time to look forward positively for the approaching season. It is a clean slate to start equal to all other teams at 0-0. I hope you find this article as interesting as I found it was investigating each player. Also I hope it helps foster a positive outlook for the upcoming season. I was impressed with the team they have assembled. The players are listed in ascending age and experience.
Player # Pos HT WT Age Exp College
Xavier McKinney 29 S 6-0 201 21 R Alabama
The only FBS player over the last 2 seasons with 100 solo tackles, 6 sacks, 5 interceptions and 15 passes defended.
Javon Leake 38 RB 6-0 215 21 R Maryland
The only FBS player over the last 3 seasons with 7.8 rushing yds/attempt, 1100 rushing yards, 17 rushing touchdowns and 3 kickoff return touchdowns.
Andrew Thomas 78 OT 6-5 315 21 R Georgia
2017 Freshman All-America Teams by ESPN, USA Today and the Football Writers Association of America; 2018 SI.com All-America First Team and 2019 unanimous All-American.
Malcolm Elmore 28 DB 5-11 185 22 R Central Methodist
Led his college team in interceptions for two years and was second in another with a career total of eight.
Darnay Holmes 30 CB 5-10 195 22 R UCLA
One of four FBS players that over the last 3 seasons had a kickoff return for a touchdown, an interception returned for a touchdown and had two forced fumbles.
Austin Mack 81 WR 6-2 215 22 R Ohio State
In MockDraftable’s player comparisons based on combine measurements and events Austin Mack matches closest to Deandre Hopkins.
TJ Brunson 35 LB 6-1 230 22 R South Carolina
TJ Brunson’s college awards include
2019
Team Captain
Leadership Award – Defense
2018
Team Captain
Joe Morrison Most Valuable Player – Defense
Leadership Award – Defense
Most Productive Player – Defense
Unselfish Teammate – Defense
2017
Strength & Conditioning Award
Tenacity Award – Defense
All-Bowl Team (AP)
Cam Brown 47 LB 6-5 233 22 R Penn State
Cam Brown is in the 97th percentile for height and 95th percentile for arm length among combine linebackers. He is one of only eight college players that from 2017 thru 2019 had 85 solo tackles, 11 passes defended, 4 forced fumbles and 13 tackles for loss. Xavier McKinney is one of the other eight.
Carter Coughlin 49 LB 6-3 236 22 R Minnesota
Carter Coughlin is the only college player that from 2017 thru 2019 had 20 Sacks, 36 Tackles for Loss, 8 Forced Fumbles and 90 Solo Tackles.
Kyle Murphy 60 OL 6-4 302 22 R Rhode Island
Kyle Murphy in college started almost every position on the offensive line and was selected to the New England Football Writer’s Association All-New England team three times.
DeAndre Baker 27 CB 5-11 180 22 2 Georgia
Following the bye week in his NFL rookie season Baker had Pro Football Focus’ 6th best coverage grade among all qualified CB’s over the next 4 games.
Julian Love 20 CB 5-11 195 22 2 Notre Dame
Last season among NFL 21 year old secondary players Julian Love allowed the second lowest passer rating (81) when targeted and he had the 15th lowest yards per target (6.6 yards) for secondary players under 25 years old.
Dexter Lawrence 97 DL 6-4 342 22 2 Clemson
Dexter Lawrence was in the top ten percent among defensive linemen in two decades of combine data for weight, wingspan, arm length and bench press. His NFL rookie 30 total pressures on the year were tied for the most among first-year players at the position and his PFF run-defense grade was tops among rookie defensive tackles.
Binjimen Victor 9 WR 6-4 199 23 R Ohio State
Binjimen Victor is one of only 21 players in 2019 that had a career nine games with a receiving touchdown, two receptions and an average of 16 yards per reception.
Jaquarius Landrews 19 DB 6-0 200 23 R Mississippi State
Jaquarius Landrews is a hard-working strong safety who lost his single mom at eight years old and helped support his family. He had the second most tackles on Mississippi State in 2019 and earned a 71.3 pass-rushing grade from PFF.
Chris Williamson 31 DB 6-0 205 23 R Minnesota
One of only nine players that in the college seasons of 2018 and 2019 had 55 solo tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 7 passes defended, 3 sacks and am interception returned for a touchdown.
Tae Crowder 37 LB 6-3 235 23 R Georgia
As reported by Pro Football Focus – Crowder played a career-high 500 defensive snaps and earned an overall grade of 70.5 for Georgia last season. He has graded well each of the past two seasons in coverage (79.0 in 2018 and 82.5 in 2019).
Oluwole Betiku 45 DE 6-3 250 23 R Illinois
Oluwole Betiku’s Pro Day results would have put him first in the short shuttle, third in the forty and fourth in the 3-cone drill among defensive linemen at the combine. His vertical and broad jump would have been 10th and 12th. In 2019 his last year in college he was 11th in the nation and second in the Big Ten in sacks per game (0.90) and 22nd in the nation and fifth in the Big Ten in TFLs per game (1.3).
Kyle Markway 49 TE 6-4 250 23 R South Carolina
The site profootballready.com has an article on creating the ultimate 2020 NFL Draft tight end by combining the best characteristics of individual draft prospects. For blocking ability they selected Kyle Markway. In addition he had a decent 31 receptions in 2019 for 349 yards and two touchdowns.
Niko Lalos 79 DE 6-5 270 23 R Dartmouth
In 2019 Niko Lalos was named to the All-Ivy League First Team, Division I All-New England Team and Phil Steele’s All-Ivy League First Team at defensive end. He ranked among the top five in the Ivy League in both sacks (second, 0.55 per game) and tackles for a loss (fifth, 1.0 per game) and was credited with a team-high eight quarterback hurries. Lalos was also third on the squad with seven passes defended thanks in part to batting down six passes at the line of scrimmage.
Tyler Haycraft 61 OT 6-3 293 23 R Louisville
In college Haycraft went from being a walk on to a scholarship player. He became the starting RT for Louisville in 2019 and proved to be a stalwart on the offensive line. As part of the offensive line, he helped Louisville produce its first thousand yard running back since Bilal Powell in 2010. Javian Hawkins rushed for 1525 yards and 9 TDs.
Shane Lemieux 66 OL 6-4 310 23 R Oregon
Shane Lemieux started 52 consecutive games at left guard. He was named a first-team All-American as a junior and a second-team All-American as a senior. In 2019 he was second on the team with 51 knockdowns and did not allow a pressure, hurry or hit on the QB in three games. In 2018 he graded out as the No. 1 guard in the Pac-12 and the No. 3 guard in the nation, according to Pro Football Focus. In 2017 Lemieux graded out over 80 percent in pass blocking seven times by PFF. As a freshman in 2016 he started all 12 games at left guard and was part of an offensive line that led the way for 200 yards rushing and 200 yards passing in the same game seven times.
Matt Peart 74 OT 6-7 318 23 R Connecticut
According to Pro Football Focus Matt Peart had the No. 4 pass-blocking grade on the all-important “true pass sets” last season, and he graded at an impressive 90.1 in the run game. His run blocking grade went from 70.7 in 2018 to 90.1 in 2019. He wastThe anchor of an offensive line that produced two 1,000-yard rushers in 2018 and another 1,000-yard rusher in 2019.
Christian Angulo 33 DB 6-2 190 N/A R Hampton
In his 2019 season Angulo was fifth in the FCS in pass breakups and led his team with three interceptions. He shutdown standout wide receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden from Liberty. Antonio Gandy-Golden had 79 receptions for 1,396 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2019.
Sandro Platzgummer 34 RB 6-0 198 N/A R
Austrian running back Sandro Platzgummer has been allocated to the New York Giants as part of the NFL International Player Pathway Program. Platzgummer played for the Swarco Raiders Tirol, an American football team based in Innsbruck, Austria. It has won the Austrian Football League championship seven times, including a victory in Austrian Bowl XXXV this past year to cap a perfect season. In 2019, Platzgummer played running back for the Swarco Raiders Tirol and had nearly 1000 total yards and 15 total touchdowns.
Rysen John 47 TE 6-7 220 N/A R Simon Fraser (Canada)
Rysen John is a hardworking receiver from a division II school in Canada. The school went 2-37 the four seasons Rysen played there. But Rysen shown despite their record. He is 6’7″ with a wingspan of nearly 7 feet. He will transition from receiver to tight end. As a senior in 2019, John had 53 catches in 10 games for 861 yards (16.25 yards per catch) and 10 touchdowns.
Dominique Ross 39 LB 6-4 228 N/A R North Carolina
In 2019 at North Carolina Ross was one of 21 FBS players with two sacks, six tackles for loss, 38 solo tackles and five passes defended. Due to injuries in the secondary the linebacker was asked to move to nickelback. He showed the versatility to stop the run and cover receivers one-on-one. His five pass breakups was second most on the team. He also showed the ability to rush the quarterback and had four quarterback hurries.
Montre Hartage 18 CB 6-0 190 23 1 Northwestern
Over his last three seasons in college ending in 2018, Hartage was one of only two players that had 135 solo tackles, 9 interceptions and 25 passes defended. The two were undrafted Montre Hartage and second round pick Juan Thornhill. Hartage was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants on April 28, 2020 from Miami.
Chris Slayton 91 DL 6-4 307 23 1 Syracuse
Chris Slayton was one of only 22 players over the last five college seasons that had three seasons each with 8 tackles for loss, 16 solo tackles, one sack and one forced fumble. He is joined in that distinction by fellow Giants Oshane Ximines and Carter Coughlin. Slayton spent his rookie season with the Giants on the practice squad.
Darius Slayton 86 WR 6-1 190 23 2 Auburn
In 2019 there were only twelve NFL wide receivers that scored 48+ points. Darius Slayton ranks third among those twelve in points per offensive snap.
Mark McLaurin 46 LB 6-1 212 23 2 Mississippi State
Mark McLaurin played defensive back in college but is listed as a linebacker on the Giants roster. He is versatile and can cover or play an inside linebacker position. McLaurin is one of only 11 players that over the last 5 college seasons have had 10 tackles for loss, 114 solo tackles, 8 interceptions and 18 passes defended. McLaurin spent his Giant rookie season on injured reserve.
Daniel Jones 8 QB 6-5 221 23 2 Duke
In his rookie 2019 season Daniel Jones tied the NFL record for most passing touchdowns in a single game by a rookie quarterback with five. He also was the first rookie to have three games with 4 touchdown passes and no interceptions. He set numerous Giants rookie quarterback records including highest completion percentage, most passing yards, most passing touchdowns, highest passer rating and most game winning drives.
Josiah Tauaefa 48 LB 6-1 232 23 2 Texas-San Antonio
In college Josiah Tauaefa had an 11% team market share of solo tackles for each of two seasons. That is indicative for a linebacker of a potential All-Pro to Pro Bowl players since the 1989 NFL draft class. He is one of only 33 players over the last five seasons to have career totals of 120 solo tackles, 11 sacks and 22 tackles for loss. Taeaefa played for only 22 defensive snaps on the Giants in his rookie season.
Kaden Smith 82 TE 6-5 249 23 2 Stanford
At 6’5″ Kaden Smith was tie for the third tallest tight end at his 2019 combine and he had the third nest 3-cone drill time among tight ends. Among rookie tight ends in 2019 Smith was fourth in receptions, fifth in receiving yards and tie for second in receiving touchdowns. He was also fifth among rookie tight ends with 10+ targets in catch percentage, Smith performed decently as a blocker for a rookie tight end.
Oshane Ximines 53 OLB 6-4 252 23 2 Old Dominion
As reported by Pro Football Focus, Oshane Ximines finished the season with the 6th best pass-rush grade among rookie edge defenders (min. 400 snaps), ahead of two edge defenders selected in the first round last year. Among rookie players Ximines had the tenth most QB hits, twelfth most tackles for loss and eighth most sacks.
Sam Beal 23 CB 6-1 177 23 3 Western Michigan
In Sam Beal’s 2017 last season in college he allowed the lowest passer rating in the MAC on throws into his coverage with a 35.2.
Saquon Barkley 26 RB 5-11 233 23 3 Penn State
Saquon Barkley is seventh all time among running backs in yards from scrimmage in their first two seasons. Barkley made number thirteen on PFF’s list of top 25 players under 25 and was the second running back listed. Barkley had an injury hampered second year. However in his rookie 2018 season he broke the NFL records for Most 100+ yards from scrimmage games by a rookie, Most scrimmage yards by a rookie, Most 50+ yard TDs by a rookie (tie), Most receptions by a rookie running back and Most catches in a game by a rookie.
Derrick Dillon 6 WR 5-11 185 24 R LSU
Derrick Dillon reportedly ran a 4.29 forty at LSU’s Pro Day. That would have been tie for second among all players at the 2020 combine. Dillon was one of the NCAA’s best gunners on special teams in recent years. He was the nation’s ninth ranked wide receiver coming out of high school.
Case Cookus 5 QB 6-4 205 24 R Northern Arizona
Case Cookus was a proficient FCS quarterback. His career totals ranks him among all divisions nationwide as third in passing yards (12,082), fifth in passing yards per game (294), fifth in passing touchdowns (105) and ninth in passing yards per attempt (8.44). In the FCS he was seventh in completion percentage (62.3%) and fourth in passing efficiency (154.5). Yahoo Sports named Cookus as one of the best small-school quarterback prospects since Jimmy Garoppolo.
Dana Levine 96 DE 6-4 235 24 R Temple
In 2019 Dana Levine started only four games at Temple. His school bio says for 2019 that he rotates in at defensive end for a deep defensive line group. Yet he had 29 pressures, 5.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss and 19 solo tackles.
Alex Bachman 80 WR 6-0 190 24 1 Wake Forest
Alex Bachman spent his rookie season on the Giants practice squad after being cut be the Rams at the start of the season. At his Pro Day Bachman posted a 4.4 forty time which would have been eighth best among wide receivers at the 2019 combine. In his last two seasons at Wake Forest Bachman showed up big at his two Bowl Games. In 2017 Belk Bowl he had five receptions for 84 yards. At the 2018 Birmingham Bowl Alex had 7 receptions for 171 yards, He was the leading receiver in that game..
Dravon Askew-Henry 22 DB 6-0 202 24 1 West Virginia
Dravon Henry is one of only 14 college defensive backs that from 2014 onward have four seasons each with an interception, a pass defensed, 25 solo tackles and 35 total tackles.In 2020 Henry played in four games of the XFL before it disbanded. In those games he had ten solo tackles and six pass breakups.
David Sills V 84 WR 6-3 211 24 1 West Virginia
David Sills spent his rookie season on the Giants practice squad after being waived by the Bills at the start of the season. In his 2017 junior season he was first in the FBS in receiving touchdowns and in 2018 he was second. His 33 receiving touchdowns over his last two college seasons was the most in that time frame by eight touchdowns.
Jon Hilliman 28 RB 5-11 216 24 1 Rutgers
Last season as a rookie he was given a chance with injuries to Barkley and Wayne Gallman. He had 30 carries for 91 yards. Hilliman had three receptions on four targets for one yard. Unfortunately he had two fumbles on the year. One was a costly one against the Patriots. In the fourth quarter down by seven Hilliman fumbled and it was recovered by the Patriots. They returned the fumble for a touchdown. In his five year college career Hilliman averaged 54 scrimmage yards per game and 3.7 yards per attempt.
George Aston 45 FB 6-0 240 24 1 Pittsburgh
George Aston was signed to the Giants practice squad on December 23, 2019 after being released by the Broncos in late August. Aston had 45 receptions in college with 8 receiving touchdowns. In his 2018 senior season at Pittsburgh University Aston was used mostly as a blocking back. His blocking helped Pittsburgh produce it’s first season ever with two 1,000 yard running backs. In his 2016 sophomore season he had 5 receiving touchdowns and 5 rushing touchdowns. His five red zone TDs were on 11 rushing attempts in the red zone. That was augmented by four red zone receptions all for touchdowns. Going into the 2019 NFL draft Aston was ranked as the third best draft eligible fullback by one NFL Draft website.
Corey Ballentine 25 CB 5-11 196 24 2 Washburn
In 2018 Corey Ballentine won the Cliff Harris Award which is given to the top defensive player in the country representing Division II, III and NAIA colleges and universities. In 2018 at Washburn University Ballentine finished with 50 tackles as a senior and had three interceptions with two forced fumbles adding three blocked kicks. He had 16 career pass breakups. Ballentine also excelled at special teams in kickoff returns, as a gunner and had a career four blocked kicks. At his combine Ballentine had solid numbers in the 3-cone (70th percentile), vertical jump (87th percentile) and broad jump (98th percentile). He demonstrated this lower explosiveness and burst in his rookie season. In addition according to Pro Football Focus, Ballentine ranked second among New York Giants’ corners in tackling. Ballentine is reported to have a high character. He dealt with the adversity of his shooting injury which had also killed his friend.
Da’Mari Scott 18 WR 6-0 205 24 2 Fresno State
In his 2015 junior year at Fresno State Scott averaged 15.2 yards per reception which was most on the team and good for seventh in the Mountain West Conference. After spending a nondescript rookie season on the Browns and the Bills, in July 2019 Scott was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants. Scott was targeted 3 times on the Giants in 2019 for a low 5.8% target/snap ratio. He made two receptions for 22 yards.
Ryan Connelly 57 LB 6-2 242 24 2 Wisconsin
In his last two seasons at Wisconsin (2017, 2018) Connelly had 12% team market share of solo tackles in each of the two seasons. Those percents are indicative of a potential All-Pro to Pro Bowl players since the 1989 NFL draft class. In his senior 2018 season Connelly only gave up 46 total yards after the catch which was 1st in the draft class and only 0.38 yards per cover snap which was tie for 6th. His quickness shown at the combine where he ran a 1.54 ten yard split. That was the third quickest of any off-ball linebacker weighing 240+ pounds at the combine since 2010.In his four games of his Giant rookie season Connelly allowed only a 22.6 passer rating when targeted which was seven times. He allowed only 4 completions for 19 yards and had two interceptions.
Chris Peace 58 LB 6-2 250 24 2 Virginia
Chris Peace was one of only fifteen players in college for the 2017 and 2018 seasons that had a combined fourteen sacks and four forced fumbles. He led ACC linebackers in sacks both seasons.Peace had a nondescript rookie season playing one game on the Chargers and four on the Giants. He had only a total of 20 snaps on the Giants with 18 on special teams.
Grant Haley 34 CB 5-9 190 24 3 Penn State
Grant Haley finished his 2018 rookie season on the Giants as the highest graded Giants cornerback by Pro Football Focus. He was the fifth highest graded cornerback in the NFC East that year with a 69.3 grade. His performance took a drop in 2019 and he received only a 53.3 grade. At his 2018 combine Haley was first in the 3-cone drill and second in the shuttle drill among defensive backs.In his 2017 senior season at Penn State Haley was named one of thirteen semi-finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award given to the nation’s top defensive back.
Sean Chandler 36 S 5-10 205 24 3 Temple
Sean Chandler is one of only seven college players that over the last decade had a career 23 passes defended, 10 interceptions and 182 solo tackles.Chandler made All AAC Second Team in 2015 and 2016. He also made All AAC Honorable Mention in his final year in 2017. Through week 12 of his 2018 rookie season Chandler was the second highest graded player on special teams by Pro Football Focus. In coverage over his first two seasons on the Giants he has allowed 83% completion on 12 targets and 19.2 yards per target.
Garrett Dickerson 89 TE 6-3 248 24 3 Northwestern
In his two seasons on the Giants Garrett Dickerson has moved on and off the practice squad. He has taken ten offensive snaps in 2019 and had zero targets. At Northwestern in his last two seasons (2016, 2017) Dickerson had 72 receptions for 728 yards and 9 touchdowns. Dickerson played the superback position which is a rollup of tight end, wide receiver, fullback and extra offensive lineman. Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said of Dickerson – “He can play in line, he can flex out, he can play in space (and) he can block defensive ends and outside linebackers“.
Lorenzo Carter 59 OLB 6-5 250 24 3 Georgia
Lorenzo Carter joins Bradley Chubb and Harold Landry as the only three players from the 2018 draft class that for their first two NFL seasons had totals of at least 8.5 sacks, 23 quarterback hits, 55 solo tackles and 13 tackles for loss. Carter showed his explosiveness at his 2018 combine with a broad jump and forty yard dash in the 98 percentile of edge rushers over the last two decades.
Devante Downs 52 LB 6-2 252 24 3 California
Devante Downs has had zero defensive snaps in his two year career. All snaps have been on special teams where he has four tackles with two solo. In his senior year in college Downs was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week twice in the first three weeks of the 2017 season. He helped Cal defeat North Carolina (13 tackles, interception, forced fumble, quarterback hurry) and Mississippi (14 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, one interception). Even though Downs missed almost half of the season due to a season ending injury week 7, he was chosen as Cal’s Defensive MVP and garnered All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors. He finished the season on the team with 65 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, four quarterback hurries and two interceptions.Downs started 20 of the 40 games he played and totaled 212 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, five interceptions (including one he returned 59 yards for a touchdown), three pass breakups, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and four quarterback hurries. He led or tied for the team lead in tackles in eight different games.
RJ McIntosh 90 DL 6-4 283 24 3 Miami
Due to a thyroid condition McIntosh played on only 6% of the defensive snaps in his rookie 2018 season.He had 5 solo tackles and 1 quarterback hit, In 2019 the snap percentage went up to only 10% probably due to the talented depth of the defensive line. He had two sacks, five solo tackles, two tackles for loss and two quarterback hits. McIntosh had the highest percentage of sacks per snaps on the Giants averaging a sack every 57 snaps. Markus Golden who led the Giants with ten sacks averaged a sack every 92 snaps.
Nick Gates 65 G 6-5 307 24 3 Nebraska
For the 2019 season Nick Gates was Pro Football Focus’ highest graded Giants offensive lineman with a 77 grade. In college Gates started 35 games in his Nebraska career, including 25 straight at left tackle over his final two seasons, marking the longest starting streak at left tackle for a Husker since 2001. A preseason ankle injury cost him his rookie season on injured reserve.His offensive line coach in college had this to say – “He loves football,” Cavanaugh said. “He loves to kick your (rear), not just block you, and I love that. Guy’s a worker. You’ve got to have that passion and that drive, and he’s got that. He’ll work his rear end off and be a detailed guy with technique. Wants to get better. Wants to get coached.”
Eric Smith 79 OT 6-4 308 24 3 Virginia
Smith had signed as an UDFA with the Dolphins following the 2017 draft. Eric Smith was claimed off waivers from the Jets by the Giants in September 2019. He has played in only 2 games in his NFL career both on the Giants, In his 2016 last season at Virginia Smith started all 12 games at right tackle and had 45 knockdown blocks. He helped block for Taquan Mizzell, the first player in ACC history with 1,500 career rushing and 1,500 career receiving yards. In all he was a four year starter at right tackle at Virginia. Smith was only the fourth true freshman to start at a tackle position in UVA program history.
Will Hernandez 71 G 6-2 327 24 3 UTEP
Will Hernandez made the 2018 NFL All Rookie Team. He finished his rookie season ranked the No. 14 offensive guard (either side, No. 7 left guard) among guards who played at least 80% of their team’s snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.Hernandez regressed in 2019 and finished No. 28 overall. In college Hernandez started all 49 games at UTEP and was a 2016 Second Team All American. At his 2018 combine his 37 reps on the bench press was tops among all offensive players that year and the prior two.
Jabrill Peppers 21 S 5-11 213 24 4 Michigan
Jabrill Peppers played in only 11 games in his first year on the Giants due to injury. However he matched his 2018 solo tackles on the Browns where he played 16 games and had he the second highest solo tackles to games number on the Giants. Peppers averaged 4.6 solo tackles per game on the Giants, His six quarterback pressures was one better than the prior year. Peppers’ passer rating allowed when targeted dropped from 110 on the Browns to 84 on the Giants.His 5 passes defended matched the prior year in five less games. In his last year in college in 2016 Peppers was a Consensus All American, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and won the Ronnie Lott Trophy. The Ronnie Lott Trophy is presented annually to the college football defensive IMPACT player of the year. IMPACT is an acronym for: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity.
Nate Wozniak 68 OT 6-10 280 25 1 Minnesota
At 6’10 Nate Wozniak is the tallest Giant by two inches. Weighing only 280 lbs he is the lightest offensive lineman, Wozniak played tight end in college and converted to offensive line when he signed as a UDFA with the Saints in 2018. In college as a tight end he was described as a dependable blocker. He was used primarily as a blocker. He started ten games his senior season and caught only seven passes. He is reported to have a great attitude and work ethic by Saints offensive lineman Terron Armstead. Wozniak has yet to play a snap in the regular season.
Rashaan Gaulden 38 DB 6-1 200 25 3 Tennessee
Following a season ending injury in his sophomore year at Tennessee, Gaulden was asked to take on linebacker toughness. He became more of a hybrid player. In his last year at Tennessee in 2017 Rashaan Gaulden allowed just 0.54 yards per snap in coverage. That was the third lowest among Power-5 2018 NFL draft cornerbacks. He also had 17 total run stops which was tops among SEC cornerbacks. Following training in his rookie offseason with Jalen Ramsey, Ramsey commented on an Instagram post – DROY!!!! Gaulden was in on only 14% of the defensive snaps his rookie year and had only three targets. He was waived by the Panthers mid 2019 season and signed to the Giants practice squad. He played in only one Giant game and only on special teams.
B.J. Hill 95 DL 6-3 311 25 3 North Carolina State
Inn his rookie 2018 season B.J.Hill had the second most sacks by a rookie defensive lineman (5.5) and was graded by PFF as in the top five rookies at his position. His rookie season he also was fifth among defensive linemen rookies in quarterback hits, Hill is passionate about the game and has a tremendous work ethic. At his 2018 combine Hill had the fourth best bench press overall. He was 2 reps shy of Will Hernandez. Hill’s 3-cone drill was 16th best among defensive linemen. In college he won team awards of Co-recipient of the team’s Bo Rein Award, for a vital contribution in an unsung role (2016), Co-Recipient of the Carey Brewbaker Award, which is given to the team’s most outstanding defensive lineman (2015) and Philip Rivers Freshman of the Year Award for the defense (2014).
Wayne Gallman 22 RB 6-0 210 25 4 Clemson
In 2019 Wayne Gallman’s 9.5 yards after the catch per reception would be tie for third best in the league but he only had 11 receptions. He would have needed 19 receptions to qualify for season stats.Gallman had only 15 targets which was the second most for a Giant running back. But it was well below Saquon Barkley’s 73 targets, His receptions per broken tackle of 5.5 would have been ninth best is his receptions qualified. In addition Gallman had zero drops on his targets.
Aldrick Rosas 2 K 6-3 221 25 4 Southern Oregon
Aldrick Rosas has had one year on the Titans followed by the last three on the Giants. He made his first Pro Bowl following the 2018 season. That year he made 97% of his field-goal attempts and 96.9 percent of his PATs. That year he was 6-6 on field goal attempts from 40-49 yards. This last season he made only 1 of four attempts at that distance. He is reported to have a strong work ethic and a strong leg.
Evan Engram 88 TE 6-3 240 25 4 Mississippi
In his senior year at Mississippi in 2016 Engram led the FBS among tight ends in receiving yards per game. He also led tight ends in receiving plays of 20+ yards. At Evan Engram’s 2017 combine no player bigger than Engram ran a faster forty among all participants. His 4.42 was the fastest among tight ends, His broad jump was sixth among tight ends. Engram made the 2017 NFL All Rookie Team with a season 722 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Over the last two seasons injuries have plagued him and he missed 13 games.But when healthy he is still a receiving threat, His yards per game, catch percentage and yards per target have all beaten his rookie season. Among active tight ends his 12 receiving touchdowns is tie for seventh for a players first three seasons.
Corey Coleman 19 WR 5-11 185 25 5 Baylor
In his last year at Baylor in 2015 Coleman had 1,363 receiving yards which was a 36% team market share. 95% of 5-Time Pro Bowl players reached this level of market share production since 1969. He was a Consensus All American and won the Fred Biletnikoff Award given to the outstanding receiver in American college football. At his combine among wide receivers Coleman came in 3rd in the Vertical Jump, fifth in the forty yard dash, sixth in the Broad Jump and 11th in the Bench Press. In his first two years on the Browns things did not go well. Coleman demanded to be traded and was to the Bills. After nondescript stints on the Bills and the Patriots Coleman was signed with the Giants in October 2018.He played 8 games and was targeted 8 times with 5 receptions. Though a very limited sample his yards per target, catch percentage and yards per reception were all better than what he did on the Browns. In 2019 Coleman tore his ACL in training camp and was out for the season.
Cooper Rush 13 QB 6-3 225 26 4 Central Michigan
Cooper Rush was a four year starter at Central Michigan. As a junior he made All MAC Second Team and as a senior he made All Mac Third Team. Cooper Rush is tenth in the MAC over the last decade in career passer rating for players with 800+ career pass attempts and a career pass completion percentage of at least 60%. Rush was highly regarded in Dallas by players and executives. He was the backup quarterback in Dallas for three seasons. Jerry Jones compared his work ethic to Prescott, Troy Aikman and Tony Romo.
Elijhaa Penny 39 RB 6-2 234 26 4 Idaho
Elijhaa Penny was pulled by the Giants from the Cardinals practice squad in September of 2018. In 2018 Penny blocked for Saquon Barkley in his rookie year. Barkley rushed for over 1,300 yards and made the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. Following his 2017 season on the Cardinals, Pro Football Focus said Penny’s strong-suit was as a blocker. In 2017 Penny graded out with a 75.7 pass-blocking grade and a 67.0 run-blocking grade. The word is that Penny is a hard worker and a great teammate.
Dalvin Tomlinson 94 DL 6-3 318 26 4 Alabama
Dalvin Tomlinson made the 2017 NFL All Rookie Team. In 2019 Tomlinson was one of only ten defensive tackles that had 3 sacks, 20 solo tackles, 7 tackles for loss and 9 quarterback hits. For 2019 PFF ranked Tomlinson as 11th among all interior defensive linemen with at least 500 snaps. He has graded above 78 each of his three NFL seasons.
Cody Core 17 WR 6-3 205 26 5 Mississippi
The Giants special teams have been the bright spot of the team in 2019. They were number one in kickoff returns against allowing an average of only 18.1 yards per return. They were seventh in punt returns against allowing an average of only 5.7 yards. Cody Core was a big part of the special teams success. He led the team in special teams tackles with eight. Cody Core had pinned at least three punts inside the twenty last season,
James Bradberry 24 CB 6-1 212 26 5 Samford
James Bradberry was a four year starter at cornerback at Samford (2012-2014). There he had two interceptions in each of his four years. He continued that average in his four year NFL career having interceptions of 2, 2, 1 and 3. He is one of only 14 active players that in their first four years had 8+ interceptions and 45+ passes defended. Out of those 14 players Bradberry had the third most solo tackles and the second most sacks. He matches up pretty closely with former Giant Janoris Jenkins who is also on that list of 14. In 2019 Bradberry’s passer rating allowed when targeted of 70 was 21st among qualifying cornerbacks.
Riley Dixon 9 P 6-4 221 26 5 Syracuse
Last season Riley Dixon ranked twelfth in the league in yards per punt. He was tie at ninth for number of punts inside the 20 with 29. It was the best year of his four year career in terms of yards per punt. Riley had the second most punts downed in 2019. Dixon is eighth among active punters in career yards per punt. Riley Dixon made the 2016 NFL All Rookie team when he was on Denver.
Blake Martinez 54 ILB 6-2 237 26 5 Stanford
In his last three seasons of his four year NFL career Martinez has led the Packers in solo tackles each year. His solo tackle team market share has ranged from 12.6% to 14.7% in 2019. Those percents are indicative of Pro Bowl players. His solo tackles ranged from 91 to 97 those seasons. For comparison recently retired Luke Kuechly is regarded as one of the all time great linebackers.Kuechly’s solo tackles averaged 86 per season and ranged from 71 to 103.
Austin Johnson 98 NT 6-4 314 26 5 Penn State
In his last year in college in 2015 at Penn State Austin Johnson had 30 solo tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He was the only defensive tackle to achieve that in the Big Ten since 2015. He also returned a fumble 71 yards for a touchdown. His trainer back at the time, Dave Klemic, had this to say of Austin – “From work ethic to personality to his athletic output and his size. How he moves for his size – I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s absolutely freakish.” Johnson has had five career passes defended in his four year NFL career. That also matches the number he had his last two years at Penn State,
David Mayo 55 OLB 6-2 240 26 6 Texas State
In his last year in college David Mayo was the 2014 Sun Belt Defensive Player of The Year. As a linebacker he had four interceptions and was number one in the Sun Belt Conference in Solo Tackles, Assisted Tackles and Total Tackles. He was second in forced fumbles. In 2019, his first season on the Giants, he played the most defensive snaps of his five year career. He started 13 games and led all Giant linebackers in total and solo tackles. He was second on the team in both.Mayo was selected by Pro Football Focus as the Giants most improved player in 2019. This was due to his run support where he earned a run-defense grade of 90.1 that ranked second among all linebackers in the league..
Leonard Williams 99 DL 6-5 302 26 6 USC
Leonard Williams had the third most quarterback hits (11) on the team even though he played only half the season on the Giants. Only the two outside linebackers had more and Williams was only 2 short of a tie with Lorenzo Carter for the number two spot. Willliams’ 17 quarterback pressures was also third most on the team and only six shy of the number two spot. This in only eight games. His ten quarterback knockdowns on the Giants was second most on the team. Williams six quarterback hurries on the Giants was third most and only three short of second.
Sterling Shepard 87 WR 5-10 201 27 5 Oklahoma
In 2019 Sterling Shepard had a 68.7% catch rate. That was the highest among Giant wide receivers and 20th best in the league among wide receivers. Shepard is one of only 19 active wide receivers that have a career 2500+ receiving yards and a 65% catch rate with 7.5+ yards per target. Shepard’s 1.2% drop rate in 2019 was the sixth lowest among wide receivers in the league. He is one of only five wide receivers that over the last four seasons had 250+ touches and two or less fumbles. Shepard has a 40.2% first down to target/attempt percentage over the last two seasons. That is tops on the Giants. His 1,553 yards from scrimmage over the last two seasons is only topped by Saquon Barkley on the Giants. Since coming into the league in 2016 Shepard is 16th in the league in 3rd down catches that result in a first down. This even though he has missed 11 games over those four years. Sterling Shepard is eighth among all receivers with 2,051 yards out of the slot since 2016. Sterling Shepard is also a very good downfield blocker. He was awarded a game ball in December 2018 after the Redskins game for blocks on two Barkley runs of 78 and 53 yards. In his 2017 season Shepard was second among wide receivers in completions on contested catches for receivers with a minimum 20 contested catches. Shepard is one of only seven wide receivers who over the last four seasons had a catch Percent of 61%, a 6.5+ yards per target average and two plus receiving touchdowns each of the four years. The others are a who’s who of league recognized top receivers: Michael Thomas, Adam Thielen, Tyreek Hill, Larry Fitzgerald, Stefon Diggs and Davante Adams. On the all-time Giants record list Shepard is second in catch percentage among wide receivers, ninth in receiving yards per game, 13th in receiving yards per target, 14th in receptions and 21st in receiving yards.
Spencer Pulley 77 C 6-4 308 27 5 Vanderbilt
At his 2016 Pro Day Spencer Pulley showed his athleticism. Here are his event results and what place they would have been among offensive linemen at that year’s combine: 5.10 forty (8th), 4.48 shuttle (4th), 7.39 three cone (4th), 112 broad jump (3rd), 28.5 vertical (13th) and 28 bench press (11th).
Cameron Fleming 75 OT 6-5 320 27 7 Stanford
Cameron Fleming started at right tackle for the Patriots in the 2018 Super Bowl and played 100% of the offensive snaps. During his NFL career Fleming has played at every line position except center.
Chad Slade 62 G 6-5 315 28 3 Auburn
In his first four NFL seasons Chad Slade was mostly on the Texans practice squad charged with blocking J.J. Watt in practice. He did have 163 offensive snaps with the Texans in 2017. Slade played guard and tackle for the Texans and started at guard and tackle on both sides of the line of scrimmage at Auburn. He says he can play “heavy tight end” if needed. In 2017 he played one game on the Texans as tight end. After signing with the Giants in January 2019, Slade was the second highest graded Giant in one of their 2019 preseason games.Slade was inactive for all games in 2019.
Kyler Fackrell 51 LB 6-5 245 28 5 Utah State
Kyler Fackrell is one of 16 active players that have had a season of 10+ sacks, 12+ quarterback hits, 12+ tackles for loss and 25+ solo tackles in one of their first four seasons over the last four years. Fackrell achieved this on the second lowest number of defensive snaps. That was his 2018 season playing only 59% of the defensive snaps. That 2018 season he also allowed only a 47.9 passer rating when targeted. He had 10 targets and allowed only 4 completions.
Eric Tomlinson 83 TE 6-6 263 28 5 Texas-El Paso
In his 2014 senior year at UTEP Tomlinson was used heavily as a blocking tight end. He helped UTEP average 212 rushing yards per game. At 6’6″ and 263 lbs Tomlinson could be considered the second biggest tight end on the Giants. Over his 2017 an 2018 seasons on the Jets Tomlinson had 16 receptions averaging 12 yards with a 64% catch percentage.
Levine Toilolo 85 TE 6-8 268 28 8 Stanford
Levine Toilolo is the biggest tight end on the Giants. Toilolo has played in two Super Bowls. His 2016 season on the Patriots Levine average 13.9 yards per target which was second among all tight ends trailing Rob Gronkowski by 0.3 yards. Last season on the Super Bowl contender 49ers Levine was used primarily as a blocking tight end. The 49ers ran a 2-2 (two backs, 2 tight ends) formation 11% of the time which was third most in the league.Levine has a career catch percentage of 69.3%. That is 13th best among active tight ends with a minimum 110 targets. Pro Football Focus had him as their number one pass-blocking tight end in 2018 when he was playing for the Lions.
Casey Kreiter 58 LS 6-1 250 29 5 Iowa
Casey Kreiter played his last four NFL seasons with the Denver Broncos. He was selected to the Pro Bowl after flawlessly delivering 146 snaps in 2018. Before Denver he spent two training camps with Dallas. Kreiter played in every game from 2017-19 and has appeared in 58 regular-season games.
Dion Lewis 33 RB 5-8 195 29 9 Pittsburgh
In his first five seasons (2011-2017) Dion Lewis’ 4.81 yards per rush attempt was sixth best in the league for running backs with 1,000+ yards over that time-frame. In the 2016 postseason Dion became the first player in the Super Bowl era to score touchdowns on a run, a reception, and a kickoff return in the same postseason game.Dion Lewis was the starting running back in both Super Bowls following the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He also handled kick returns in those Super Bowls.According to Pro Football Focus Dion Lewis was the most elusive running back in 2017. During the 2016 season he received praise from Bill Belichick – “Dion works really hard,” Belichick said. “I think nobody works harder than Dion.”
Kevin Zeitler 70 G 6-4 315 30 9 Wisconsin
Kevin Zeitler was selected by Pro Football Focus as the most valuable addition at Guard across the league in the 2019 NFL season. He finished 2019 with the sixth-best grade among guards and posted a strong 75.0 pass-blocking grade — the sixth-straight year he’s achieved that mark. His 76.8 grade overall made him the highest graded player on offense for the Giants this season. Zeitler has graded above a 73 since he came into the league in 2012. His 2012 combine bench press reps of 32 was tie for 3rd among all offensive linemen that year.
Nate Ebner 43 DB 6-0 215 31 9 Ohio State
Nate Ebner is a rugby player and an NFL special teams specialist. In college he was a special team ace. In his 36 college career games, Ebner had 30 tackles from 2009 to 2011. Pro Football Weekly described him as a player who “races down the field like a bat out of hell, and hunts returners like a heat-seeking missile”. During his rookie season on the Patriots , Ebner played in 15 regular-season games and finished second on the team in special teams tackles (17). Bill Belichick had this to say about Ebner following his 2014 season – “His development has really been outstanding. I would probably put him in the, not the all-time top, but maybe in the top-five percent all time of players that I’ve coached, from where they were in college to how they grew in the NFL.” Ebner was named to the 2016 AP All-Pro Second Team at the Special Teamer position. On March 26, 2020, Ebner signed a one-year contract with the Giants.
Golden Tate 15 WR 5-10 197 31 11 Notre Dame
Golden Tate ranks 5th among all-time Giants in receiving yards per game. He ranks 8th in yards per target (since 1992). In 2019 Tate had the longest reception by a Giants receiver that season with 64 yards. He caught a Daniel Jones pass in stride and gained 35 yards after the catch for a touchdown. Golden Tate is twelfth in total receiving yards among active receivers. Among active receivers over the last ten seasons, Golden Tate is thirteenth in number of receptions of 10+ yards. In 2019 Golden Tate led the Giant wide receivers in yards after the catch per reception with 5.8 yards. That was eighth best among wide receivers in the league. Tate was one of only nine receivers in 2019 to have two plays of 60+ yards. Tate is sixth among all receivers with 2,070 yards out of the slot since 2016.
Alex Tanney 3 QB 6-4 220 32 5 Monmouth (Ill.)
Tanney broke nearly every school record during his time at Monmouth in college Tanney holds the Division III record for career passing yards (14,249), career passes completed (1,205) and career touchdown passes (157). He won the The 2009 Melberger Award given annually to an outstanding U.S. college football player in Division III of the NCAA. He was a three year winner of Offensive Player of the Year in the Midwest Conference. In 2015 on the Titans he stepped in relief of Zach Mettenberger with an injured Marcus Mariota sidelined for the season finale. Tanney completed 10 of 14 for 99 yards and a touchdown. Though it was a small sample if you sort active quarterbacks by passer rating from 2014 to 2019 Alex Tanney is at the top with a 113 rating. Tanney has been on the Chiefs, Cowboys, Browns, Buccaneers, Titans (twice), Bills, Colts and Giants. That is a lot of experience with various offenses and great quarterbacks. Tanney has a great work ethic, embraces the role of mentor and loves the game.
Nate Solder 76 OT 6-8 325 32 10 Colorado
In his senior year in college Nate Solder was selected as a 2010 consensus All-American. His 2011 combine metrics rank among offensive tackles in the 87 to 99 percentile in height, arm length, 20 yard shuttle, broad jump, vertical jump and forty yard dash. He made the 2011 NFL All Rookie Team. Solder ranks seventh among active players in playoff games started with 16. Following his first season on the Giants in 2018 Pro Football Focus evaluated his performance. Solder was one of 17 players who logged at least 1,000 snaps at left tackle and he ranked ninth in that group with a 74.1 overall grade. He was one of just nine players to log at least 500 snaps in pass protection at left tackle while surrendering a pressure rate no greater than 5.0%. As a run blocker he ranked eighth out of 23 left tackles who saw at least 300 run blocking snaps. Solder had a poorer 2019 season and his overall 2019 season grade dropped to 64.8.
Colt McCoy 12 QB 6-1 212 33 11 Texas
In college Colt McCoy was a two year Consensus All=American. He was second in voting for the 2008 Heisman Trophy and third in voting for the 2009 Heisman. He won the 2009 Davey O’Brien Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Manning Award, Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. His college career pass completion percentage of 70.3 stands at number two in NCAA history. Colt McCoy has had bad luck in his nine year career starting by getting drafted by a dismal Browns Team. After three years there a year at the 49ers behind Colin Kaepernick. Then starting in 2014 five years on the Redskins behind Robert Griffin, Kirk Cousins, Alex smith and Case Keenum.There was not much opportunity to develop. His passer rating while at Washington was a decent 89.6 with a 68% competion percentage. Washington players and coaches have always respected McCoy’s tireless work ethic and appreciated his attention to detail and energy, despite remaining in the No. 2 role. McCoy is always ready, they say. “Colt is the strongest competitor I think I’ve ever seen,” said center Chase Roullier. “Even when he’s out there leading the scout team, it’s like a Super Bowl every single day to him.”
There you have it – ninety-one players set to compete for a spot on the Giants roster or practice squad. In doing this exercise I had very few players that were difficult to find positive things to write. I could count those on one hand. It is a shame that they have to trim all the way down to a 53 man roster and a 12 man practice squad. That means 25 of the players listed here will be cut, This team is talented, has great experience and accomplishments, and has a winning team attitude. Hopefully there is a 2020 season for us fans and for the players. As they say the NFL stands for Not For Long. Their opportunity is fleeting and it would be a shame to lose a season.
