The New York Giants signed former Indianapolis Colts receiver Parris Campbell to bolster their receiving corps, a unit that last year lost Sterling Shepard, Wan'Dale Robinson, Collin Johnson, and Kenny Golladay for parts of the season due to injury.
The interesting thing is that Campbell has spent the first three of his four NFL seasons--you guessed it--injured! While that might be a concern for some, Campbell was able to bounce back from all his injuries and now seems ready to assume a major role for the Giants after a breakout 2022 season with the Colts.
The 2019 second-round pick has athletic freak potential, and he fills a big need for New York, especially with Johnson, Shepard, and Robinson still recovering from their respective injuries.
The question regarding Campbell is, where will he help the Giants the most? Let's look at the positives and negatives of his game.
The Good: Big Play Ability
Campbell can stretch the field and be a big-play guy for the Giants. He is noticeably quick, but he is deceptively fast. People forget he ran a 4.31 forty-yard dash at the 2019 NFL combine. He gets to the third level very fast, even when NFL defensive backs play 20 yards off the ball. Campbell gets there and has shown he can get by them in a heartbeat.
One reason he can succeed as a deep threat is that his initial burst off the line is phenomenal. He gets off the line of scrimmage like he's exploding out of the blocks.
It's this element that also assists him in getting open on underneath routes. So many defenders are afraid that he'll blow by them. He can be another guy to stretch vertically for the other receivers to work underneath.
The Great: Separation on Breaks
At 6-foot and 208 pounds, Campbell knows how to sink his hips and explode out of his breaks, creating separation from defenders. When he ran that 4.3 forty, he also ran a 4.0 pro agility. That change of direction ability is a useful skill to employ at all three levels.
On short routes, he can snap it off quickly, turn his head around, and snag the ball before defenders can close the distance. He uses it to get separation on crossing routes and increasing vertical routes.
The best place where he uses this ability is on his speed cuts. The speed out is fast, and he can run it without indicating that he is breaking. That creates even more separation from defenders, especially against man defense, because it catches defenders off guard. Campbell can be effective as another chain mover for the Giants.
The Ugly: Route Awareness
Sometimes Campbell does not seem to be on the same page with the quarterback. This can result from little continuity between the quarterback and receiver, such as what he experienced last season with the Colts.
In his four seasons with Indianapolis, he has played with four starting quarterbacks (Jacoby Brissett, Phillip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan), so, understandably, there may be some miscommunication at times.
Unfortunately, when that miscommunication happens, it usually results in an interception. The Colts threw six interceptions on passes intended for Campbell. While they can't all be credited to Campbell, it does raise some questions about the receiver's play.
One of the things he will need to focus on is sight adjustments based on defensive alignment with the quarterback so that he and Daniel Jones are on the same page.
Final Thoughts
Campbell could be a legitimate long-term answer for the Giants at the position. No, he's not a number one guy, but he could be a great complement as a number two or three in a unit. Watching burners like Campbell and Darius Slayton should be enough to open large areas underneath for others to work.
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