Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

NFL analyst not impressed with Giants’ undrafted free agent pool

Originally posted on Empire Sports Media
By Matthew Legros | Last updated 5/12/24

The New York Giants’ 2024 rookie minicamp concluded on Saturday, May 11, and three of their most promising undrafted free-agent prospects got signed on Friday. However, one analyst was not very impressed with the talent the Giants brought in to assess.

Thor Nystrom of FantasyPros ranked the Giants’ pool of undrafted rookie free agents as the No. 28 ranked UDFA collection across the league, saying this about the five talents he had ranked on his pre-draft 500-player big board (h/t Kevin Hickey of The Sporting News):

“Amid an NFL Draft with a record 43 trades, the Giants made zero. The passive approach carried over to UDFA. I did like the traits-based flier on [Oregon] DT Casey Rogers,” Nystrom wrote.

“But with the roster in the shape it is, the Giants should have been more aggressive in adding similar risk-free ceiling prospects.”

Do the Giants’ five UDFA rookie mini-camp invitees leave something to be desired?

The Giants did not bring in a large amount of players to evaluate this spring in comparison to the rest of the teams in the league. No matter, Rodgers, as well as Louisiana State’s Ovie Oghoufo and West Florida’s John Jiles all got signed by the franchise on Friday.

New York also looked at Kansas cornerback Kalon Gervin and UCLA edge rusher Jake Heimlicher.

Regarding their signees, Oghoufo’s consistent run defense is counteracted by much criticism over his lack of elite-level explosion, highlighted on his NFL Draft and Combine prospect profile, while Jiles possesses immense hands and raw talent but route-running skills that leave something to be desired.

As for the other undrafted players, Heimlicher was an All-Ivy-League defensive end for the Penn Quakers in 2022 but has only one year of experience facing the best of the best competition in the FBS, and Gervin was reliable in the slot with 12 career passes defended but failed to bring home a single interception in his entire five-year collegiate career.

Giants have gotten encouraging looks from their 2024 NFL Draft picks

Contrarily, the Giants’ 2024 Draft picks have earned high marks from the media. Their No. 6 overall pick, WR Malik Nabers, has been lauded for his all-around talent and signed his four-year, $29.2 million rookie deal on Friday, May 10. Meanwhile, second-round defensive back Tyler Nubin’s leadership has come to the forefront at camp, and fourth-round TE Theo Johnson has been commended for his size and his hands.

Following the conclusion of minicamp, the Giants will have to make their final roster decisions and bring on the best possible young talent to help their re-tool this offseason be successful one.

This article first appeared on Empire Sports Media and was syndicated with permission.

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