Odell Beckham should be a dynamic weapon for the Giants right off the bat.
Credit: Getty Images
The Giants are coming off a humbling 7-9 campaign last season. But after an 0-6 start, the team finished 7-3, giving them hope heading into the 2014 season.
Star players such as Justin Tuck, Hakeem Nicks and now Chris Snee will be gone for the first time in many years.
Metro takes a look at five players who will be on everyone’s mind when training camp gets underway.
1. Weston Richburg
OK, so no one got especially excited about the Giants using a second-round pick on a center from Colorado State.
But he was roundly praised at the time of the selection, and he’s now going to play a pivotal role in training camp.
He’ll already be battling it out with veteran J.D. Walton for the starting spot at center — replacing the departed David Baas — and he could a contender at right guard in place of the retired Chris Snee as well.
2. Odell Beckham Jr.
The Giants drafted a wide receiver with their first-round pick for just the second time in the last dozen years. Coincidentally, it is the other selection — Hakeem Nicks — who Beckham will be most tasked with replacing.
Nicks signed for big money in Indianapolis and the Giants went with Beckham over free agents like Eric Decker or DeSean Jackson to rebuild there receiving corps.
Beckham should be a highlight reel waiting to happen and could contribute on special teams immediately.
3. Stevie Brown
It’s been almost a year since anyone has seen Brown play in a competitive game. And yet, due to the suspension and then release of Will Hill, Brown is almost assured of starting in 2014.
Fellow safety Antrel Rolle likely had his best season as a Giant with Brown out for the entire season with a torn ACL. If Rolle sustains that form, and Brown is close to what he was as a starter in 2012, the Giants have one of the better safety tandems in the league.
If not, there’s almost no depth behind Brown. Quintin Demps and Cooper Taylor are the other only other options.
4. Will Beatty
What happened to this guy last season?
The Giants signed Beatty to a five-year, $38.75 million contract last offseason to secure Eli Manning’s blind side for years to come. Instead, he was a disaster during the season, and nothing like the year before.
He’s dealt with a multitude of injuries, including surgery on a broken leg this offseason, and needs to find his previous form.
5. David Wilson
Wilson tweeted on Monday he had been cleared for all contact as training camp gets underway. The news must have thrilled the Giants.
Wilson underwent neck surgery in the offseason, an injury which cost him most of 2013, and had not taken part in any of the minicamps the Giants held. In fact, he expected to be ready to take part in contact drills last time out, but was not cleared as he had been hoping.
Wilson has been a mercurial talent for the Giants since being drafted at the end of the first round in 2012. There’s no question he has the most impressive physical gifts of anyone in the backfield — maybe the whole roster — but he hasn’t been able to stay healthy or hold onto the ball. His fumble on the second carry of his career put him in Tom Coughlin’s doghouse until he broke out late in 2012 as a possible star back and returner. But he lost two fumbles in the 2013 season opener, too.
Wilson now needs to show he is healthy enough to step up and replace the departed Andre Brown. The Giants’ run game was a disaster after Wilson went down.
Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports.
