Saquon Barkley is undoubtedly the heavy hitter of this week’s rookie minicamp for the New York Giants, but there are plenty of other interesting names that will partake in the event.
In fact, some of them might have an awfully prominent role with the team this upcoming year. The truth of the matter is that if one or two from this rookie class is better than advertised, then the Giants could well be playing meaningful football come December.
And the initial return on general manager Dave Gettleman’s first draft class with this team has been promising. Now is the first test, as the group hits the field this week.
3 Names to Watch (Not Named Barkley) at Giants Minicamp:
1. Will Hernandez – The UTEP guard plays with a nasty streak, the second round pick was a popular late first round pick in many mock drafts. He’s a tough physical specimen, plays hard and to the whistle. While his footwork needs some improvement, Hernandez is a fluid mover and should instantly work his way into a starting role with the Giants sooner rather than later.
If he does that and becomes a locked-in starter, then an offensive line that has been pretty bad the past two years will take a giant leap towards respectability. Hernandez should be close to dominant this rookie minicamp.
2. Robert Martin – An undrafted rookie free agent, Martin was a strong player for four seasons at Rutgers. He lost snaps this year behind some talented young running backs but Martin has good speed and shiftiness. He was productive ‘On the Banks’ in AAC and Big Ten play. After training locally at TEST Football Academy, Martin had a very good Pro Day and local workouts with both teams. He could be a good candidate to make a push for a spot on the training camp roster and then potentially the practice squad.
Also could be a nice pickup for special teams.
3. Kyle Lauletta – A fourth-round pick out of Richmond in the FCS, Lauletta has some interesting tools for the Giants to consider developing at quarterback. He doesn’t have the strongest of arms but is a solid, accurate thrower.
Arm strength didn’t hold back Chad Pennington across town with the New York Jets from having a very nice NFL career and Lauletta does so many other things well. He’ll make a couple of big jumps in competition the next couple of months but could seriously push Davis Webb as the backup behind Eli Manning over the next year or so.
