After the NFL Combine and before the NFL Draft, most prospects and NFL hopefuls are not only continuing their training, they are taking part in visits and workouts with a number of teams. And while most fans are familiar with the college pro day circuit, many don’t know or understand that every NFL team will also host prospects as part of their local day.
One local player took Metro New York inside this process.
NFL teams are able to host draft-eligible prospects that either live locally or attended college within their region for a full day of workouts. So for the local New York teams, that means that players from programs such as Rutgers, Fordham, Stony Brook, Monmouth and others get to come in to their facility. Also, players who grew up in the area get an invite as well.
This included players such as Rutgers offensive linemen Chris Muller and J.J. Denman, wide receivers Carlton Agudosi and Vance Matthews, safety Anthony Cioffi; Fordham tight end Phazahn Odom; Monmouth defensive lineman Darnell Leslie and several players from Stony Brook’s program.
This past Friday, the New York Giants had their local showcase one day after the New York Jets. Held at Quest Diagnostics Training Center, it gave the NFC East team another chance to interact with players who might be filling their roster come rookie minicamp.
For some players, it was their second or third time coming into contact with representatives of the Giants staff during the draft process.
According to one player, the Giants local day began at 8 a.m. as they checked-in, filled-out paperwork and waiver forms, then had breakfast in the team dining hall.
At 9 a.m., the draft-eligible players met in the auditorium for an overview of the day. It was there that the offense and defense broke up to meet with coordinators and coaches.
The players introduced themselves and then the position coach gave a breakdown of the roster and the current depth-chart.
A tour of the facility then followed where the NFL hopefuls met with the strength and conditioning staff, the team’s nutritionist and they equipment staff.
Things transitioned back to the auditorium where the offense and defense converged again. They heard from former Giants wide receiver David Tyree, now the director of player development, and current nose tackle Damon Harrison.
Harrison, an undrafted rookie free agent out of William Penn, became one of the most expensive interior defensive linemen in the NFL last offseason when the Giants signed him through free agency.
The players were on the field at 11 a.m. for the workout portion and for about an hour, did drills, ran routes and competed in front of the entire coaching staff. Everything from blocking to movement was being tracked by the Giants.
Once this finished, they had lunch with their positional coaches and left the team facility with the hope that they’ll be back again in a few weeks, this time as a member of the Giants.
