You can’t take much of anything off rookie minicamp. It’s fun to watch because it’s the first football-like thing since the season ended, but knee-jerk reactions are a bit silly.
These are players who are running an offense they began learning a week or two ago. It’s the first football practice they’ve taken part in since college. Rarely have any of them played together before. The vast majority of guys on the field are tryout players. Maybe one of them gets an invite to training camp, but, to be blunt, the vast majority are simply not NFL-level players.
It’s cool, though, because sometimes you do have someone stand out. I’ll never forget Jets rookie minicamp in 2016. Robby Anderson, then an undrafted rookie out of Temple, caught a little slant in team drills. He proceeded to run away from everyone on the field. The separation was jarringly different from anyone else out there. Anderson not only went on to make the roster but also had a pretty successful NFL career. He caught 380 passes for 5,087 yards and 30 touchdowns in nine years.
That’s why observations during these days aren’t pointless. They can be fun. And, after watching two days of Giants rookie minicamp, here’s what stood out.
The quarterback …
Everything mentioned above about not making too much out of minicamp applies double for quarterbacks. A good day is still always better than a bad day, though. And Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart had back-to-back good days.
Brian Daboll didn’t run any 11-on-11 drills. Dart’s only team work came in 7-on-7s. There, he completed eight of 10 passes (two drops) on Friday. He was 7 of 13 on Saturday. His final pass of rookie camp was a 45-yard touchdown to Da’Quan Felton.
The completion percentage on Day 2 might raise some eyebrows. Temper the negativity, in my opinion. The Giants were much more aggressive in attacking the second and third level of the defense – naturally, completion percentage drops. Of those incompletions, though: Two were pretty obvious defensive pass interferences, one a drop, and another just past the outstretched fingertips of his wideout (an NFL player, not a tryout player, likely catches this). Those who read me regularly know I have zero issue sounding alarms. No reason for that here.
The best thing you can say about Dart is there was an undeniable confidence in his play. He looked comfortable and in control. I’ve covered rookie camps every year dating back to 2015 (absent the COVID season). I’ve lost track of the number of young quarterbacks (draft picks, undrafted, tryouts) I’ve seen throw. They’re almost always jittery. You’ll see them hitch because they’re not trusting their eyes. They’ll force the issue. They’ll sail passes because they’re nervous. You didn’t get that with Dart. That impressed me.
He also very clearly has arm talent. It was interesting watching him next to tryout quarterbacks Sammy Edwards and Myles Crawley because there was a very clear difference. He has a unique throwing motion, but there’s no lack of zip on his passes. He threw mostly passes within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage. They were impressive fastballs. As Dart develops, he’ll learn to control that. You don’t always need to give every pass everything you have. You want to throw the cliche catchable ball.
A couple years ago, I talked with Garrett Wilson and Elijah Moore about that. They were praising Joe Flacco for his ability to know when to turn it up compared to dial it back. It made their job easier.
What does all of this mean? Likely nothing at this point. But, again: Two good days are better than two bad ones.
No. 51 in your program
Numbergate is over! Abdul Carter picked number 51. There really wasn’t much to the decision, he said, as it was about all the Giants had left. He said it’s going to take some time to “grow on” him, but he’s committed to it. Unlike Dart, DariusAlexander and Cam Skattebo, Carter plans to go into the season with that on his chest.
The Giants worked Carter at linebacker during individual periods. They plan on using him everywhere, though – edge, inside, dropping back. He has physical gifts few in this world possess and the Giants plan on using every one of them to ruin offensive game plans.
It’s hard to judge what Carter’s capable of because he didn’t do much in the practices (no 11-on-11 drills), but he certainly looks the part.
Rebuilding the trenches
Alexander, the defensive tackle taken in the third round, looks the part, though. Specifically with Alexander: That is a big, big guy. Even by NFL standards. He can move really well, too. There’s a legitimate quickness to his game evident in individual drills.
It will be curious how the Giants choose to use him. Most sources I touched base with believe he’s best in a defense where the linemen are let loose. Essentially: Attack first and think later. That would allow his freak athleticism to shine. Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s scheme, in the past, has been more read-and-react. He can still have success there, but won’t have as many opportunities to show how special of an athlete he is.
Quick hits and tidbits
– There were comparisons after the NFL Draft of Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Skattebo recreating the elite Giants backfield of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. There might be something to the thunder-lightning combination, but there are no similarities between Skattebo and Jacobs. Jacobs was a monster (6-5, 265). Skattebo is every bit the 5-9 he measured in Indianapolis. He’s very stocky, but it will be interesting to see how his physical running nature matches up with NFL talent.
– One more note on Skattebo: Don’t be surprised if he ends up as the team’s third-down back. He’s a capable blocker, but very good as a receiver out of the backfield. His dad was a 6-5 wideout and used to drill him on the fundamentals of route running, Skattebo said. He might be the Giants’ most talented receiving back.
– Felton, a big wideout (6-5, 216) out of Virginia Tech, made an impressive catch on Thursday. He also caught the final play of rookie camp: A 45-yard touchdown from Dart. Avery Morrow made a nice catch on a swing pass from Dart that day, too, and took it up the left sideline. Showed impressive speed. He played at Colorado State.
– Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka had the walkie-talkie (calling plays) both days. Who will handle this during the regular season is again a topic of conversation. Kafka did it in Year 1. Kafka, Daboll and Shea Tierney split it at different points in Year 2. Daboll did it in Year 3. The Giants’ offense last year was the worst it’s been under Daboll (statistically).
– Crawley, an undrafted tryout player from Grambling State, has a strong arm. That was overwhelmingly evident in individual drills. He didn’t do much in 7-on-7s to stand out, but it was entertaining watching him sling it around to trainers and wideouts.
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