Other Top Plays
It was an active day for the Giants’ young linebackers. Abdul Carter, last year’s third overall draft pick, was all over the field applying pressure and sniffing out a few runs.
Meanwhile, Arvell Reese, this year’s fifth overall draft pick, is paired with veteran Tremaine Edmunds at inside linebacker. The Ohio State product spied the quarterback a few times to limit run opportunities.
“It’s really being multiple, and it’s understanding what’s going to play in this scheme as a premium,” assistant general manager Brandon Brown said recently at rookie minicamp. “I previously worked with [defensive coordinator] Dennard Wilson before, and the defense is really going to take in a lot of his personality. It’s going to be aggressive. It’s going to be multiple. You’re going to feel pressure from different alignments.
“When you have guys that can fit different hats, you don’t got to take them off the field. We can go from base to sub and move guys around, and you are going to have to identify where pressure is coming from, and you may not know. You may think that, hey, Arvell is a threat as an interior rusher, and then he’s lining up on the edge. Or, you know, he’s dropping in the hook area or you are looking at [Brian] Burns or Abdul. They can all do the same thing. It’s us finding the best matchup week to week, having multiple guys that can do multiple roles, allow us to expose whatever that weak point will be in that weekly matchup, and it fits Dennard’s style.”
There were a handful of near-interceptions, beginning with Edmunds over the middle in 7-on-7 work. Rookie cornerback Colton Hood, a second-round pick out of Tennessee, almost had a one-handed pick but still prevented the touchdown in a red zone period. Hood broke up another pass earlier in practice. Elijah Campbell also had to settle for a breakup as he couldn’t hold onto the opportunity for a pick-six going the other way.
Wide receiver Calvin Austin III, a veteran offseason signing, racked up yards after catch on a few passes from Dart. Austin, whose career-long reception is a 73-yard touchdown, spent his first three seasons with the Steelers.
Jameis Winston showed good touch on a pass to wide receiver Beaux Collins, placing it perfectly in between the second and third levels of the defense.
Second-year defensive lineman Darius Alexander batted a pass at the line of scrimmage.
Remaining Practices
OTAs: May 20-21, May 27-29, June 1-4
