Giants Country

Giants Begin Two-Day Rookie Minicamp Orientation

Here's a rundown of the key storylines to emerge from Day 1 of the team's rookie minicamp.

Patricia Traina

Giants Rookie Minicamp 2024: Day 1
Giants Rookie Minicamp 2024: Day 1 / Patricia Traina
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NFL careers aren't necessarily born or destroyed during a team's annual rookie minicamp, and the New York Giants, who concluded the first of their two-and-a-half-day minicamp, are no different.

Instead, the goal of the annual gathering at the team's East Rutherford headquarters is for everyone to get to know each other and how things are run.

Yeah. They're here for a couple of days–kind of them get to know us, us get to know them," said head coach Brian Daboll before the rookies and select veterans went through their first practice. "We'll be out on the field for about an hour and 15 minutes. We'll do some individual drills. It'll be a couple of seven-on-sevens. But again, it's just an introductory phase for them to see how we operate. Start learning basic terminology and figuring out where everything is. So it'd be a good start."

It wasn't always this way for Daboll throughout his coaching journey. As far back as 2000, when he was an assistant coach, teams used to do everything during minicamps, including 11-on-11s. But considering how the game has changed, Daboll considers the training and preparation these athletes do for their combine and pro day showings and has dialed things back now that he's a head coach to not overload the young players on their first couple of days as pros.

“Go back to 2000 to now, I think you have to adjust as a staff,” he said.  “Most of these guys have been practicing for vertical jumps and broad jumps and three cones and all those things, and we wanna make sure that we do it right for those guys so they can kind of get in and practice a few things. And then once they get in with the veterans, we will also have a specific plan for them to try to catch 'em up to speed the best we can physically and mentally.”

For the mental part, Daboll revealed that his staff's position coaches have spent parts of the last two weeks since the draft on Zoom calls to help get the draft picks up to speed on the playbook.

"Yeah, it was me and a couple of coaches just being able to go through a couple of calls for like an hour a day and learn as much as possible before I get here so I could, you know, have a leg up," said safety Tyler Nubin.

Daboll has also tried to emphasize to the group to take breaths and not get too stressed out over anything.

"That's one of the first things I talked to 'em about last night was just to take a deep breath, relax, enjoy the moment. You've, you've worked hard to get into this seat. Don't make more of it than it is right now. We won't give you too much so that your head is swimming. We're gonna let you go out there and, and run around and compete the best you can. Particularly, I would say the tryout guys.

"Our coaches have been FaceTiming and meeting or zooming with the draft picks and trying to catch 'em up the best we can. I believe it's tough for those guys when they come in. The veterans have been doing it for a while, whether it's a year or two these past few months as we've been working. So it's a day-by-day deal. You just try to develop 'em the best you can.

Notable Names in Camp

The majority of the attendees in this year's camp are rookies, but a couple of veterans are in on tryouts. The most notable one is outside linebacker Shaka Toney, a four-year player out of Penn State.

The Washington Commanders originally drafted Toney in the seventh round of the 2021 draft. Last year, the league suspended him indefinitely after he was found to have gambled on NFL games during the 2022 season. Toney was reinstated on April 18, 2024, but released by Washington four days later.

Former Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney took part in the Giants' rookie minicamp on a tryout basis.
Former Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney took part in the Giants' rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The only other notable name on the rookie minicamp roster with prior NFL experience is outside linebacker Myjai Sanders, a third-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2022 draft. Sanders landed on injured reserve at the end of last year's training camp and was later released by the Cardinals on October 17. The Houston Texans picked him off waivers on October 18, 2023, and he lasted about six months, being waived on April 9, 2024.

A couple of relatives of current players were also in for tryouts, including offensive tackle Chaz Neal, whose cousin is Giants right tackle Evan Neal, and receiver Isaiah Hodgins' brother Isaac, a defensive tackle out of Oregon State.

Changes

With several new coaches added to Daboll's staff, it's always interesting to watch for new drills and methods incorporated into practice, and quite a few were to be unveiled.

The first thing that jumped out was rows of bleacher seats, each sectioned off and assigned to the players. The players could be seen in their spots reviewing notes and playsheets just before practice started.

Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen
Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA

Another notable change that new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen implemented was when the linebackers and defensive backs were working in zone coverage drills. Bowen had various team assistants don vests with letters representing the different positions on offense, e.g., Z for the Z-receiver, X, Y, H, etc. The plays were then run in slow motion as Bowen watched the defenders get into their various zones, the coach offering guidance to players who weren't deep enough.

After practice, the Giants gathered in a large circle, engaged in post-practice stretching under the watchful eye of new Executive Director of Player Performance Aaron Wellman. The Giants must have spent ten minutes or so stretching after practice.

While post-practice stretching isn't new for the team—they did so last year—what's different is that they started and finished as a team and did so in a circle rather than rows. Wellman was re-hired by the Giants organization to reduce the number of soft tissue injuries plaguing this team.

Giants Like Nathan Rourke

Quarterback Nathan Rourke, claimed off waivers this week from New England, will be the fourth quarterback on the roster, barring something changing.

"Thought it was a good claim," Daboll said when asked about the former CFL star. "(General manager) Joe (Schoen) put a claim in, we got him. Have another arm. Did some good stuff in the CFL and watched his stuff at Jacksonville. Thought he was a good player to add."

Daboll was asked if the addition of Rourke had anything to do with where incumbent starter Daniel Jones was with his rehab from a torn ACL.

"He's been going through Phase 2 (of the off-season program)," Daboll said of Jones. "We'll see where we are in Phase 3. "

Phase 3 is the OTA phase, which begins later this month. Jones is unlikely to be cleared to do all team drills, though he should be good to go to participate in individual drills.

Quick Hits and Observations

Undrafted free agent defensive tackle Casey Rogers, out of Oregon, stood out among his peers during defensive line drills. Rogers, who conjured up memories of defensive lineman Chad Bratzke, who was with the Giants during the 1994-1998 seasons, moved well, did a good job keeping his pad level low, and was overall smooth during the agility drills.

The same couldn't be said of tryout hopeful Jacob Lichtenstein from Miami, Florida. His footwork was clunky, and he struggled to bend at the waist during the early position drills.

Tyrone Tracy Jr., the team's fifth-round draft pick, looked smooth as silk catching balls out of the backfield.  This is no surprise, given his prior life as a college receiver.

Tyler Nubin, the second-round pick, made it a point to get around the ball during 7-on-7 drills. Nubin was asked after practice if he finds the ball or if the ball finds him.

"I think all my interceptions come from my preparation, really, in how I approach the game, how I study, and how I work throughout the week," he said. So it's hard work. A lot goes into making plays on Saturdays and Sundays. I'm still learning, and I can't wait to keep learning." 

Receiver Malik Nabers came up with a pretty-looking catch on an off-target ball. He turned his body while facing the quarterback to reach back and pluck the ball out of the air for the reception.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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