The NY Giants brought in Landon Collins and Ereck Flowers in the draft and now they are hoping those players can start and make an immediate impact in 2015 and this comes as Eli Manning is coming into the final year of his contract and could be in line for an extension, while Tom Coughlin expects Jason Pierre-Paul to be with the team in minicamp.
According to Pro Football Talk, the Giants expect Flowers and Collins to compete for starting roles this season after being the first two picks for the team in the 2015 draft. Flowers was selected ninth overall in the first round and he comes in after playing multiple positions on the offensive line for Miami. The Giants traded up for Collins, taking the safety first overall in the second round.
If Flowers shows enough in training camp to start for the Giants, it likely will push Justin Pugh to a new position on the offensive line. According to Dan Graziano at ESPN.com, offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo said that Flowers could play right tackle for the Giants, but he is not yet "pencil(ed) in as a starter." McAdoo said the team would start the "best five" players and that Flowers will be in that mix.
The Giants are expecting to have Jason Pierre-Paul in minicamp with the team even though he has not signed a contract, head coach Tom Coughlin said to Tom Rock of Newsday this week. JPP comes in after getting hit with the franchise tag and the two sides now have until the middle of the summer to work out a long term deal. JPP may stay away from offseason workouts if he is not yet signed and that could lead to issues coming into training camp.
Both sides are expecting to get a deal done, but when it comes to the franchise tag and long term deals, things can take time to figure out. Jerry Reese said to the Newark Star-Ledger that Collins has the inside edge to start, as the team had some depth issues at safety coming into the draft. Antrel Rolle is gone and now Collins comes in as the most talented safety on the Giants roster. Collins had a standout career at Alabama and he could be the main safety for the Giants and new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Pro Football Talk also reports that the team signed sixth round pick Geramy Davis to a contract for four years. The Giants have Victor Cruz coming back from knee surgery with Odell Beckham, Rueben Randle, Corey Washington and Preston Parker on the roster and now Davis joins in. The Giants have not had great luck with late round receivers in recent years and Davis could buck that trend. Giants vice president of player evaluation Marc Ross said that Davis should be a strong slot option for the team and that he can also play special teams.
The Giants are also filling out their roster for offseason workouts and training camp, signing Southern Connecticut defensive tackle Carlif Taylor, Stony Brook tight end Will Tye and Temple running back Kenny Harper. Those players are no lock to make the team and all three players worked out this week to try and make the roster out of rookie minicamp.
