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The New York Giants held their two-day rookie minicamp on Friday and Saturday, and had an attendance of 80 players -- 78 rookies and two second-year players. Seven were among the 2025 NFL draft class, 13 were signed as rookie free agents, and 58 were there on a tryout basis.
The team was unable to practice in full pads, which limited a lot of what the coaches could do. However, it provided an opportunity for everyone to get a taste of NFL life and the work required to succeed.
Here are seven things we learned over the two-day minicamp.
The Giants kicked things off by announcing jersey numbers for their seven-player draft class, including edge rusher Abdul Carter, who made waves after attempting to lure both No. 56 and No. 11 out of retirement.
Ultimately, Carter settled on No. 51, which he intends to keep. All other jersey numbers are subject to change.
Giants rookies were treated to legendary presence during minicamp.
On Friday, Hall of Famer Michael Strahan watched practice from the sideline before breaking down the team. Then, on Saturday, two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning showed up and mingled with the rookies.
"Seeing somebody as legendary, somebody in the Giants organization coming back, giving back, giving us great advice. It's dope to see him here," Abdul Carter said. "I just want to be a part of bringing that legacy back. Just bringing that greatness back to New York."
"It was a great message just telling us to come in here, work hard and compete with each other and root for each other while we out there," Darius Alexander said of Strahan. "It's crazy seeing the Hall of Famer here on the first day just come watch us practice, watch us have fun as rookies like he did when he was younger, but it was awesome."
Abdul Carter cut his teeth as an off-ball linebacker until 2024 when Penn State moved him to the edge. He went on to have tremendous success, earning All-American honors.
With the Giants, Carter is open to playing whatever position the Giants need him in.
"I don't know about all 11 (positions)," he told reporters with a laugh. "I was talking to coach. Line me up at fullback, tight end, and I can block and catch so wherever they need me, I'm going to line up."
To start his professional career, Carter will work in the outside linebackers room.
"It's so early right now," head coach Brian Daboll said. "He's just learning the beginning stages of the playbook. We'll do whatever we think is best for the team."
Running back Cam Skattebo is humble, acknowledging that he's proven nothing at the NFL level and promising to put his best foot forward every day. However, he's excited to pair with Tyrone Tracy Jr., potentially creating the return of "thunder and lightning."
"I mean, he's a really fast running back and there's nothing about his game that you can take away from," Skattebo said. "He might be a little faster than me, so if you want to call it thunder and lightning, go ahead. But it's a running back field no matter how it goes. Whatever our roles are, if he plays the whole time and I play not at all, I'm just going to be here and I'm going to work, put my head down and keep going."
If the one-two punch were to play out, Tracy would play the role of Tiki Barber (lightning), while Skattebo would play the role of Ron Dayne (thunder).
But it would also be fair to say there's a little bit of Ahmad Bradshaw in Skattebo, and not just because of his jersey number (44).
"It feels good when you run somebody over and then get in the end zone," Skattebo said. "I mean it feels good when you get in the end zone, but imagine running someone over and then running another person over and then getting in the end zone. It's that much better. So, it just shows that when you're physical, it shows the work you put in in the weight room and how much you do to make your game better."
Quarterback Jaxson Dart was the center of attention during rookie minicamp and he earned quite a bit of praise from Brian Daboll.
Not only was Daboll impressed with Dart's preparation, he lauded him for "natural leadership qualities," which were on full display over the two days.
"He was prepared," Daboll said. "He put a lot of time and effort into it. I've got a lot of appreciation for how he's gone about his business,
"I think he's got some natural leadership qualities. Look, we communicate. We're trying to teach as much as we can, not just plays, but a lot of other things that we believe are important for a young quarterback. We'll continue to do that. He's got the right traits for it."
Some players are built for New York and others aren't. Dart seems to be a guy who can handle the spotlight and pressure.
Speaking of Dart, he flashed throughout minicamp but was notably more impressive on Friday than on Saturday.
"I mean we're not running any exotic coverage or having a pass rush or pressure, so there'll be time to develop that. But what we've asked him to do and how he's gone about his business as a young pro at that position is important," Daboll said.
Dart went 8-of-10 with two dropped passes in his first two 7-on-7 drills. Then, on Saturday, he completed seven of his 13 pass attempts and although he was a bit more uneven, he was also plagued by some drops and DPIs (no officials and therefore no calls).
All in all, it was a good start for Dart.
Daboll said in early April that a decision on the offensive play-caller would not be made until deep into the preseason. He remained true to that timeline despite being pressed by reporters during minicamp.
Assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was running the communications over the two days, but Daboll wouldn't budge when asked what that meant.
"Good observation," he told reporters.
Co-owner John Mara implied he would like to see Daboll give up play-calling duties, which the head coach took over in 2024, but admitted he would not force him to do so.
Early trends suggest the duties will go back to Kafka, but a final decision won't come for months.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: 7 things we learned during Giants rookie minicamp
Continue reading...
The team was unable to practice in full pads, which limited a lot of what the coaches could do. However, it provided an opportunity for everyone to get a taste of NFL life and the work required to succeed.
Here are seven things we learned over the two-day minicamp.
Jersey numbers for draftees
The Giants kicked things off by announcing jersey numbers for their seven-player draft class, including edge rusher Abdul Carter, who made waves after attempting to lure both No. 56 and No. 11 out of retirement.
Ultimately, Carter settled on No. 51, which he intends to keep. All other jersey numbers are subject to change.
- Abdul Carter, No. 51
- Jaxson Dart, No. 6
- Darius Alexander, No. 91
- Cam Skattebo, No. 44
- Marcus Mbow, No. 71
- Thomas Fidone, No. 86
- Korie Black, No. 25
Legends in attendance
Giants rookies were treated to legendary presence during minicamp.
On Friday, Hall of Famer Michael Strahan watched practice from the sideline before breaking down the team. Then, on Saturday, two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning showed up and mingled with the rookies.
"Seeing somebody as legendary, somebody in the Giants organization coming back, giving back, giving us great advice. It's dope to see him here," Abdul Carter said. "I just want to be a part of bringing that legacy back. Just bringing that greatness back to New York."
"It was a great message just telling us to come in here, work hard and compete with each other and root for each other while we out there," Darius Alexander said of Strahan. "It's crazy seeing the Hall of Famer here on the first day just come watch us practice, watch us have fun as rookies like he did when he was younger, but it was awesome."
Carter, outside linebacker
Abdul Carter cut his teeth as an off-ball linebacker until 2024 when Penn State moved him to the edge. He went on to have tremendous success, earning All-American honors.
With the Giants, Carter is open to playing whatever position the Giants need him in.
"I don't know about all 11 (positions)," he told reporters with a laugh. "I was talking to coach. Line me up at fullback, tight end, and I can block and catch so wherever they need me, I'm going to line up."
To start his professional career, Carter will work in the outside linebackers room.
"It's so early right now," head coach Brian Daboll said. "He's just learning the beginning stages of the playbook. We'll do whatever we think is best for the team."
Thunder & Lightning Part II
Running back Cam Skattebo is humble, acknowledging that he's proven nothing at the NFL level and promising to put his best foot forward every day. However, he's excited to pair with Tyrone Tracy Jr., potentially creating the return of "thunder and lightning."
"I mean, he's a really fast running back and there's nothing about his game that you can take away from," Skattebo said. "He might be a little faster than me, so if you want to call it thunder and lightning, go ahead. But it's a running back field no matter how it goes. Whatever our roles are, if he plays the whole time and I play not at all, I'm just going to be here and I'm going to work, put my head down and keep going."
If the one-two punch were to play out, Tracy would play the role of Tiki Barber (lightning), while Skattebo would play the role of Ron Dayne (thunder).
But it would also be fair to say there's a little bit of Ahmad Bradshaw in Skattebo, and not just because of his jersey number (44).
"It feels good when you run somebody over and then get in the end zone," Skattebo said. "I mean it feels good when you get in the end zone, but imagine running someone over and then running another person over and then getting in the end zone. It's that much better. So, it just shows that when you're physical, it shows the work you put in in the weight room and how much you do to make your game better."
"Natural leadership qualities"
Quarterback Jaxson Dart was the center of attention during rookie minicamp and he earned quite a bit of praise from Brian Daboll.
Not only was Daboll impressed with Dart's preparation, he lauded him for "natural leadership qualities," which were on full display over the two days.
"He was prepared," Daboll said. "He put a lot of time and effort into it. I've got a lot of appreciation for how he's gone about his business,
"I think he's got some natural leadership qualities. Look, we communicate. We're trying to teach as much as we can, not just plays, but a lot of other things that we believe are important for a young quarterback. We'll continue to do that. He's got the right traits for it."
Some players are built for New York and others aren't. Dart seems to be a guy who can handle the spotlight and pressure.
Dart flashes
Speaking of Dart, he flashed throughout minicamp but was notably more impressive on Friday than on Saturday.
"I mean we're not running any exotic coverage or having a pass rush or pressure, so there'll be time to develop that. But what we've asked him to do and how he's gone about his business as a young pro at that position is important," Daboll said.
Dart went 8-of-10 with two dropped passes in his first two 7-on-7 drills. Then, on Saturday, he completed seven of his 13 pass attempts and although he was a bit more uneven, he was also plagued by some drops and DPIs (no officials and therefore no calls).
All in all, it was a good start for Dart.
No play-calling decision
Daboll said in early April that a decision on the offensive play-caller would not be made until deep into the preseason. He remained true to that timeline despite being pressed by reporters during minicamp.
Assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was running the communications over the two days, but Daboll wouldn't budge when asked what that meant.
"Good observation," he told reporters.
Co-owner John Mara implied he would like to see Daboll give up play-calling duties, which the head coach took over in 2024, but admitted he would not force him to do so.
Early trends suggest the duties will go back to Kafka, but a final decision won't come for months.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: 7 things we learned during Giants rookie minicamp
Continue reading...
