There are always great stories coming out of NFL training camps every summer about long-shot free agents and walk-ons who win over coaching staffs and earn a spot on some team’s 53-man roster.
This season, with no preseason games and camp roster limited to 80 players, those long-shots’ odds are even longer. Teams have very little time to get their known entities up and running, never mind finding diamond in the rough.
The New York Giants have a few undrafted free agents in camp this year that normally would be given a legitimate shot to compete for a roster spot, but with ten rookies and several veteran free agent signings, along with last year’s returning rookie class, those available roster spots will be few and far between.
One player to keep and eye on this summer is Rysen John, a 6-foot-7, 237-pound tight end prospect out of Simon Fraser University in British Columbia.
According to the Giants, “John played in 25 games and caught 112 passes for 1,675 yards and 19 touchdowns. In 2019, he was selected first-team All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference after catching 53 passes for 861 yards and 10 touchdowns to lead the league in all three categories. John was selected the team MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. He is named after former NFL receiver Andre Rison.”
John comes to camp ready to compete for a spot that may not be available. The Giants have Evan Engram, Kaden Smith and Levine Toilolo as their top three with Eric Tomlinson and Garrett Dickerson also in camp. The team also signed South Carolina UDFA Kyle Markway this spring.
Needless to say, John has a lot of leapfrogging to do and very little time and opportunity to work with.
John is likely headed to the practice squad, but that’s okay by him and the Giants. He has a long arc of learning to do, especially when it comes to blocking schemes.
“I’ve talked to Evan Engram quite often. Obviously, this is the first time have my hand on the ground. So I’ve been asking him (questions), picking his brain a little bit,” John told The Province. “I’m dealing with defensive ends now, and SAM linebackers. That’s the main difference, instead of going against a 5-9 corner and being able to pick them up easily on the outside.”
John will need to block at this level, even if the Giants end up splitting him out to a wide receiver role. He’s been adding muscle to his frame but he still has to master the nuances of taking on defensive ends and outside linebackers.
John’s uphill battle is even tougher with the steep learning curve the Giants are asking their rookies to flatten.
“As a player, what the coaches are giving us, they’re giving you the material, they’re expecting you to learn it, they’re expecting you to listen in the meetings and be able to ask questions if questions are needed, and then if you understand and you’re able to process information quickly enough, they throw more stuff at you,” John added.
“Really, for me, it’s just constant review. It’s really on us as players, it is our responsibility to go through our material and our stuff … so we don’t have to think too much on the field. It’s focusing on the details so when we hop on the field, and we’re in the huddle, I can apply that information, so I can go out there and just play fast.”
The Giants could have a diamond in the rough here with John, but he’s more of a 2021 revelation than a 2020 one.
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