Tag: Tre Hawkins

See it: Sterling Shepard shakes Giants rookie out of his shoes

New York Giants WR Sterling Shepard was cooking in practice on Monday, burning rookie CB Tre Hawkins with a beautiful move.

When wide receiver Sterling Shepard went down with a torn ACL in Week 3 last season, many assumed his New York Giants career was over.

Shepard had already battled his way back from a torn Achilles and hadn’t played a full season since 2018. Still, the Giants recognized his leadership and value in the locker room so they not only kept him around the team last year but re-signed him to a one-year deal this past offseason.

“It means a lot (to be back),” Shepard said in June. “This organization has been really good to me throughout my playing career, and some of the stuff that’s happened over the years. I’m grateful and thankful and I try to give this organization everything I’ve got just for those reasons.”

The Giants are not shy about their admiration of Shepard, both the player and the person. That was evident last season when head coach Brian Daboll insisted on having Shepard around and co-owner John Mara already plotting a post-playing career job for the 30-year-old.

Still, because of his injury issues, many have been skeptical of Shepard’s role on the Giants. Some even view him as a bubble player who is at risk of being cut.

Those of us at Giants Wire don’t subscribe to that theory and anyone who’s watched Shepard at training camp won’t, either.

On Monday, as the Giants returned to practice, Shepard once again proved why he’s considered the best route-runner on the team. He pulled a little shake-and-bake on rookie Tre Hawkins, who got stonewalled, before hauling in the touchdown.

Tre Hawkins has been surprisingly dominant in camp thus far but there was just no defense for Shepard’s moves. That was enough to shake a savvy veteran out of his shoes.

And, of course, tight end Darren Waller was there to meet Shepard with the griddy.

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Giants drop preseason opener to Lions: 7 takeaways

The New York Giants fell to the Detroit Lions, 21-16, on Friday night in their preseason opener and here are 7 quick takeaways.

The New York Giants opened their 2023 NFL preseason schedule with a 21-16 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Friday night.

Here are seven quick takeaways from the game.

Giants fall to Lions: Winners, losers and those in between

The New York Giants fell to the Lions, 21-16, on Friday and here’s a look at our winners and losers (and those in between) from the game.

Editor’s note: Upon reviewing the game, we changed the entry for Deonte Banks, adding detail on what was a bang-bang play and difficult to read in real-time. Giants Wire writers disagreed (and still disagree) on what transpired.

The New York Giants opened the 2023 preseason on Friday night against the Detroit Lions and neither team played their key starters. There were a few spot starters on both sides but predominantly, the game featured depth players.

Accordingly, it was a rather ugly performance for each team. There was more bad than good, and neither coach is going to be particularly happy on Saturday morning.

Here are some winners, losers, and in-betweens from Fright night’s Giants’ victory/defeat.

5 Giants with most to gain in preseason matchup vs. Lions

These 5 New York Giants could gain the most with a strong performance against the Detroit Lions on Friday night in Week 1 of the preseason.

The New York Giants open their 2023 preseason schedule on Friday night when they face the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.

The Giants’ roster has just a few position battles to focus on and they will be decided on the field. But there are other things to watch such as the 53-man roster.

For some players, they will need to play well to stick while others are fighting their way up the depth chart.

Here are five Giants players who have the most to gain in the game.

8 Giants players to watch in preseason opener vs. Lions

The New York Giants open the preseason on Friday night against the Lions and these eight players are worth keeping an eye on (if they play).

The New York Giants will face the Lions in Detroit on Friday night in their 2023 preseason opener.

This is the beginning of the road for some players on their roster but at the same time, will be the beginning of the end for others.

Here is a list of eight players to keep an eye on Friday night, depending on whether or not they appear in the game, that is.

Giants release first unofficial depth chart: 10 takeaways

The New York Giants have released their first unofficial depth chart of the preseason and here are 10 quick takeaways.

The New York Giants released their first unofficial depth chart of the 2023 preseason on Tuesday, just days removed from their game against the Detroit Lions.

Overall, there were very few surprises but several notable takeaways — especially considering how practices have been structured and factoring in the rotations head coach Brian Daboll has been using.

Here are 10 quick takeaways.

Giants stock report: Risers, fallers after two weeks of training camp

Whose stock is rising and whose is falling after two weeks of New York Giants training camp?

The New York Giants are well into their 2023 training camp and several players have shone while others have not. And while there’s still plenty of time left and things are subject to change, a story is beginning to take shape.

Here is a quick list of “risers” and “fallers” since camp began two weeks ago.

Wink Martindale pleased with Giants’ rookie cornerbacks

New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is happy with the early returns on rookie cornerbacks Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins.

When the New York Giants selected Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks with the 24th overall selection in this year’s NFL draft, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale was so overjoyed he laid an uncharacteristic aggressive hug on general manager Joe Schoen.

In case you missed that exchange, here it is:

That right there displayed how much Martindale loved the pick, knowing he needs physical outside cornerbacks to make his system run.

Banks is a 6-foot-2, 205 pound prospect that will man up against the bigger wideouts in the league. Banks began camp slowly but has been ramping things up the past week.

On Thursday, Martindale updated the media on Banks’ progress.

“I think he’s been great,” Wink said. “It’s one of those things — corners are on the island. You know what I mean? When you see, he’s on the island and this is the NFL. It’s 50/50 on the edge. He still has that mentality that if he gets knocked down nine times, he gets up 10 and doesn’t flinch. (He) listens, learns (and) Rome’s doing a great job with him, (defensive backs coach) Jerome Henderson, and I think both of those young corners have come in here and competed and they’re exciting to watch.”

“Both of those corners?”

Yes, the Giants are crowing about another rookie as well. Old Dominion’s Tre Hawkins III — a 6-foot-3, 195-pound player who the Giants found on Day 3 of the draft that has the team’s training camp buzzing.

“Oh, he’s had a great camp. He’s had a great camp,” Martindale said.

“It’s amazing to me as you go back and you think about the different guys and where they come from. It doesn’t matter where you come from once you get here because the resources and people that they have to work with at this level and the guys that are productive, you can see the confidence just build in them. I really think he’s done a nice job but he’s got a lot of things to work on, just like we all do.”

Hawkins has earned first reps early on in camp and has shown he can both post up on the line as well as cloak speedy wideouts down the field.

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5 standouts from Giants’ first week of training camp

A look at five New York Giants who stood out during the first week of training camp.

The New York Giants have completed their first week of training camp and things have been relatively quiet.

As things go for the Giants, that’s always a positive. That means no injuries, no controversy and lots of harmony.

There has been some news, however, in the way of standout players. Here’s five players who have impressed thus far.

Giants rookie CBs Deonte Banks, Tre Hawkins off to very different starts at camp

New York Giants rookie cornerbacks Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins are off to very different starts in training camp.

The New York Giants selected Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks in the first round of this year’s NFL draft. Big Blue is hopeful that he can win the starting job across from Adoree’ Jackson this summer and give the team a formidable pair of corners.

That is the hope, but through the first few days of training camp, Banks has yet to distinguish himself. He appears to have a lot of seasoning to do and the Giants will need him to shorten his learning curve.

“First, I take notes,’’ Banks told reporters on Friday. “I take notes on my stuff and learn what I can learn from my position, and then I try to see the bigger picture, and see what everybody else is doing. Also, ask vets what they’d do or how they’d look at this or things like that.’’

That’s fine, but on the field, Banks has been inconsistent, like on this one-on-one against tight end Darren Waller.

Granted, these are not full-go, full-contact drills, but Banks has allowed a number of plays to elude him.

That could change as the summer unfolds, though, and especially when the pads come on, as the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Banks is a physical player.

But for every big-ticket draft pick that gets off to a slow start, there’s always another that gets off to a fast one.

Such is the case for sixth-round draft pick, Tre Hawkins III, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound corner out of Old Dominion, who has been impressive thus far at camp.

Hawkins was an under-the-radar pick by general manager Joe Schoen, as he did not participate at the NFL Combine. But if he had, he would not have lasted until the sixth round.

At his pro day, Hawkins ran a 4.39 40-yard dash, which would have placed him in the top 10 at the combine. His 6.74 time in the 3-cone drill would have been good enough for second at the Combine.

He also logged in 17 reps on the bench press, a 37.5-inch vertical and a 4.22 time in the 20-yard shuttle.

Hawkins prides himself on his physical play and loves to tackle, which is why he has increased value as a special teamer.

Should Banks not be ready by opening day, perhaps Hawkins will be. Unlike in recent years, it appears the Giants might be back to finding gems in the late rounds of the draft.

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