Subscribe
Follow Us
The New York Giants had what many considered a good draft, and they addressed many positions of need, however they added some interesting undrafted free agents in the days after the draft took place.
The Giants have struck gold in undrafted free agency before. They signed wide receiver Victor Cruz out of UMass in 2010, and he turned into a valuable weapon that helped the team win Super Bowl 46. If you have followed the Giants over the last couple of years, wide receiver has been at the top of their list of needs. Although they did draft Jalin Hyatt out of Tennessee, a wide receiver who brings much-needed speed to the team, the signing of Bryce Ford-Wheaton out of West Virginia is an intriguing one, and fans should keep an eye on him in Giants rookie minicamp.
Bryce Ford-Wheaton brings a bigger body at 6-foot-4 and 221 pounds, according to NFL.com, and that is something the Giants do not have much of in their wide receiver room. Even though Bryce Ford-Wheaton is a bigger body, that does not mean he is not athletic. He ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the combine, and recorded an 88 athleticism score, according to NFL.com. The 88 athleticism score is ranked first out of the wide receivers at the combine. He should have a chance to make the Giants roster.
Ford-Wheaton never topped 675 yards in his career at West Virginia, according to sports reference. However, he did become a target in the red zone, scoring seven touchdowns in the 2022 season. As noted above, his bigger body could be useful for the Giants in the red zone. Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka have proved to be good with schemes in the red zone, but it can only help to have someone with a bigger body like Ford-Wheaton in your arsenal.
Article Continues Below
Wide receiver was one of the main areas the Giants addressed throughout the offseason, but that should not prevent Ford-Wheaton from making the roster if he shows he belongs throughout Giants rookie minicamp, training camp and the preseason. Not to mention, the Giants did not commit much long-term to the free agent wide receivers they signed, and multiple of those names could potentially be cut in training camp as well. Let's dive into those names.
The Giants brought back receivers Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins and Sterling Shepard. It would be a surprise if any of those players were to be released. The same goes for Parris Campbell, who comes over from the Indianapolis Colts. The issue with Campbell is that he has a lengthy injury history, and it would not be a surprise if he misses games this season. Who knows if he suffers an injury before the season starts, opening up another spot on the roster? Shepard is coming off of a torn ACL as well. Wan'Dale Robinson should be a lock to make the roster, but he too is coming off of a torn ACL that he suffered later in the season than Shepard did.
If Ford-Wheaton can prove to be a contributor on special teams, he could have a path to making the Giants roster out of training camp. He certainly has the athleticism to do so. If he can make the roster out of training camp, it will be interesting to see if the Giants work him into the plans in the passing game throughout the season.
