A) We haven't a clue yet who the 3rd WR on the field will be as a starter, let alone the 4th for 4 WR sets.
B) The only roster locks are Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate, and I assume Darius Slayton as 5th round draft picks usually get "scholarship" roster slots, at least, and anyway he's been singled out by PS as "most improved" rookie from 1st rookie mini-camp to the end of the OTAs. Obviously Slayton's raw athleticism is high upper tier, speed, hops, quickness, very solid size, arm length, and huge hands.
C) From the rest - not even addressing the UDFA long shots whose best shot is on the PS - Lattimer seems to have played the most 1st team reps, Coleman has a rare killer speed factor and was a very good KR guy last year and seems to relish STs in general (he's desperate to stick, clearly), and Fowler has been reported to be the best player among them so far, in shorts, whether that's 2nd team reps or otherwise.
That leaves Russel Shepard - a team leader and valuable gunner and STs guy - on the bubble. Some folks call him a "DG guy" in terms of roster presence and character. I'm just not sure that's enough this year for him to grab a slot among 6 WRs, let alone if they keep only 5.
Guys are battling for their livelihoods here, for sure. Should be a fun watch from the sidelines.
Last year the Giants kept seven WR's on the roster, but they skimped on RB's. This year I figure they'll keep six WR's and carry one more RB than they did last year. Special teams will no doubt be one of the deciding factors.
Slayton, Tate, and Shepard make three. Of the remaining eight, I'd pencil in Corey Coleman. It's hard to believe that a guy who's still only 24 can be considered a reclamation project, but that's essentially what Coleman is. He did do a nice job returning kicks last year, and my guess is the Giants want to see what he can do with their full offseason program under his belt. They don't have anything to lose by giving a young guy with his skills a fair shot.
On the other hand, I don't know why they kept Cody Latimer around. He's the poster boy for underachieving WR's, and at 27 are the Giants expecting a miraculous turnaround from him? Maybe they are, but I wouldn't. The beats seem to love him, though, so I'll pencil him in, too, even though I'd rather not.
I figure the last spot will go to either Russell Shepard (28), Bennie Fowler (28), or Alonzo Russell (27), whomever is the best special teams player.
My dark horse WR, Reggie White, Jr. (23) - is most likely destined for the PS. Maybe Alex Wesley (24), too. I think Brittan Golden (30) is history.
The fact that Lattimer started out as the #3 WR and received most of the reps tells you something about how the coaches view him, so you can +/- disregard how little he has accomplished over the course of his career at this point - which IIRC was largely dictated by his inability to stay on the field, nu?
Lattimer also 1) seems to catch contested balls, 2) plays gunner well too (I have a hard time keeping track of STs contributions from guys who are oft injured) and 3) simply has an upper tier set of physical attributes, what Marc Ross lived to call "height, length, speed". The characteristics that often led to over-drafting prospects on potential during the Reese era.
But for sure Lattimer is being challenged by several veterans desperate to make the roster as well as the rookie Slayton who has a very serious physical toolbox himself.
Reggie White will need some Victor Cruz pre-season moments to make the team, and remember after shining out like a meteor even VC actually simply "made" the IR list year one. IIRC it was his sophomore year when VC won a starting job outright.
I suspect the Giants will also effectively be building the offense inside out, as Barkley is one of the more dangerous players in the league, and I'd hope the Giants punish teams for stacking the box and keying on the run game.
I just don't see where four yard quick hits to Tate fit as a staple in this type of offense.
I really hope the play action opens things up over the top -- I hope Coleman and Tate are used in that respect.
Was he good on special teams? In 2017, this guy said no, although I think he sold him a little short as a kick returner. He was okay in that department. But I'm just not going to disregard four years of sucktitude in Denver, where he averaged 8.75 receptions a year!
I'm sure Tolbert vouched for him, which is why he's here, and the Giants did see fit to re-sign him, so they still must like him, but, honestly I'm just really, really tired of watching guys like Latimer take up space while we're waiting for that proverbial light to come on.
I suspect the Giants will also effectively be building the offense inside out, as Barkley is one of the more dangerous players in the league, and I'd hope the Giants punish teams for stacking the box and keying on the run game.
I just don't see where four yard quick hits to Tate fit as a staple in this type of offense.
I really hope the play action opens things up over the top -- I hope Coleman and Tate are used in that respect.
For all that Tate isn't a vertical threat, keep in mind this isn't Gillbride's and TC's offense. Shurmur loves to spread the defense horizontally a la Bill Walsh. and I think our OTs and OGs and WRs/TEs have that skill set to block in space for PS's scheme.
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in college.
I really don't expect much of anything from him this year.
Players don't play fast until they are comfortable in the system and maybe even larger their surroundings. For whatever reason, it seems Coleman hasn't reached that point with any NFL club yet, and it seems the Giants' coaches are coddling him into that level of knowledge and comfort. He looked fast returning kicks, didn't he?
Again, I get the sense PS's system is very WR friendly - whatever that means.
Practically every player in the NFL is "fast." I'm talking different level, burner fast. Its not there.
i really want to see this kid make the team
Practically every player in the NFL is "fast." I'm talking different level, burner fast. Its not there.
in 2016 when Coleman came out Mike Mayock wrote this about him:
"He's a dynamic playmaker. Think Percy Harvin, that's the kind of playmaker that he is. He has a quick start and explosive speed. The only key for him is that he hasn't run a route tree. You will have to manufacture touches for him as he learns the route tree. He's special with the football in his hands." -- Mike Mayock
What has happened since then to make this outright false?
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Practically every player in the NFL is "fast." I'm talking different level, burner fast. Its not there.
in 2016 when Coleman came out Mike Mayock wrote this about him:
"He's a dynamic playmaker. Think Percy Harvin, that's the kind of playmaker that he is. He has a quick start and explosive speed. The only key for him is that he hasn't run a route tree. You will have to manufacture touches for him as he learns the route tree. He's special with the football in his hands." -- Mike Mayock
What has happened since then to make this outright false?
No idea. But he definitely hasn't displayed Percy Harvin type dynamic playmaking traits. Not even as a kick returner. That much is obvious.
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What has happened since then to make this outright false?
61 catches for 798 yards in 27 career games? Just spitballing here.
That probably has less to do with his speed, and more to do with his inability to catch the ball.
For the two years he was in Cleveland, only Josh Gordon had a higher ypc than Coleman. One year Terrelle Pryor had over 70 receptions, but his ypc was still 13.1. Their QB's were pretty bad. I guess that's why their RB's had a ton more catches than their WR's.
But Coleman's catch rate was abysmal. Two year average of 42%, which is one reason he averaged just under three catches per game. It's hard to make plays if you can't hang onto the ball or if your QB can't get it to you.
While Slayton bears watching, Corey Coleman is the early favorite for the No. 3 receiver job alongside Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate. Cody Latimer and Bennie Fowler also saw time with the first-team offense, but Coleman got the most reps with the starters. The Giants are giving the former first-round pick every opportunity to revive his career.
The Giants have to be hoping the speedy Coleman can fill the void left in their deep passing attack created by the trade of Odell Beckham Jr. Coleman has been a bust in his first three seasons, but the Giants think he’ll benefit from a full offseason in their offense after joining the team midway through last season.