The 2019 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana has now officially reached the halfway mark and the excitement has reached its peak. Both on and off the field, amazing and interesting things are happening.
On Saturday, some of the wide receivers put on a show, while the quarterback prospects all got to show off their arm. There were also plenty of intriguing New York Giants moments to go along with some news.
Let’s take a look.
Antonio Hamilton won’t be tendered
Giants defensive back Antonio Hamilton was slated to become a restricted free agent (RFA) later this month, but he’s actually going to hit the market a free man.
Despite playing excellent special teams in 2018, Pro Football Focus reported on Saturday that Hamilton, for whatever reason, will not be tendered.
The Giants could re-sign Hamilton once free agency begins, but why risk it? It seems like an odd move involving a quality player.
Dwayne Haskins is slow
Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins dreams of playing for the Giants, and they may very well be in play for him early in the 2019 NFL Draft. However, the consistent belief has been that Big Blue needs a more mobile quarterback in order to succeed after Eli Manning’s departure.
Well, Haskins is not that.
Unless you’re Stephen A. Smith, you’re aware that Haskins is not exactly a speedster, but his ugly showing in the 40-yard dash was a bit jarring for all.
Haskins’ official time of 5.04 was actually slower than that of Eli Manning, who ran an official 40 time of 4.92, which may give pause to some. But the Ohio State product doesn’t think much of the 40, saying he’s a pocket passer who can scadoodle when necessary.
“I can maneuver if I need to,” Haskins said earlier in the week, “but I’m deadly in the pocket.”
Giants checked in on edge rushers
It would probably be easier to list the edge rushers the Giants didn’t meet with on Saturday than it would be to list the ones they did. Needless to say, they honed in on a position of need and went scattershot with their interviews.
In recent days, reports have surfaced that the Giants are attempting to trade Olivier Vernon and will likely release him if they can’t strike a deal, so the need for pass rushers will become more prevalent.
The issue facing the Giants in that regard is that while the draft is loaded with defensive talent, they would have to forego a quarterback in Round 1 if they wanted to land a legitimate talent who could come in and start right away.
It’s going to be a tough call for Dave Gettleman & Co.
Another unique moment for Shurmur family
Giants head coach Pat Shurmur shared a rare and unique NFL Combine moment with his son, Vanderbilt quarterback Kyle Shurmur, earlier this week, but it paled in comparison to what happened on Saturday.
While up in the booth taking notes on 40-yard dash times for the quarterback pool, Shurmur couldn’t help but to visibly expressed himself when Kyle posted a sub-5.0 time.
It doesn’t get much better than that.
