Tre Hawkins wasn’t certain he’d be selected in the 2023 NFL draft so his watch party was limited to just family. However, in Round 6, his dream came true when the New York Giants came calling.
Finally, Hawkins had made it to the NFL.
“It’s kind of like when you get drafted you never really know, so I didn’t have any expectation. I’m blessed to be drafted,” Hawkins told reporters on Friday. “I had the family, but I didn’t have too many people just in case I didn’t get drafted, but I had my immediate family around.”
Although he wasn’t certain about where he’d be drafted — or if he’d be drafted at all — Hawkins certainly doesn’t lack confidence. And while he’s not guaranteed a starting role, the 22-year-old isn’t interested in being considered an afterthought. He’s not content with just being here.
Hawkins expects to cut his teeth on special teams but believes his versatility and physicality, especially his willingness to tackle, will lead to bigger and better things.
“I’m physical. I’m versatile. I can play anywhere in the back end (using) my speed, length and strength,” he said. “I was kind of born with (the physicality), growing up with older cousins and you’re kind of getting picked on. You’ve got to be kind of the tough dog out of the little family. I kind of was born with it, kind of groomed into it.
“Every corner don’t want to tackle. I feel like that’s something I do pride myself in, being an overall football player, from covering to making tackles, basically the versatility about it.”
It’s that mentality that led Hawkins from JUCO to Old Dominion and now to the Giants. And it’s also that mentality he intends to lean on at the professional level.
“JUCO mentality is more so like eat or starve, so it’s kind of the same thing here. It’s kind of eat or starve,” he said.
Hawkins isn’t about to starve.
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