4 Biggest winners from NY Giants camp as preseason opener looms

2) Cole Hikutini – NY Giants TE

Hikutini has been a standout for the NY Giants’ offense, that has otherwise struggled to find consistency.

With Kyle Rudolph continuing his rehab from an injured foot on the PUP list, Kelvin Benjamin’s sudden retirement 15 minutes into the first practice of the summer, Levine Toilolo bing lost for the season and several other tight ends going down with minor injuries over the past week, Hikutini has ascended up the depth chart.

In consecutive practices on Wednesday and Thursday, Hikutini pulled down big catches in traffic from quarterback Daniel Jones.

Wednesday, Jones dropped a perfectly placed ball between defenders on Hikutini’s back-shoulder on an out-route down the sideline for a deep completion, and Thursday night found Hikutini for a touchdown during a red-zone period.

If Hikutini’s strong play continues, don’t rule him out pushing Kaden Smith for the NY Giants’ No. 2 tight end job, behind Evan Engram.