The NY Giants started the preseason with a victory, as kicker Graham Gano nailed a game-winning 24-yard field goal that gave Big Blue a 23-21 win over New England on Thursday night. The preseason might not mean much to the starters, but for backups and younger players, this is a crucial point in their season. Only a certain number of players can make the roster and each play can determine whether they make it or not.
As a whole, the Giants played slightly better than average vs. New England. Like any preseason game, there’s going to be good and bad. It’s up to the coaches to teach through the mistakes and build on the work they do leading up to Week 1. Next, we’ll look at four players who impressed in the Giants first preseason game vs New England.
4. LB Darrian Beavers
The Giants used a ton of players vs. the Pats, trying to give each of them a fair shot to prove why they belong on the roster come September. One young player in particular who had a nice showing was Darrian Beavers. He was a sixth round pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Beavers played at the University of Cincinnati from 2019-2021, racking up 192 tackles and 6.5 sacks in his time there. He was a part of the Cincinnati team that made the College Football Playoff last season, playing with other NFL rookie talent like Sauce Gardner and Coby Bryant.
Beavers had an impressive outing for the short time he was able to play. He had three total tackles, all solo, one of them being a tackle for loss. His size and athleticism could really help the Giants depth at linebacker. At 6-4, 255 pounds, Beavers moves very agile for his size. New York moved on from Lorenzo Carter, and Beavers seems like he could potentially be his replacement.