4 most surprising players to make the NY Giants final roster

2. WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton

Given his lack of receiving production in the preseason, and consistent injuries throughout the offseason in general, many thought Bryce Ford-Wheaton's time with the Giants was coming to an end. However, Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll must have faith in the youngster, as he managed to make the final cut on Tuesday.

A big thing going for Ford-Wheaton, is that, despite not showing too much as a pass-catcher, he was phenomenal as a gunner on special teams. The Athletic's Dan Duggan said it best: It's tough to make it was a WR5/6 if you don't contribute on special teams. Lucky for Ford-Wheaton, he does, whereas guys like Allen Robinson and others do not.

In addition to this, Ford-Wheaton still has tons of potential as a pass-catcher. He was one of the most athletic wide receivers in his draft class and if not for a torn ACL, Ford-Wheaton could have been able to show it off last season given the poor play at receiver for the Giants.

If Ford-Wheaton can remain healthy, the Giants could have another David Tyree on their hands: A special teams demon with the potential to make big-time plays when called upon. Now, will Ford-Wheaton recreate the helmet catch? Probably not. But the potential as a receiver is still there if the Giants need him to be one.

1. S Anthony Johnson Jr.

Easily the biggest surprise thus far has been the signing of Anthony Johnson Jr., and the subsequent release of Gervarrius Owens. With Johnson being claimed off waivers, the Giants needed to make room on the roster, and with Owens dealing with injury, we can see why he was released. Despite this, the move by itself is still rather surprising.

Neither Johnson or Owens were likely going to see the field often this season due to guys like Tyler Nubin, Jason Pinnock, and Dane Belton being ahead of him. However, we would have liked to see Owens stick around even with his injury.

The 24-year-old has shown a fair amount of promise when on the field, and while Johnson may bring more experience to the table, at least in terms of how often he's seen the field, that doesn't necessarily mean he is the better option. Through 11 games last season, Johnson racked up 23 combined tackles, including nine missed tackles, while also allowing five receptions on six targets for 60 yards, snagging an interception in the process.

It will be interesting to see how Johnson is deployed this season. He has experience as a starter, which is more than we can say about Owens. Regardless, we hope Schoen made the right call on this one, as Owens seemingly has some untapped potential the Giants could have used.

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