4 bold NY Giants predictions before the summer ends

Things have been a lot of fun for the NY Giants at training camp, with the last session coming on Saturday. Offseason acquisition Darren Waller has been unstoppable in camp, so much so that Brian Daboll removed him from the field during one practice to force Daniel Jones to throw the ball to other pass-catchers. Waller appears to be the focal point of Big Blue's passing attack.

Throughout training camp, we have seen strong showings from many players fighting to make the 53-man roster. In addition to roster battles, it has become abundantly clear that the battles to start at left guard, center, safety, corner, wide receiver, and middle linebacker will come down to the wire.

It has been a fun and encouraging start in New York this summer. With that said, here are four bold NY Giants predictions before the summer ends:

4. Jason Pinnock wins the second starting safety job

Giants GM Joe Schoen made a sneaky move at the end of training camp last summer, claiming safety Jason Pinnock off waivers from New York's other team, the Jets. Pinnock, a 24-year-old safety who was a fifth-round pick out of Pittsburgh in 2021, was a victim of the Jets secondary crunch last summer, which became the Giants gain.

Pinnock played 459 snaps on defense for Big Blue in 2022. The young safety recorded 35 tackles, six hurries, two hits, and two sacks. The best game of Pinnock's season was the Giants Week 10 win over Houston, in which he recorded two sacks and two hits from the safety spot.

Pinnock's competition for the starting safety job is veteran Bobby McCain and Dane Belton. In 2022, PFF graded Pinnock as the best safety of the three, and 60th overall. Interestingly, Pinnock's 2022 PFF grade was higher than Giants star safety Xavier McKinney's. The youngster started camp strong, and made a viral interception during a practice:

A couple more incredible plays from Pinnock, and he will open the season alongside McKinney in the young Giant secondary. We'll see how he plays during the preseason.

3. Giants add pass-rush help from outside the building

The Giants roster is currently relatively thin at outside linebacker. The Giants exacerbated that problem by releasing 2021 fourth-round pick Elerson Smith. Smith had a tumultuous two years in New York, registering just 11 tackles, and failing to stay healthy for most of his tenure.

Behind young pass-rush stars Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari, the Giants depth chart at outside linebacker features veteran Jihad Ward, second-year player Tomon Fox, undrafted rookie Habakkuk Baldonado, the embattled Oshane Ximines, and veteran Tashawn Bowser. That group leaves a lot to be desired.

Thibodeaux and Ojulari both have a propensity for injuries, making it essential for the Giants to have pass-rushing depth. Justin Houston, Robert Quinn, Melvin Ingram, Anthony Barr, and Nate Gerry are all still free agents and could be serviceable insurance policies for the two Giants starters. The Giants could also wait until each NFL team cuts their roster down to 53, see what veteran pass-rushers are cutand claim/sign one or two.

2. Two Giants youngsters win the interior o-line starting jobs

Two of the most intriguing training camp battles have been taking place on the interior of the Giants offensive line. After the Giants drafted John Michael Schmitz in the second round of April's draft, he was widely expected to be handed the starting center job, but that's not the case. Schmitz has been entrenched in a battle with Ben Bredeson for the position.

Bredeson is also in a battle with Josh Ezeudu for the starting job at left guard. It's early in the summer, so it's hard to tell where the Giants decision-makers are leaning, especially since the three linemen have been splitting the first and second-team reps. Schoen has consistently stated since he became Big Blue's GM that the path to sustainable success is drafting well and developing those picks, which makes me believe the Giants will start Schmitz at center, Ezeudu at left guard, and bring Bredeson, who has more versatility, off the bench. After all, there is no better development than live game reps.

Ezeudu, the Giants 2022 third-round pick, played just 290 snaps last season due to various injuries. Schoen drafted the North Carolina product in the third round due to his athletic 6-4, 308-pound frame, and I think he will take a significant step forward in Year 2. He needs more development, but his ceiling is infinitely higher than Bredeson's.

1. Training Camp star Collin Johnson makes the roster

Collin Johnson was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft after being a star at the University of Texas. Johnson, 25, has 29 catches for 377 yards and two touchdowns in his NFL career.

The Giants claimed Johnson off waviers shortly before the start of the 2021 season. He played sparingly in 2021, but was the star of the Giants offseason in 2022. Johnson, a 6-6, 220-pounder with good speed, dominated Giants minicamp and training camp, but suffered a torn Achilles last August that knocked him out for the season.

The Giants had a subpar receiving core last summer, but Johnson likely would have been the Giants No. 2 receiver behind Sterling Shepard to start the season had he not gotten hurt. Big Blue is loaded with speedy slot receivers and needs someone like Johnson on the roster.

That is just a ridiculous one-handed catch. Jones loves throwing the ball to Johnson, which could bode well for his chances to be a New York Giant in 2023.

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