5 NY Giants who impressed against the Lions in preseason Week 1

The NY Giants' preseason opener may not have ended as fans would have hoped, as the team lost 21-16 to the Lions. Despite this, there were still several bright moments that have fans excited for the regular season already.

Not only were the Giants in the game until the end, but the play of these five guys inspired the NY supporters. Multiple guys on this list also showcased to Brian Daboll that they'll be ready to start once Week 1 vs. the Cowboys rolls around, while others will step up for him whenever their number is called:

5. QB Tommy DeVito

Some were surprised to find out prior to the game that Tyrod Taylor was not going to see many snaps this game and instead, it would be the Tommy DeVito show. While this was a shock at the time, following the game, it seems like DeVito has locked in the QB3 role.

Despite playing behind a rather poor offensive line, DeVito shined and showcased promise that he could potentially be the team's backup one day. Whether it be in the air, or a couple of plays on the ground, DeVito looked great and has fans excited for the future.

For the game, DeVito completed 15 of his 24 pass attempts for 155 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. While some will look at the interception in an overly negative fashion, it's worth noting that this pass was a 4th-and-15 heave while getting sacked thanks to some horrid blocking from Wyatt Davis.

DeVito was sacked five times and faced pressure all game. For an UDFA QB to step up and look as well as he did despite having such a disastrous offensive line shows that DeVito could be a genuine NFL QB. Hopefully, he can keep this up as the preseason goes on.

4. Pass-rusher Tashawn Bower

Heading into this season, one of the biggest questions on the Giants' defense was their depth at edge rusher. However, it seems as if the team may have found a nice piece in the form of Tashawn Bower. It may be just one preseason game, but Bower looked pretty solid and was all over the field against the run and attacking the passer.

Bower's no youngster, as he's been in the league since 2017 and is 28 years old. Despite this, there's still a chance that the veteran is in for his best season yet. He likely won't play over either backup edge like Oshane Ximines and Jihad Ward, but if there's an injury we very well could see Bower step up and make a big play or two.

In this game, Bower racked up five combined tackles, a tackle for loss, and a pass deflection. As we said before, he was all over the field and didn't fail to consistently make plays. This is what can help someone earn a spot on any roster. They don't have to be a superstar in the preseason, but consistently hustling and making plays will make it easy to stick around - potentially even on the practice squad too.

This is what Bower has done his entire career. He hasn't been very productive in the regular season but coaches must love his hustle as he's stuck around for over five years now. Hopefully, he earns a spot on either the main roster, or practice squad once the preseason is wrapped up. The Giants could always use a big hustle guy in the trenches.

3. CB Tre Hawkins III

This should come as a surprise to no one, but Tre Hawkins III's success in training camp translated pretty well to the preseason. Hawkins was a force all game long whether it be against the pass or stopping a player with the ball in their hands. Really aside from one missed tackle he had early on, Hawkins played a fantastic game and has us excited for what he can do come time for the regular season.

In this game, Hawkins racked up five combined tackles. Alongside this, Hawkins was lock down against the pass, shutting down any receiver he went up against. Even on the interception made by Jason Pinnock on the first drive of the game, Hawkins was all over Jameson Williams and made the interception as easy as possible for Pinnock.

Some were worried that Hawkins' training camp heroics may have been a fluke. After gaining some genuine NFL experience, it's clear to say it wasn't. We have all the confidence in the world that Hawkins will be great and this confidence was only boosted by his performance vs. Detroit.

2. C John Michael Schmitz

Similar to Hawkins, it shouldn't surprise anyone to see that rookie second-round pick John Michael Schmitz was dominant in his preseason debut. While the rest of the offensive line faltered, Schmitz stood strong and delivered an inspiring performance.

Schmitz made incredibly impressive plays as both a pass protector and out in the run game. Considering how poor the Giants' centers have been since Weston Richburg, fans are incredibly excited to see what Schmitz can do in the regular season. The 24-year-old rookie has the chance to become another one of the Giants' all-time great centers.

When you look at how poorly the rest of the offensive line performed compared to Schmitz, you begin to see just how special he could be. The entire offensive line was pushed back and gave up pressure, but not Schmitz. He held his own and should only keep getting better this summer.

1. S Jason Pinnock

While he may not have been on the field long due to Martindale wanting to test the Giants' incredibly deep secondary, Jason Pinnock made his presence known. On just the first drive of the game, Pinnock racked up a pass breakup, tackle for loss, and an interception. Pinnock made it impossible not just on this drive, but whenever he was in, for the Lions to get anything going offensively.

For the entire game, Pinnock would rack up a tackle for loss, two pass deflections, and an interception. These stats may not seem impressive, but it's simply because he didn't play all that much. Martindale likely saw all he wanted to out of Pinnock and decided to give guys like Bobby McCain and Dane Belton a shot.

This strategy clearly worked, as Belton also earned himself an interception. For Pinnock, though, it was great to see him perform so well. The battle between him and Belton is only going to get more exciting as the preseason goes on. Both of them have looked pretty darn good thus far and could be some real game-changers for the Giants' defense.

Regardless of who earns the starting job come time for the regular season, fans should be excited knowing that the Giants have such a deep secondary. Having depth like this at such key positions is the making for a top defensive core in the NFL.

READ MORE: 5 main NY Giants takeaways from the preseason loss to Detroit