While there have been a ton of great surprises for the NY Giants at camp in East Rutherford over the past week, who was expecting cornerback Tre Hawkins III to be a stud like this? Hawkins, a sixth-rounder out of Old Dominion, has opened countless eyes.
So much in fact, it's looking like he'll not only see plenty of signficant action this campaign, but there's a chance he could steal a starting job too. While that is unlikely, it's stunning that he has even put himself in this kind of a position.
Head coach Brian Daboll must be thrilled with his progression early on. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale sure is, as he sang the youngster's praises while speaking to the media on Thursday right before practice.
"It doesn't matter where you come from once you get here because of the people and the resources"
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) August 3, 2023
Wink Martindale on Tre Hawkins and the Giants' player development: pic.twitter.com/eKMG3NnVqG
Wink Martindale has been impressed with Giants CB Tre Hawkins
"He's had a great camp. It's amazing to me when you go back and think about the different guys and where they came from. It doesn't matter where you come from once you get here because of the resources and the people that they have to work with at this level. The guys who are productive, you can just see the confidence build. I really think he's done a nice job, but he has a lot of things to work on just like we all do."Wink Martindale
Hawkins has been seeing plenty of time running with the 1s. Martindale has even mixed things up to a point where Hawkins and first-round pick Deonte Banks have been the starting outside CBs and Adoree' Jackson has moved over to the slot.
Who knows how the G-Men will line up once Week 1 vs. the Cowboys gets here, but we do know this defense means business. With Hawkins, despite him being a late-round pick, he has played at a high level and it has people jumping on his bandwagon, that's for sure.