2. Giants cornerback Tre Hawkins III
No player can boost their standing within the Giants organization more than Tre Hawkins III can on Friday night. The rookie sixth-round pick has been the standout defensive player on Big Blue's roster to begin this summer.
Hawkins athleticism is off the charts, which is why Joe Schoen drafted him in the sixth round in late April. The Old Dominion product's RAS (relative athletic score) score was 9.82, which ranked 40 out of 2222 cornerbacks from 1987 to 2023.
Hawkins started camp playing with the second and third-team defenses, but has played with the first-team defense over last week. Plays like this are the reason why:
Tre Hawkins is ON FIRE this training camp… a little tug he could do away with, but otherwise he read this route like a book 🔥
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) August 1, 2023
Via @TheGiantTakePod
pic.twitter.com/QKlclRZgfP
The Giants have started to consider starting Hawkins and fellow rookie Deonte Banks on the outside, with Adoree' Jackson on the inside. Big Blue will likely rest their starters on Friday, but the rookie will probably be out there to continue to gain NFL reps. A big showing could help Hawkins prove to Wink Martindale that he deserves to be out there when the Giants take the field at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 10.