Big Blue View
New York Giants rookies report for training camp at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, on Thursday. Veteran players report on Tuesday, July 28.
With rookies set to get to work, let’s look at one thing each of them has to prove before the season begins.
Can he handle everything he is being asked to do?
The Giants were clear from the moment they selected Reese No. 5 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft that he would play one position — off-ball linebacker.
That, though, doesn’t mean the Giants won’t be asking Reese to handle a wide variety of responsibilities.
“He’ll line up next to Tremaine (Edmunds), and he’ll be in the A gap, the B gap, the C gap, the D gap, off the edge,” Harbaugh told media just moments after the pick was announced. “He’ll be moving around with all of our guys. Abdul (Carter) and Brian (Burns) and Kayvon (Thibodeaux) and Tremaine. We’ll be running games and picks and stunts and different things like that on passing situations, and he’s good in coverage as well; he’s a versatile player.”
The Giants will align their “off-ball linebacker” in several spots. They will use him in pass coverage. They will use him as a blitzer. Yes, he will play one position. He will, though, have many responsibilities within that one spot.
“We’ve gotta be able to take advantage of his physical skill without overloading him as far as the mental thing is concerned,” said inside linebackers coach Frank Bush. “He’s shown an amazing ability to grasp the information, understand the concept, and still flourish within the concepts.
“He’s not been a mistake guy. He’s been able to flash and make plays even though we’ve got a lot going on with him. He’s proven that he can handle it, but we as coaches have got to understand where he is, when it’s time to backpedal a little bit and let the kid just use his athleticism.”
Can he adjust to how quickly things happen at guard?
Talk to any offensive lineman who has played both guard and tackle, and you hear the same story about the differences in the two positions. You play in tighter quarters at guard, and, consequently, things happen faster. The players on the outside might be more athletic, but the lack of space speeds things up inside.
Mauigoa was a collegiate right tackle. He will play right guard for the Giants.
“I don’t have that much space to work with [at guard],” Mauigoa said this spring. “Playing at tackle, you have all the space, where at guard everything happens so fast. It’s not something I really need to work on; it’s something that I need to get used to.”
Ex-Giant Jon Feliciano, who trained Mauigoa before the draft, has no doubt Mauigoa will adjust. He said Mauigoa will have to adjust to “the timing of throwing your hands and just how fast things happen inside,” but believes...
