What the Giants’ drafts think of the virtual reality of the mini-camps – The Press Stories

You come out of the top to get caught in the NFL 2020 draft. You are excited, more than ready to head to your new destination, put on the colors of your new team, get out on the grass and start showing your new coaches what they get.

Instead, there are these walking orders: Sit down and connect.

Of course, every rookie who comes in wants to go out there and show what they can do, said Chris Williamson, a University of Minnesota cornerback caught by the Giants in round seven. Football is such a physical game, but it is also part of the mental makeup. The guys who succeed at the NFL level come from the mental side of the game.

The mental aspect of the game is all that these novice NFL players have right now, arriving in the league during this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. On Friday, the Giants welcomed their draft picks and their undrafted free agents into a three-day rookie minicamp, all participants staying safe at home. The whole program, kept at a distance, placed an additional burden on players accustomed to working together as a group, taking what they learned in class and applying it to their roles on the field.

Because of everything thats going on right now, I think its the best option we have, said TJ Brunson, a South Carolina linebacker selected by the Giants in the seventh round. Personally, I dont have a problem with that. I prefer to be up there in person. If thats how we have to get our football in, then thats okay.

This unique scenario will benefit those who adapt best to a new way of teaching and learning. There is an online component in almost all current college programs, but this is not the normal way the NFL does business. Coaches who are familiar with classroom instruction must now make PowerPoint presentations. Players more comfortable with hands-on training should follow in an isolated environment.

First round pick Andrew Thomas will see attacking coach Marc Colombo prefer for the first time. Second-round pick Xavier McKinney will examine the defensive pattern in high school.

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The advantage lies in those already prepared for it. Cornerback Darnay Holmes, the Giants fourth-round pick, earned his BA in African American Studies from UCLA in three years, becoming the first member of his family to graduate from university. Distance learning may not be a big challenge for him.

The school curriculum allowed me to implement a strict routine, one that kept me from being distracted by different distractions, said Holmes. So, having this living vision, my energy immediately aligned with it. It is certainly something that I implemented when I joined UCLA. It was: Im going to graduate in three years, then from there Im going to find what I want to do. Right away, I was a student, then after I graduated, it was like OK, how can I continue my athletic endeavor? And Im here now as a giant from New York. I am very excited.

The introduction and eventual mastery of the intricacies of his first NFL game book is next on Holmes list of mental challenges.

You have different tactics that you use to capture the concepts and patterns of takeover and make sure you understand these things, he said. I dont memorize, I want to grasp and understand it, so I can draw from it whatever the heat of the moment. I will understand it, so I can use it.

Williamson started two years in Florida before transferring and starting last season in Minnesota. He doesnt regret what he and the other recruits have to deal with at the start of their NFL journey.

I dont think it disadvantages anyone, said Williamson.

Brunson, captain of the team twice in South Carolina, is not so sure about that, but he is not interested in making excuses.

I think its a disadvantage for the recruits not to see where they are going to be and to be there in person, he said. We are also supposed to come and find out whats going on and play fast. I think that will help us when we get there. I hope its before August. If we dont get there until August, were supposed to hit the ground and be able to pick up everything thats going on. I think that gives us a chance to really understand the calls and defense and get out and play fast.

Source > https://nypost.com/2020/05/03/what-giants-draft-picks-think-about-virtual-minicamp-reality/

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What the Giants' drafts think of the virtual reality of the mini-camps - The Press Stories