Touted fullback Henry Hynoski, whose hamstring injury turned off teams in the NFL draft, sat there lurking, waiting to be picked up.
Because of the hammy, Hynoski was unable to participate in his pro day at the University of Pittsburgh. However, Ingram still reached out to Hynoski, and the two talked that afternoon while his fellow Panthers worked out for NFL brass.
The two products of rural Pennsylvania had a lot to talk about – football and otherwise.
"We kind of hit it off," Hynoski said. "We both fish, so that kind of broke the ice."
With both populations south of 5,000, Hynoski grew up in Elysburg while Ingram comes from the borough of Beaver. The two share similar backgrounds, but Hynoski needs to step up his fishing game.
"He's a little more extreme than I am," Hynoski said. "He'll go on all these fishing tours everywhere. He's a little more hardcore than I am."
When the time came, Ingram made the move, and Hynoski was one of 58 undrafted rookies to make an NFL roster this year. Now days away from the season opener, Hynoski is slated as the top fullback on the first depth chart issued by the Giants.
"I knew it was a possibility just because I knew the fullback situation," Hynoski said. "But I just worked hard and just did all the right things. I trained hard over the summer while I was home, and I just came in here ready to play. I worked hard on the playbook as soon as I got here and I came into practice and started hitting. Everything kind of just fell into place."
Backing him up will be Bear Pascoe, who did more than just fill in last season after switching from his natural position of tight end. The Giants eclipsed 2,000 yards on the ground and were the sixth-ranked rushing offense in the league. It's unclear how much Pascoe will split time with Hynoski to start the season. But Hynoski, who has the makeup of a traditional fullback, will be guided by Ingram every step of the way.
"He's awesome," Hynoski said. "I really like coach Ingram. He knows so much. He's just been working on me with some little things, little detail things, and one little tip he gives me just corrects everything. I'm glad he's in my corner."
