ESPN praises Giants' young core in under-25 talent rankings

It's no secret that the 2022 Giants have a relatively young roster.

Only five players currently on the 90-man roster are above 30-years-old, while 24 spots are being used on rookies.

ESPN recently released its annual NFL rankings of under-25 talent based on a combination of numerous factors, which can be found here. Football Outsiders' Aaron Schatz was complimentary of the Giants, ranking them No. 11, while highlighting the recent additions of Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal.

Schatz stated "It's difficult to imagine a more exciting start to a draft than pass-rusher Thibodeaux and offensive tackle Neal," who he noted were "both legitimate candidates for the No. 1 overall pick." The pair of rookies join Andrew Thomas as Schatz's "blue-chip players" for Big Blue. Thomas' 82.1 pass block grade from Pro Football Focus last season ranked 12th among all offensive tackles.

As it states in the article, "(Daniel) Jones should also have his best collection of young receivers in his Giants tenure. (Kadarius) Toney managed just 301 offensive snaps in an injury-altered rookie season. But when he did play, he was difficult to bring down with an 11th-best 5.8 average yards after the catch. Toney can play both in the slot and out wide, and that versatility should help second-round rookie Wan'Dale Robinson make early contributions. Robinson totaled an incredible 1,334 receiving yards in a run-happy Kentucky offense that threw just 338 passes last season and was the favorite sleeper of Football Outsiders' receiver prospect projection system, Playmaker Score."

On the other side of the ball, Schatz mentions Dexter Lawrence, Azeez Ojulari and Xavier McKinney as young defensive players that help boost the team's young core. Lawrence has nine career sacks across his first three seasons, missing just one game in his career thus far. Ojulari set a franchise rookie record with eight sacks last season, while McKinney registered a team-high five interceptions in 2021.

Giants rise to Brian Daboll's challenge before 'aggressive' practice

Sweaty and drained, Jon Feliciano searched for the words to best describe the Giants' just-completed practice.

"Today was definitely an old school head banger," Feliciano said.

Yes, it was.

This was unlike the workouts in the spring and early in training camp that featured passing and more passing. On a steamy morning, Brian Daboll ran a fully padded practice with a heavy concentration of red zone runs. The offensive and defensive lines went at each other with near-game intensity. Saquon Barkley carried the ball several plays in a row more than once. And because conditioning is an emphasis this week, Daboll intermittently ordered the players to sprint to the other end of the field and resume there.

"It was a mosh pit," left guard Shane Lemieux said. "We got a good defensive line and defense right now. It's good fits, and it's good competition. Every single play we're fighting. We're getting better, and times like this, days like this are going to make us better in the long run."

Click here to read more about Sunday's 'aggressive' practice

📸 Practice Photos: Best of Sunday's action

The Giants head to Foxborough in a couple of days for their preseason opener against the New England Patriots.

Before the team makes the trip north, Brian Daboll has ramped up the intensity at practice to prepare the team for Thursday.

Check out the gallery below to view the top photos from Sunday's training camp practice.