A look at the performance of the Giants' rookie in Thursday's win over the Patriots:
Preseason in the NFL means different things to different players.
For the young guys, it's about getting an opportunity to prove the stage is not too big and that your team's assessment of you was justified. And the New York Giants got four good looks at their youth in the preseason, which concluded Thursday night in New England.
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Here is a recap of how the six draft picks fared:
TE Evan Engram
Depth chart: TE2
Preseason Week 1: 2 TGTS, 1 REC, 11 YDS
Preseason Week 2: 4 TGTS, 3 REC, 32 YDS
Preseason Week 3: 3 TGTS, 2 REC, 32 YDS
Preseason Week 4: DNP
From coaches to teammates and even some Giants legends, the first-round pick came in with plenty of buzz this summer. He backed it up as much as he could, showing a big-play ability down the middle of the field and in the red zone, both in practice and in games. It didn't necessarily start right away, but after a talk with coach Ben McAdoo, Engram started to play faster and faster down the stretch.
"Well, he's improved a bunch," said quarterback Eli Manning, a fellow Ole Miss alum. "He's just playing faster now, has the timing of the routes and he's sharpened his assignments and playing fast and making some plays for us. So that's good to see."
DT Dalvin Tomlinson
Depth chart: RDT2
Preseason Week 1: 4 TCKLS (2 SOLO)
Preseason Week 2: 3 TCKLS (2 SOLO)
Preseason Week 3: 2 TCKLS
Preseason Week 4: DNP
The question wasn't if Tomlinson would become a starter; it was just a matter of when. The time may have come after Jay Bromley sprained his knee against the Jets and has not returned to the field. McAdoo gave a firm "yes" this week when asked if the second-round pick is ready to start Week 1 in Dallas.
"He's come in, he's learned the system very well, he's good with his hands, he plays with leverage, he destroys blocks," McAdoo said. "We feel he'll be ready to play Week 1."
QB Davis Webb
Depth chart: QB4
Preseason Week 1: 8/16, 67 YDS, 61.2 RTG
Preseason Week 2: DNP
Preseason Week 3: 2/4, 20 YDS, 64.6 RTG
Preseason Week 4: 8/14, 103 YDS, 80.4 RTG
After Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 55-yard field goal to give the Patriots a one-point lead with 44 seconds left in Foxborough, Webb and company started what would become the game-winning drive at their own 25. The rookie third-round pick went four of six for 45 yards, including back-to-back completions to tight end Matt LaCosse to set up a 48-yard field goal by Aldrick Rosas as time expired for the win.
"Well, first of all, what a kick," Webb said. "What a great drive with good protection. We had some new guys in there and they executed great. There was a great catch by Matt LaCosse, probably the play of the game. He had some great catches on that two-minute drive. It was just fun to get out there. I've had some two-minute opportunities throughout the fall camp and to execute it in the last preseason game against the Patriots. It's a lot of fun."
"Well, I think it's good to see the young quarterback go out and move the team down the field in a 'last eight' situation, which we call it," McAdoo said, referring to the final eight seconds of a game. "And use our timeouts and get out of bounds and a kicker out there who's in the middle of a competition and position it to win the game, in a great environment."
RB Wayne Gallman
Depth chart: RB5
Preseason Week 1: 5 CAR, 11 YDS; 1 REC, 4 YDS
Preseason Week 2: 5 CAR, 22 YDS, LOST FUM; 2 REC, 20 YDS
Preseason Week 3: 12 CAR, 43 YDS; 1 REC, 11 YDS
Preseason Week 4: 8 CAR, 27 YDS; 1 REC, 5 YDS
With fellow running backs Shaun Draughn and Orleans Darkwa leading the way, Gallman chipped in 27 of the team's preseason-high 141 yards on the ground against New England. Gallman has seen the usual highs and lows as a rookie as the Giants look for more consistency rushing the ball.
DE Avery Moss
Depth chart: RDE4
Preseason Week 1: 2 TCKL (1 SOLO)
Preseason Week 2: 1 SOLO TCKL
Preseason Week 3: 1 TCKL
Preseason Week 4: 2 TCKL (1 SOLO)
Similar to what he did with Engram earlier in training camp, McAdoo had a talk with Moss, telling him to play faster and not think too much. Again, it worked. Moss went out and had an interception in practice and showed some flashes rushing the passer.
"Yeah, Avery's working," McAdoo said. "I talked to him the other day about just letting it rip, just playing fast and aggressive instead of thinking too much and that's what happens to a lot of young players at this time, especially with the cut down coming. And on special teams, he's making progress there, just playing fast."
OT Adam Bisnowaty
Depth chart: RT2
Preseason Weeks 1-3: Relieved starter Bobby Hart
Preseason Week 4: Started at right tackle
With 21 of the 22 starters getting the night off, Bisnowaty was the only 2017 draft pick to start in Thursday's preseason finale against the Patriots. The backups went out and had a productive night offensively, accounting for 342 yards and two touchdowns through the air in addition to 141 yards and a score on the ground.
"He's a young player who is developing," McAdoo said after the game. "He has position flex from guard and tackle. He's played tackle for us because we feel we have some guys in there at guard that are better suited to play guard and not tackle. So we have played him a lot at tackle. So, he is a young player on the come."
Other notable performances:The Giants had six undrafted players start on Thursday: right defensive tackle Josh Banks (one tackle), middle linebacker Calvin Munson (three tackles), cornerback Nigel Tribune (two tackles), wide receiver Travis Rudolph (three catches for 46 yards), left tackle Chad Wheeler, and fullback Shane Smith. Wide receiver Jerome Lane also had a 19-yard reception. Safety Tim Scott was second on the team with five tackles and a pass defense.
