MOBILE, Ala. — Princeton extensive receiver Andrei Iosivas stood out this week towards Power-5 faculty competitors on the Senior Bowl, stopping on dimes, twisting within the air and catching nearly all the things.
“I think it went well,” the 6-2, 212-pound Iosivas, who doubles as a decathlete and Ivy League observe star, mentioned Tuesday. “I was focused, I showed up. I was physical. I was fast. I caught the ball well.”
Giants GM Joe Schoen agreed. He’s truly had Iosivas on his radar for the reason that staff’s late-season courtship of Odell Beckham Jr. when OBJ’s agent, Zeke Sandhu, pulled up “a little YouTube clip” as they had been “having lunch in the cafeteria.”
“I’ve known about him since early December,” Schoen mentioned Wednesday. “He [Sandhu] brought him up. And I thought he showed really well yesterday. He’s a big, good-looking kid. And he caught the ball well.”
The Giants want a dude, a stud, a No. 1 extensive receiver. Especially in the event that they’re going to signal Daniel Jones to a long-term contract extension, this offseason’s prime order of enterprise in any other case should be to seek out Jones a go-to man within the passing recreation.
That’s why Schoen walked down behind the tip zone of Hancock Whitney Stadium on the University of South Alabama’s campus Tuesday to look at the receivers up shut and make notes as Iosivas and the opposite prospects confirmed their stuff.
Finding a transcendent expertise like Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, or Davante Adams is uncommon. The Giants’ franchise has been principally starved for a dominant and elite receiver, outdoors of Plaxico Burress’ 2005 free agent signing and Beckham’s 2014 draft choice by former GM Jerry Reese.
This 12 months, nobody within the NFL appears to be salivating over any go catchers as clear stars on this 12 months’s draft. The free agent class isn’t attractive, both.
Arizona’s DeAndre Hopkins, a terrific participant, seemingly is on the market through commerce. But he’s 30 years previous, he’s performed in solely 19 of 34 common season video games the previous two years, and the Giants must give up property to acquire him.
That doesn’t imply there isn’t high quality within the draft, although. And a number of scouts mentioned if the Giants want a receiver, they don’t have to take a large receiver. What a few tight finish?
Notre Dame junior tight finish Michael Mayer (6-4, 265 kilos) could be a dream decide as a well-rounded goal and blocker if he fell to the Giants’ first-round decide at No. 25 total. It’s laborious to think about he would nonetheless be on the board.
Oregon State tight finish Luke Musgrave (6-5, 255 kilos) generated loads of buzz this week in Mobile, Ala., too. Some evaluators thought-about Musgrave the highest-ceiling receiving prospect on the Senior Bowl subject, although he performed in solely two video games for the Beavers final season as a result of harm.
Look no additional than the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce on this 12 months’s Super Bowl as a reminder of what a star tight finish can do to open an offense, give a quarterback simpler completions and — if he’s athletic sufficient — lengthen performs like a wideout would.
There are some intriguing wideouts to judge, as effectively.
In the late first spherical, TCU extensive receiver Quentin Johnson (6-4, 215 kilos), a Horned Frogs junior, profiles as a possible stud with NFL dimension and 4.4 pace.
USC’s Jordan Addison (6-foot, 175 kilos) and Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba (6-foot, 198) additionally may go in that vary, although they’re smaller targets.
But keep in mind; Schoen comes from the Buffalo Bills, the place prime receiver Stefon Diggs is a 6-foot, 191-pound former fifth-round decide of the Minnesota Vikings.
Schoen additionally maneuvered across the draft board in final 12 months’s second spherical to get Wan’Dale Robinson, a 5-8, 185-pound gadget receiver from Kentucky.
This is the toughest work: digging by a category with no apparent rock stars for that diamond within the tough that Schoen possibly can use a 3rd or fourth-round decide to snag.
There are greater title, large faculty prospects like Iowa State’s Xavier Hutchinson (6-1, 207 kilos), a first-team AP All-American, who drew consideration at Tuesday’s first observe — together with Schoen’s — with persistently strong route-running and powerful arms.
Hutchinson, a Jacksonville native, is the primary participant in Big 12 historical past to steer the convention in receptions for 3 straight seasons, capped by a Cyclones report 107 receptions in 2022.
He additionally got here off as humble, respectful and quietly assured, admitting his first observe was “not as clean as I wanted” although he impressed observers.
“You’re not gonna get many opportunities, so when you get the opportunity to have the ball thrown to you, you have to come up with it,” Hutchinson mentioned when requested find out how to stand out at a showcase. “Or you have to make a big block to spring something. Just the little things I feel like are what can separate me from a lot of people.”
Then there’s Princeton’s Iosivas, an FCS prospect projected as an early day-three choice whose inventory may rise after he regarded like the entire bundle in Mobile.
Iosivas, a Hawaii native, was first-team All-Ivy and second-team AP All-American in 2022, main the league with 66 catches, 943 receiving yards and 7 TDs. He is sixth all-time at Princeton in receiving yards (1,909) and third in TD catches (16).
He stormed onto the scene Tuesday with a again shoulder catch towards lengthy Kansas State nook Julius Brents, a comeback on Oregon State’s Rejzohn Wright and a leaping TD catch over Stevenson with Schoen standing shut by taking notes.
Then he made his spotlight reel catch on Wednesday: a twisting back-shoulder seize on the left sideline towards Miami’s Tyrique Stevenson, one of many prime corners on the showcase.
“There’s a lot of pressure,” Iosivas mentioned of the significance of this week. “The bus ride here I was getting a little bit anxious. But once I got on the field and got comfortable I was like it’s just football. The Ivy League, the SEC. It’s still football.”
Schoen mentioned watching Iosivas or any receiver on the sphere is only one part of projecting his place within the draft, although. A serious part is attempting to determine how massive of an adjustment the participant can be making from his faculty’s offense to professional.
“To me it’s how far away are they in terms of their football foundation and knowledge,” Schoen mentioned. “Were they signal-based at Princeton or did they really huddle and have huddle calls? ‘Cause that’s the most important distinction particularly at these talent positions after they go faculty to professional is these play calls are — I imply I can’t keep in mind them — they’re like 10 phrases lengthy.
“That’s the biggest thing,” Schoen mentioned. “Physically you can get a good feel for that this week, watching them against corners for big schools, how they compete and match up. And then the biggest thing will be how long is it going to take them to learn it and go out and execute it [in the NFL].”
Iosivas, a first-team All-American within the heptathlon as an Ivy League observe star, appears to have the work ethic to go together with his bodily items.
The Tigers captain mentioned “every day after I train, I watch 1-on-1 reps the whole day” of earlier 12 months’s Senior Bowls to choose up suggestions and get psychological reps.
“I was watching guys similar to my size, guys like [the Green Bay Packers’] Christian Watson,” he mentioned.
The Giants, clearly, had a number of underrated receivers step up this season into key roles to assist them attain the playoffs, from Darius Slayton to Richie James to Isaiah Hodgins.
At tight finish, rookie Daniel Bellinger was opportunistic, and Lawrence Cager got here on late as an thrilling developmental menace within the go recreation.
James may very well be again on the proper worth in free company. Hodgins will be retained as an unique rights-free agent. Slayton’s negotiation is extra difficult after main the staff in receiving regardless of being pressured to take a pay lower.
The Giants personal 9 whole picks in April’s draft, too, although, together with two third-rounders – certainly one of which they acquired within the Kadarius Toney Chiefs commerce.
That will assist them hit main wants at nook, inside linebacker, offensive line, defensive position and possibly operating again, amongst others.
Paying Jones at quarterback, although, calls for a major funding in his pass-catchings weapons to improve Brian Daboll’s offense in 2023.
Maybe it is going to be Iosivas. Maybe it is going to be Hutchinson or Musgrave or Johnson. It is on Schoen to seek out his man because the gamers do what they will.
“I just gotta do my thing,” Iosivas mentioned. “I just got to play to my abilities, play the way I know I can, and hopefully it should show for itself.”
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com