Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones may not start when Week One rolls around. The player selected 137 spots later possibly will.
Fifth-round linebacker Ryan Connelly could be in the mix for one of the two starting inside linebacker positions in the Giants 3-4 defense, as explained by Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com.
Donnelly’s performance at rookie minicamp generated a highlight that defensive coordinator James Bettcher used when meeting with veteran players, something Bettcher would prefer not to do.
“You try not to show a rookie to the vets too early, but I was showing the cut-up to the vets,” Bettcher recently said, via Dunleavy. “This is a guy from the rookie minicamp, and it was a concept and a route and he played it exactly the right way. It was a great example. Smart and tough.”
Dunleavy notes that the Giants have an open starting spot for second starting inside linebacker position, a base-package role that would have the player leave the field when the team shifts to 4-3 or nickel. Still, for a fifth-round pick from Wisconsin, the chance of not only making the team but also being on the field when the season-opening contest against the Cowboys rolls around counts as unexpected progress.
Other candidates for the gig include Tae Davis, B.J. Goodson, Jonathan Anderson, and Nate Stupar. But Connelly stands out; he was a walk-on who would start 26 games and become a team captain for the Badgers.
“There is something to be said about a guy that walks on to a new team and is willing to stick it out from the beginning -- earned the respect of all of his teammates, became a starter and had the career that he did,” Giants linebackers coach Bill McGovern said, via Dunleavy. “It obviously speaks volumes.”
What Donnelly did at Wisconsin won’t matter nearly as much as what he does in New York. But he already has shown that he knows how to overcome adversity and to beat the odds and to become far more of a football player than he was expected to be.