Sterling Shepard – © USA TODAY Sports

MAY 27, 2021 NEW YORK GIANTS OTA PRACTICE REPORT…
The Giants held their third voluntary organized team activity (OTA) practice on Thursday, and first one open to the media. No live contact is permitted during OTAs, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are allowed.

“There are other times in individual and group work where we will ramp that up and make sure the guys work on skill development, timing, offense, defense, and place a large emphasis on communication this time of year,” said Head Coach Joe Judge on Thursday. “You have to take the mental steps forward in terms of the understanding of the scheme and you have to develop chemistry with the communication on offense and defense. This is a great time of year to have it. You’re not preparing for an opponent and you can take it day-by-day and challenge the players in different ways and see the interaction grow with young and old guys.

“I don’t care if it’s a rookie or ten-year vet is crucial and the goal is the same this year for everyone, to develop their skills, functionalities and schematic and conceptual understanding of what we are doing. Make sure we are all speaking the same language and make sure when everyone comes back in training camp, they are in better physical shape and their bodies are more prepared to go at a faster pace and everyone is ready to compete by playing aggressive and confident in what we are asking to do fundamentally, technique-wise and schematically with the knowledge.”

The five remaining OTA practices will be held on June 2-4 and June 14-15. A mandatory mini-camp will also be held June 8-10.

INJURY REPORT AND ABSENTEES…
Running back Saquon Barkley (knee), tight end Kyle Rudolph (foot), and linebacker Oshane Ximines (shoulder) were inside the team facility rehabbing during practice. Running back Ryquell Armstead (unknown, but missed last season due to COVID-19) was working on the side with trainers. Running back Taquan Mizzell left with trainers during practice.

The long list of absentees included:

• WR Kenny Golladay
• WR Kadarius Toney
• WR John Ross
• DE Leonard Williams
• DE Dexter Lawrence
• DE B.J. Hill
• NT Austin Johnson
• OLB Ryan Anderson
• OLB Cam Brown
• ILB Reggie Ragland
• CB James Bradberry
• CB Adoree’ Jackson
• CB Darnay Holmes
• CB Aaron Robinson
• CB Isaac Yiadom
• CB Sam Beal
• CB Quincy Wilson
• S Jabrill Peppers
• S Logan Ryan
• S Xavier McKinney
• S Julian Love
• K Graham Gano

PRACTICE NOTES…
Some snippets from various media sources:

• QB Daniel Jones was sharp, often targeting WR Sterling Shepard and TE Evan Engram.
• All of the offensive linemen on the roster were present, with the starting unit being LT Andrew Thomas, LG Shane Lemieux, OC Nick Gates, RG Will Hernandez, and RT Matt Peart.
• Surprisingly, OLB Lorenzo Carter, who ruptured his Achilles’ tendon last season, practiced and appeared to move around well. He even made a leaping interception.
• Working at outside linebacker were Lorenzo Carter, Azeez Ojulari, Elerson Smith, and Ifeadi Odenigbo.
• Carter Coughlin, who played outside linebacker last season, was working with the inside linebackers on Thursday. Blake Martinez and Tae Crowder appeared to be the starting inside linebackers.
• Kelvin Benjamin, who has been moved from wide receiver to tight end, moved around well.

HEAD COACH JOE JUDGE…
The transcript of Joe Judges’s press conference on Thursday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available at Giants.com.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

• QB Daniel Jones (Video)
• WR Sterling Shepard (Video)
• LB Blake Martinez (Video)

AARON ROBINSON AND ELERSON SMITH SIGN…
The New York Giants have announced that 2021 draft picks cornerback Aaron Robinson (3rd round) and outside linebacker Elerson Smith (4th round) have signed their rookie contracts. That leaves only wide receiver Kadarius Toney (1st round) as the sole remaining unsigned draft pick. Outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari (2nd round), running back Gary Brightwell (6th round), and cornerback Rodarius Williams (6th round) signed two weeks ago.