May 162021
 
Corey Clement, Philadelphia Eagles (November 15, 2020)

Corey Clement – © USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK GIANTS ROOKIE MINI-CAMP ENDS…
The third and final day of the New York Giants rookie mini-camp was held on Sunday at Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. With COVID protocols remaining in place, only 22 players were in attendance.

Voluntary “Phase II” workouts for all players will be held from May 17-21. These on-field workouts may only include individual player instruction and non-contact, walkthrough drills. Offensive players can only line up against other offensive players, and defensive players can only line up against other defensive players.

Voluntary “Phase III” workouts will then be held from May 24-June 18. Activities during this 4-week period include in-person meetings and classroom instruction subject to COVID protocols and 10 days of organized team practice activity (OTAs). No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are allowed. Teams can also hold one mandatory mini-camp for veteran players (Giants will hold theirs on June 8-10). 

However, it is not known how many players will actually show up to Phase II and Phase III voluntary workouts as the NFL Players Association is arguing that its members should stay away from team facilities supposedly due to COVID. Players who do not attend in person could still participate in virtual meetings if they choose to do so.

GIANTS SIGN COREY CLEMENT AND KELVIN BENJAMIN…
The New York Giants have signed free agent running back Corey Clement and tight end/wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, two of the five tryout players who attended the rookie mini-camp. Benjamin is a former 1st-round wide receiver who the Giants are attempting to convert to tight end. To make room, the Giants also waived running back Jordan Chunn and tight end Nate Wieting.

The 26-year old, 5’10”, 220-pound Clement was originally signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2017 NFL Draft. In four years with the Eagles, Clement has played in 46 regular-season games with no starts, rushing the ball 163 times for 655 yards (4 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns. He also has caught 37 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns. Clement is best remembered for his 4-catch, 100-yard rookie performance in Super Bowl LII that also included a touchdown reception. His next three seasons were shortened by knee, shoulder, and COVID issues. Clement also has experience returning kickoffs and punts. He does have some ball security issues, with six career fumbles.

The 30-year old, 6’5”, 245-pound Benjamin was originally drafted in the 1st round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. As a wide receiver, Benjamin has spent time with the Panthers (2014-2017), Buffalo Bills (2017-2018), and Kansas City Chiefs (2018). He missed all of the 2015 season with a torn ACL and did not play football in 2019 and 2020. Benjamin has played in 61 regular-season games with 52 starts, catching 209 passes for 3,021 yards and 20 touchdowns.

The Giants signed Chunn to a future/reserve contract in January 2021. The 6’0”, 230-pound Chunn was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent time on Dallas’ Practice Squad in 2018 and 2019 before the team waived him in July 2020.

The Giants signed Wieting to the Practice Squad in November 2020, cut him in December, and re-signed him to a future/reserve contract in January 2021. The 6’4”, 250-pound Wieting went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent some time with the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins before signing with the Giants.

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Eric Kennedy

Eric Kennedy is Editor-in-Chief of BigBlueInteractive.com, a publication of Big Blue Interactive, LLC. Follow @BigBlueInteract on Twitter.

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