WR Calvin Austin III was the offensive standout at OTAs.
John Schmeelk: Fact – It is hard to go with anyone else. Calvin Austin III has been impactful at all three levels. He has caught some short passes and even gotten the ball behind the line of scrimmage in different ways. He has shown off his speed on crossers and on deep passes over the top. Smaller, faster players like Austin III tend to have the advantage in OTAs when no one is in pads or allowed to contact players at the line of scrimmage. I look forward to seeing how he operates when pads come on in August.
Dan Salomone: Fiction – He might not have racked up the same volume as Austin, but tight end Isaiah Likely showed why John Harbaugh was excited to pair him with Jaxson Dart. Likely made one of the best plays of OTAs with a one-handed grab, but he was more than that. He provides a big catch radius for the second-year quarterback.
Matt Citak: Fact – With Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton not participating in OTAs, there was an opportunity for other members of the receiver room to step up and take advantage of extended reps. No one did so more than Austin. The 5-foot-9 receiver has already developed some nice chemistry with Jaxson Dart as the two connected on passes during team drills just about every day this spring. Austin's speed and elusiveness make him a strong candidate to fill the role that Wan'Dale Robinson has played in the offense the last few years.
LB Arvell Reese was the defensive standout at OTAs.
John Schmeelk: Fiction – I can't go with anyone on the defensive front when no one is wearing pads and no contact is allowed at practice, as impressive as Reese was showing off his length, athleticism, and burst. I must admit it is difficult for me to pinpoint one specific secondary player as the best player of the spring. Different players had big moments on different days. I am going to cheat and just say it was the Giants safeties. They have been so quick to react to passes and crash down to knock balls away or make stops after receptions, while not allowing passes to get over the top.
Dan Salomone: Fact – As Citak has pointed out, I usually go fiction when everyone says fact, or vice versa, to shake things up. That rule does not apply to Buckeyes. Bias aside, I don't think this one is even debatable. The most impressive part is his feel for the game. He looks absolutely calm and composed out there, which might sound counterintuitive because of the chaos he creates for offenses while flying around the field. He looks like he is in the right spot at the right time pre-snap and post-snap.
Matt Citak: Fact – If we were discussing which position group stood out during OTAs, it likely would be the secondary. But in terms of one individual defensive standout, that honor has to go to the rookie linebacker. Reese was everywhere during OTAs. At least once per practice, he was in the face of the running back immediately after a catch was made at the line of scrimmage. He showcased his abilities as a pass rusher with some strong rushes around the edge. He had strong coverage down field on numerous occasions. Expectations are always high for a No. 5 pick, and through his first few weeks of NFL practices, Reese has certainly lived up to those expectations. Now let's see how he does when the pads come on in late July.
DL Bobby Jamison-Travis is the rookie you're most interested to see develop further this summer.
John Schmeelk – Fiction: It has to be Sisi Mauigoa. I've been impressed by his mental makeup and athleticism in spring OTAs but there was no way to see how he would handle the actual physical, blocking aspect of playing guard for the first time. I want to see how he handles guys lining up closer to him and some of the games that teams will throw at him inside that he didn't see as much of at offensive tackle.
Dan Salomone: Fact – The Giants signed a handful of grizzled veterans to fortify the interior defensive line, but they also drafted a young one in Jamison-Travis. The sixth-round pick started to make some plays down the stretch of OTAs, including a would-be tackle for loss and batted pass. Development is the name of the game for him.
"He's a guy that has gone the long way, the long way," assistant general manager Brandon Brown said last month. "When I say really long, he's gone from junior college. He had his time at Auburn, and he's a guy that came on the scene a little bit later even though he's an older prospect. You have to understand him as a person. I say more than anything, Bobby is a great father, and that lends to who he is. He's a young man with three kids under the age of 5 and a loving wife. That's what he performs for. That's what drives him. That's his fuel.
"Knowing that he comes from a large family in Minneapolis, he's overcome adversity, but what you have seen in his game is strength in knock-back. In the trenches his hands don't always work in unison, but that's coaching. When you look at BJ watching his tape, when you look at our area scouts, whether it's (college area scout) Scott Hamel, (national scout) Marcus Cooper, going down and saying, hey, this guy is a little bit off the radar, but he has power in his hands, and he can eat double-teams. He doesn't get moved by side anchor, and he can create knock-back in a way that when we get into our meetings with Harbs (John Harbaugh) and Joe (Schoen), hey, we want to be thick in the middle. We want to be able to re-establish the line of scrimmage. Create knock-back at the nose. He's not a pass rusher, but what he can do is eat two blocks and he can be firm."
Matt Citak: Fiction – Jamison-Travis showed some encouraging signs during the spring. If he can expand his skillset beyond his abilities against the run, then he would be an interesting player to keep an eye on. But I have to go with Jack Kelly here. Given the depth the Giants have at linebacker, Kelly will likely be limited to special teams to start his NFL career. But as we saw during his time at BYU, he is capable of contributing in a much bigger way. I think Kelly is going to be a key contributor on special teams this season, which could open the door for him to earn some snaps on defense, as well. But it all starts with developing more this summer.