A few undrafted rookies always manage to wedge their way into the New York Giants’ conversation by the time camp rolls around, and this group has a couple of names worth watching. With rookies already in camp, the early picture is starting to form, and some of these players look far more likely to land on the practice squad than the 53-man roster. A few, though, have a real opening.
The clearest path belongs to Dominic Zvada. He enters camp with a firm edge over Ben Sauls in the kicking competition, helped by a perfect spring in front of the media: 13-for-13 on field goals during mandatory minicamp, the only kicking work reporters got to see.
Jason Sanders is already gone, and Sauls had an uneven spring. Zvada’s college track record also stands out, especially in an NFL where long-range kicks keep getting more routine.
He hit 10 of 12 attempts from beyond 50 yards in college, including 7 of 7 in 2024, with a long of 56 yards. Whether he has 60-plus range in game conditions remains to be seen.
If Sauls keeps scuffling early in camp, the Giants could decide they need a veteran challenger, with Daniel Carlson and Brandon McManus among the available names.
At long snapper, Ben Mann is in a much cleaner spot. He’s the only true long-snapper on the 90-man roster after the Giants cut veteran Zach Triner, so the job is basically his to lose.
Damon Bankston is a tougher call, but there’s at least a lane. Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy, and fullback Patrick Ricard are locked into roster spots, and Devin Singletary probably is too. That leaves Bankston, 23, trying to show enough upside to beat out practice-squad competition from Dante Miller, 27, or Eric Gray, 26.
The offensive line has a couple of long shots in Ryan Schernecke and Jarrod Gray. Schernecke, a Division II right tackle from Kutztown, got $282,500 in guaranteed salary from the Giants, the equivalent of a full season’s practice squad pay.
He worked mostly with the third team in the spring, though he did get a look with the second-team right side when Josh Ezeudu missed time with an elbow injury. Even with that, Marcus Mbow, sixth-round pick J.C.
Davis, and Ezeudu appear to be ahead of him, which points Schernecke toward the practice squad.
Gray, meanwhile, is a different kind of project. The 6-foot-7, 318-pound tackle is a former Australian rugby player who only started playing football in 2025. A spot on the 53-man roster isn’t in the cards, but a practice-squad exemption through the International Pathway Program looks like the most realistic outcome.
Up front on defense, Ben Barten and Anquin Barnes Jr. are both trying to climb a steep hill. Barten, a 6-foot-5, 330-pound nose tackle, is buried behind D.J.
Reader, sixth-round pick Bobby Jamison-Travis, and veteran Josh Tupou. Barnes, listed at 6-5 and 340, also profiles as a nose tackle, and the two undrafted rookies may be fighting for one practice-squad opening.
Barnes has at least drawn some attention. In a profile of him, Chris Pflum wrote: “Barnes Jr. has the traits to be a real find and a UDFA gem if he can learn to finish his rushes. As it stands now, his disruption and ability to open holes for the Giants’ hyper-athletic linebackers could make Barnes Jr. a player to watch this summer.”
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